Louis Armstrong at the Lincoln Colonnade.
The neighborhood began to change in the 1950 s when the end of legal segregation opened new housing opportunities for African Americans and many chose to leave for newer, less crowded places. Then the 1968 riots following the death of Martin Luther King, Jr., which began at 14 th and U, marked the neighborhood as unsafe. Today the neighborhood is experiencing a renaissance, sparked by the construction of the Reeves Municipal Center in 1986, connections to the city’s Metrorail system in 1991, a revival of local nightclubs and restaurants, and renewed interest in the neighborhood’s historic build- ings. The African American Civil War Memorial at Tenth and U is drawing visitors from around the nation. Restored as a lively center of com- munity life, the neighborhood is now shared by people of all races who honor its legacy.
Kathryn S. Smith Founding E xecutive Director Cultural Tourism DC , Inc.
St. Augustine Catholic Church choir, 1920s.
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