Top:Juanita Gray operates a metal lathe at the Navy Yard,1943.Right: Martha Fowler sells eggs at Eastern Market,1978.
ing trades,machinists and other blue-collar workers employed by the Naval Gun Factory, not to mention the government clerks commut- ing to the Capitol and downtown Washington. Barracks Row as an employment center peaked during World War II (1941-1945).After the war, the demand for the Navy Yard’s weaponry fell off.In 1962 the gun factory closed permanently, and the Navy Yard was converted to office and museum uses.People moved away to find other jobs and also to live in Washington’s new sub- urbs. The dilapidated Ellen Wilson Dwellings were closed in 1988,and the abandoned build- ings attracted problems. As of this writing,Barracks Row is entering a new phase.The historic buildings of the Eighth Street commercial area are welcoming new busi- nesses,and the streetscape is being renovated, due to the efforts of local merchants with sup- port from the DC Department of Transpor- tation.With community leadership,the abandoned Ellen Wilson Dwellings were replaced in 2000 by the Townhomes on Capitol Hill,a mixed-income development designed to comple- ment nearby Victorian era row houses.All of these changes make a conscious effort to honor the area’s long history and to give visitors and residents alike the experience of that history.
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