Its legacy is ups and downs — so enjoy the up

The U Street Corridor is booming. New businesses and residents are flocking to an area that was largely vacant only a few years ago. But along with taking pleasure in the area’s revitalization, many local citizens are eager to preserve its past.

“The neighborhood has a proud history going back into the late 19th century of African-American self-sufficiency,” said Jane Freundel Levey, chief historian at Cultural Tourism D.C., a non-profit arts and history coalition.

{mosads}The end of segregation in the mid-1960s was a double-edged sword for residents of the black enclave. “When African-Americans could take their businesses anywhere and go anywhere for entertainment and all the rest, they did,” she said. “And so the usefulness of U Street as the center of African-American business and culture rapidly dropped away.”

Coming at a time when the civil rights movement had already begun to splinter, the 1968 riots after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. further wounded the local economy. Ben’s Chili Bowl and Lee’s Flower and Card Shop still operate, but a great many storefronts went dark in the late ’60s — a slump that endured for decades.

U Street, however, could not be counted out so easily. The Reeves Center came to 14th and U under Mayor Marion Barry, and the Metro arrived in 1991. While the construction tore up parts of the neighborhood, the increased transportation proved an ultimate boon and now the area thrives once again.

The U Street Corridor proved ideal for Andy Shallal. In 2005, he opened his restaurant and bookstore Busboys and Poets on 14th Street and V. The name is a hat-tip to the black poet Langston Hughes, who bussed tables before achieving fame for his verse. Spoken-word poetry readings and writing workshops are frequent, continuing the artistic legacy of the area once renowned for its jazz scene.

Shallal, an Iraqi-American, wanted to ensure his venue properly reflected the spirit of the famed cultural enclave. He talked to longtime residents and professors at nearby Howard University about what kind of venue would be welcome in the area. “From my perspective, it is really important to have something that adds value [to the area] and not just make money out of it,” he said. “That wasn’t the intent, but it’s been wildly successful.”

New architecture has come along with new residents and businesses, Tony Hain, associate broker at The Art of City Living, said. While much of the area is designated a historic district, there are also streets where developers enjoy the freedom to build as they wish. “Some of the new condo buildings you’re seeing are some of the more modern the city has to offer in terms of style,” he said.

But mixed in with these newer models “there are a number of large buildings that were built in the early 20th century by African-Americans with African-American financing, African–American architects, African-American labor, the whole nine yards,” Levey said. To make sure these testaments to the historic U Street are not forgotten, Cultural Heritage D.C. erected a walking trail with 14 signposts that identify sights of interest.