“We had everything we needed right here.” 11th and u streets nw
black businesses sprang up everywhere on U Street in the early 1900 s. As racial segregation increased, African Americans in Washington began a tradition of protest. They also responded by creating institutions of their own. Amazingly, in the 25 years from 1895 to 1920 , the number of black-owned businesses in this area skyrocketed from about 15 to more than 300 . They all clustered around U Street. John Whitelaw Lewis led the way in a true rags to riches story. Arriving in Washington with few resources in 1896 , he took a job as a brick carrier. He soon organized his co-workers into a build- ing and loan association, and in 1913 it became the Industrial Savings Bank, located at 11 th and U Streets. Reorganized by Jesse Mitchell in the 1930 s, it continues in his family today as one of the oldest black financial institutions in the nation. The bank building, and the building across the street at 2001 11 th Street, were both financed by John Whitelaw Lewis and designed by black archi- tect Isaiah T. Hatton in 1919 and 1922 , respectively. The Bohemian Caverns of today is a revival of a long tradition on this spot. The Crystal Caverns began here in 1926 , giving way to the Club Caverns, and then the Bohemian Caverns in the 1960s — a setting for the music of John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Cannonball Adderley, and Ramsey Lewis, among many others. The Ramsey Lewis Trio recorded the popular album, In Crowd, here. These and other black-owned businesses created a world unto itself. Those who remember say, “We had everything we needed right here.”
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