The Whitelaw Hotel : 無料・フリー素材/写真
The Whitelaw Hotel / dbking
| ライセンス | クリエイティブ・コモンズ 表示 2.1 |
|---|---|
| 説明 | In November 1919, Washington, DC 's, first luxury hotel for African Americans opened. In the era of Jim Crow laws and white-only accommodations, the $158,000 project was financed and built by and for blacks. Conceived by entrepreneur John Whitelaw Lewis and designed by Isaiah T. Hatton, the hotel was a gathering place for the community and celebrity guests like Cab Calloway who were performing at the U Street clubs. The end of legal segregation and the influx of drugs spelled the demise of the Whitelaw. In 1977, the badly deteriorated property was closed by the city. Manna, Inc. bought the building in 1991 and with the help of historic preservation tax credits administered by the National Park Service, returned it to productive use the following year as low- and moderate-income housing. A symbol of the rejuvenation of the Shaw neighborhood, the Whitelaw Hotel at 1839 13th Street NW was entered into the National Register of Historic Places on July 14, 1993. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------From its birth, the Whitelaw Hotel was a community effort. It was financed by black investors from every segment of the community and built entirely by black entrepreneurs, designers, and craftsmen. Shaw district residents used to say their most famous hotel was named for the "white laws" which segregated Washington's hospitality industry. In fact, the gray brick hotel is named for its builder, John Whitelaw Lewis, a black businessman who began construction of the hotel after World War I.In its short heyday, the Whitelaw, located at the corner of T and 13th Street, attracted the likes of Cab Calloway and Joe Louis and played host to debutante balls and many black tie occasions attended by Washington's black elite. But during the 1960s, it deteriorated into a drug den, and in 1977 District officials condemned the Whitelaw. Once the only high class hotel for black patrons in Washington, the "Embassy," as it was fondly called, became a shelter for junkies and the homeless.The Whitelaw was restored to it's original elegance in 1991-1992 and serves as a symbol of rejuvenation for the area. The lobby houses a display of the Whitelaw's past heydey, decline, and its restoration, including documents showing that Duke Ellington and other famous African Americans were its clients. Today the Whitelaw houses subsidized, low-cost apartments and has gained special community pride as an important historical site. |
| 撮影日 | 2006-07-29 15:10:16 |
| 撮影者 | dbking , Washington, DC |
| 撮影地 | |
| カメラ | Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT , Canon |
| 露出 | 0.006 sec (1/160) |
| 開放F値 | f/10.0 |
| 焦点距離 | 33 mm |