The African American Civil War Memorial stands apart as a bronze nine-foot sculpture titled The Spirit of Freedom, which depicts three infantrymen and a sailor. Behind this statue, two curved walls are inscribed with the names of two…
Greater U Street Trail
This walk highlights the landmarks of Washington’s historic Black Broadway, tracing the theatres, jazz clubs, and monuments that defined African American cultural life. It's an essential route for understanding U Street's rich musical and civic history.
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1. African American Civil War Museum
2. Lincoln Theatre
The Lincoln Theatre is a neoclassical building on U Street, recognizable by its tan-colored brick facade and a large, central three-part window set within a slightly projecting bay. Opened in nineteen twenty-two, it became the cultural…
3. True Reformer Building
The True Reformer Building occupies the southwest corner of twelfth and U Streets. You can identify this five-story structure by the buff brick on its primary facades and the mural of Duke Ellington often displayed on its exterior.…
4. Bohemian Caverns
The Bohemian Caverns occupies a windowless basement beneath the corner of Eleventh and U Streets. You can identify the site by the distinct architectural oddity of its past incarnations: a ceiling once fitted with artificial plaster…
5. Thurgood Marshall Center for Service and Heritage
The Thurgood Marshall Center for Service and Heritage occupies a grand, five-story brick building designed in the Renaissance Revival style. It sits at eighteen sixteen twelfth Street Northwest, a structure finished in nineteen twelve that…
6. The Howard Theatre
The Howard Theatre at six hundred twenty T Street Northwest is recognizable by its restored facade, which blends Italian Renaissance, Beaux-Arts, and neoclassical styles. When it opened in nineteen ten, it was billed as the largest theater…