Walking Tours in and around Shaw this Weekend

WalkingTown DC will offer a two-part walking tour of the Shaw neighborhood, completely free and open to anyone interested, this Saturday (September 29). The full schedule can be found at http://www.walkingtowndc.org/.

Here’s a description of the tour sent to me recently:

Shaw: Where DC Comes Together, Part I (10 am – 12:30 pm, meet at the northwest corner of Seventh and R Streets, NW) - Shaw has always been a crossroads. Today, the Washington Convention Center dominates Shaw’s southern half, which was once woods and a few farms. Notable historic figures lived and worked in lower central Shaw, including explorer John Wesley Powell, African American US Senator Blanche K. Bruce, and historian Carter G. Woodson. Led by volunteer Alexander M. Padro and presented by Shaw Main Streets.

Shaw: Where DC Comes Together, Part II (1 – 3:30 pm, meet at the northwest corner of Seventh and R Streets, NW) - Entertainment has long been the focus of central Shaw’s northern half – from the Howard Theater, where every star in the black entertainment pantheon performed, and the pool hall where Duke Ellington decided to become a musician, to two sites that hosted baseball teams. Highlights include a renovated movie theater building and the city’s first African American YWCA. Led by volunteer Alexander M. Padro and presented by Shaw Main Streets.

Here are descriptions of some other tours going on nearby this Saturday:

Artist G. Byron Peck’s Shaw/U Street Mural Tour (1 – 2:30 pm, meet outside the U Street/African-Amer Civil War Memorial/Cardozo Metro station (13th Street exit) - Tour Shaw and Dupont Circle in the company of beloved DC artist G. Byron Peck, and get an eyeful of some of his best-known murals. Begin by looking back on U Street’s history when you consider the Duke Ellington mural. Then consider some of the cultures that contribute to this neighborhood’s character, evident in the Black Family Reunion and Mayan murals. Finally, turn your attention to the area’s architectural legacy at the Dupont Circle mural.

Before Harlem, There Was U Street (check out the preview at dcist!) (10:30 am – 12:30 pm, meet and end outside U Street/African-Amer Civil War Memorial/Cardozo Metro station (13th Street exit)) - Take a walk along Washington’s “Black Broadway,” where Duke Ellington grew up and was inspired, and where musical greats such as Cab Calloway and Dizzy Gillespie played into the wee hours of the morning. Here in the shadow of Howard University, African Americans created a strong community that produced leaders for the city and the nation. Led by professional guide Amy Kunz and presented by Washington Walks and Cultural Tourism DC.