A Feast for the Eyes (and the Palate)
Do you hunker down with a few cookbooks to plan your holiday menus? JHSGW has a collection of community cookbooks from the 1950s to 1990s that give us a taste of what earlier Washingtonians have made.
Flocking to Union Terminal Market
It may have sleek, shiny counters, specialty shops and fancy food festivals now, but a whole generation of Washingtonians once depended on Union Terminal Market for most of the food that they consumed.
From Custard Shop to Shopping Center
Simon Sherman’s first taste of business and entrepreneurship came in the form of Williams Frozen Custard. From there he expanded out to the suburbs, opening the area’s first shopping mall, Wheaton Plaza.
The Sidewalk Café That Started It All
Can you imagine summer in DC without outdoor restaurant seating? Prior to 1961, DC regulations didn’t allow it. Bassin’s owner Henry Zitelman battled city officials to allow him to be the sidewalk-café pioneer.
Posin’s: Legen-dairy in DC
For 80 years, one establishment was responsible for catering most of DC’s synagogue events, bar and bat mitzvahs and shivas, serving up bagel platters as well as integration in a mostly-segregated city.
Finding a Seat at the Seder Table
“Where are you celebrating Passover?” is a common question, especially when you’re traveling or new to a city. In the early 1900s, DC organizations hosted many Seders for visitors and temporary residents.
Nearly 100 Years in the ‘Hood
When John Sauer started selling groceries in 1919 from his simple frame house in DC, he could not imagine that decades later it would still be a center for the community.
Comet Liquors, a Neighborhood Spot
When Oscar Gildenhorn opened his business in 1940, the neighborhood wasn’t called Adams Morgan. But as the area grew, so did Comet Liquors.
Serving the Troops
Harry Slavitt was an unabashed admirer of the military. When he opened a liquor store in1932 at 509 Seventh Street SW, the Army War College (at the Washington Barracks) and Army Industrial College (where Fort McNair now stands) were within walking distance. Fort Myer was just across the Potomac River. In 1943, he left the…
Cookbooks Tell Stories of an Era
[A COMMUNITY COOKBOOK STORY] Chow mein noodles and Jell-O molds? With flavors from abroad and quick mixes, 1950s cookbooks tell local community stories and set the menu for life after World War II.
