Long before go-go, DC already had a legendary stage. It was U Street, and in its prime people called it Black Broadway.
A City Within a City
Howard University was founded nearby in 1867 and drew Black students, scholars and professionals from all over the country. Between 1890 and 1910 many more Black families moved into the neighborhood. Segregation kept them out of much of the city, so they built their own: Black owned banks, theaters, restaurants, newspapers, law offices and doctors' offices lined the blocks around U Street.
The Howard Theatre
The Howard Theatre opened in 1910 and became one of the first major theaters in the country built for Black audiences. The Lincoln Theatre followed on U Street in 1922. By the 1920s the strip was packed with clubs and music halls, and entertainer Pearl Bailey is credited with giving it the name Black Broadway.
The People
Duke Ellington grew up in the neighborhood and came home to play the Howard. Thurgood Marshall, diplomat Ralph Bunche and medical pioneer Charles Drew were all part of this community. People dressed up just to walk the street on a weekend night.
The Line to Today
U Street went through hard years after 1968, then a rebirth when the Green Line arrived in 1991. In 2019 it was 14th and U where thousands gathered to protect go-go. The music changed, but U Street never stopped being the place DC goes to be heard.
Sources: SAH Archipedia, The Rise and Fall of the U Street Corridor, TravelAwaits
