Washington in the '60s: Share Your Memories

I grew up in DC Metro area of Virginia during the 60's. Im sure like others I am not alone when I say we saw it all. I was in the tempo builidings along the reflection pool (which are now gone) to here MLK speech "I have dream". My mom worked in those buildings. It is something that is has stuck with me forever. I also later was down to protest the war in Vietnam (as my mother was doing the body count everyday for the government).

I also have fond memories of places like Velatis Confectionery's, the shopping district with W&L and Garfinckels, Reeve's, Gusties, and many other places. My grandmother stayed in DC, and she introduced me to places she had gone to while growing up in DC. Both her and my mother as the city grew and buildings changed could tell what use to be there.

Since I lived in Virginia, not far from Fairfax Hospital. The beltway was being built at the end of our street, so when they left or on the weekends during the summer we would go down and ride our bikes on the nice new pavement

Looking forward to the show, and yes I remember "we are the joy boys of radio" are they still chasing electrons?

I lived in NYC, and most of the year didn't see segregation first-hand. But during summers, I visited with my father and grandmother, and saw separate bathrooms and water fountains for "coloreds" (or "Negroes", depending on whether we were in D.C. or Virginia), and thought that was really odd. I even went into a men's room for "coloreds" just to see what was different about their facilities... and all the stuff in there was the same as in our bathrooms. As a child, I couldn't see the need for FOUR bathrooms in D.C. and Virginia when TWO worked just fine at home in Manhattan.

Then in the summer when I was twelve, I think, I saw almost all the stores around my uncle's mens store on 15th at K burned out. His store (Kay's Men's Shop) was spared, because he didn't treat people any differently based on their religion or skin color.

The level of racial hatred that had been simmering beneath the surface had been too subtle for me to notice as an eleven year old boy, but the riots changed all that.

My wife and I grew up in Iowa, and had just moved, with 2 young children to Baltimore in 1958 to take a new job after college, It was a big change for us, but Baltinore is a nice place, so we managed the change, We remember the 1960's very well,especially John F. Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and Martin Luther King. We especially liked the folk songs of Harry Belafomte, Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, and such groups as the Weavers, and Peter, Paul , and Mary, and the Smothers Brothers. All of them were great! TWahington in the1960's were a great place and time to be alive!

I worked at IRS at 11th and Penn when the riots started and buildings down the street and on F Street started burning. Both black and white workers were frightened, not knowing which way to turn. Government workers were finally sent home early, but instead of getting out of the city, we sat like sitting ducks in our cars in a traffic jam! The next week, after the curfew, when we were allowed back into the District, we girls took a walk up to F Street. We innocently stuck out heads into the burned out stores and were overcome by the fumes of the tear gas. What a sad, sad, frightening time in our history.

You want good times:

Felix Grant on WMAL.

Early '70's: Listening and loving Roberta Flack's Sunday jam sessions upstairs at Mr. Henry's on the Hill.

Life was simpler then. Tyson's Corners was two dirt roads that intersected. Seven Corners was the only Shopping Mall. You got on a bus to go to 11th and # to see the magical Christmas (animated windows); go the spectacular movie theaters, eat Velatis caramels, go to Blen Echo or ride on the Mount Vernon Ferry to the amusement park. Georgetown had the greatest dance places (Roundtable, Old Macs, New Macs, etc.) Everyone was angry with the Viet Nam war and the senseless dying. We were all fighting for civil rights but the night D.C. was burned and looted broke my heart. I used to feel safe everywhere - and there was more laughter in the world before JFK and MLK were assassinated and the Viet Nam War. It seemed drugs came in and less hope in our future.

In 1965 I moved from the District to a 4th-floor appartment in the Crystal House (Arlington) facing the Potomac River. At that time, one could see from our balcony essentially all forms of mechanized transportation simultaneously, and without a turn of the head. By looking due east the following were visable:

Planes taking off from National Airport
Cars, trucks and Bicycles on Rt. 1
Trains coming into Washington from the South
Boats of various kinds on the river

What a great illustration that would have made for a second-grade reader.

I am 64 years old now and living in Redmond, WA, outside of Seattle, WA. I was born in the old Sibley Hospital on North Capitol St. My first home was on the 600 Block of B St NE, which was changed to Constitution Ave. My grandmother had a rooming house on the 300 block of Maryland Ave. NE from 1932 to 1969, then another rooming house on the 700 black of East Capitol ST SE.

The Mall was my own personal playground and used to tour all the Smithsonian buildings all my myself. A kid could never do that these days. I also remember the Marine Band playing on the East Front of the Capitol during the summer.

Much of my youth was spent in SE DC as well as my grandmother's house on Maryland Ave and I graduated from Anacostia in 1965, Prince Georges Comm College in 1968, and University of Maryland in 1970.

The 60's are very vivid to me, such as JFK's inaugeration, his funeral which I attended as far as going thru the Rotunda to view his casket, the cortege to St Matthew, & it going across Memorial Bridge with the leaders of the world following.

My grandmother worked at Woodies on F St back when "going downtown" was special. She was an avid passenger of the old streetcars and so was I. I loved the one that went to Glen Echo and used it a great deal until the streetcars were discontinued in 1962.

I worked at both the Washington Post and the Evening Star while in college and remember the curfews during the riots due to MLK's assassination.

I used the Library of Congress to study while going to college. I would like to think I used the city to the fullest as a youth and remenicse about my youth with great fondness.

i do remember the riots - i remember standing in the front door of out house watching people run up and down the streets with clothes, tv etc. and i also remember when the mililtary would stand guard on our street to make sure the looting stop.

The 60's were some crazy years. Not sure I would like to see that again.