Images of America: Dupont Circle
The photographic history of DuPont Circle will document the past cultural, social, and architectural entities of this rich and diverse neighborhood. Beginning with large estates that covered hundreds of acres in the 1850s, the area that is Du Pont Circle today slowly developed into an urban neighborhood after use as a Civil War encampment. Splendid photographs exist of this time period, as well as images taken as blocks developed in the 1890s, sometimes as builders built 30 houses at one time. Du Pont Circle reached its social zenith in the early 1900s, with mansions surrounding the circle hosting lavish parties attended by Diplomats, Presidents, and socialites. Notable events such as Charles Lindbergh's documented balcony address and political rallies in the circle will add cultural interest to the architectural and social focus of the book. World War Two images of the former mansions being used as rooming houses will bring the reader into the mid 20th century, and finish chronologically with the early 1960s gathering of gay activists who began the restoration of the neighborhood.