Lost Washington: Shulman’s Market

Here’s a great image from the Library of Congress Flickr pool taken ca. 1941 of Shulman’s Market at the corner of N and Union Sts., SW. Yep, that’s right, SW. After the great urban renewal that swept thought there like a tornado in the 1960s, there is only a handful of structures that have any history to speak of. Not only is Shulman’s gone, but so is Union Street.

Lost Washington: the Savoy Theater

The Savoy was originally built in the Colonial Revival style in 1913 near the intersection of 14th Street and Columbia Rd., NW. In 1916, the Savoy Theater company sold the building to Harry M. Crandall, Washington’s early movie mogul. The Savoy was his fourth theater, Crandall’s goal being to have a movie house in every Washington neighborhood.

After purchasing the Savoy, Crandall closed the theater for two months for extensive renovations. When he reopened in September of 1916, and after spending several thousand dollars more, the changes were reported as being so radical, with decorations so elaboration both inside and out, that patrons familiar with the old theater had a hard time believing the new Beaux Arts inspired structure was the same place.

Lost Washington: The Metropolitan

The Website Cinema Treatures povides the following history of the Metropolitan Theater, which was located on the south side of the 900 block of F Street.

The Metropolitan was built in 1917. It was designed by architect Reginald Geare, who also designed the Lincoln and Knickerbocker Theatres.

The 1400-seat Metropolitan had a three story Georgian Revival facade, with four sets of Doric pilasters below an ornately sculpted pediment. Between four sets of decorative friezes just below the pediment, the theater’s name was incised into the stone in bold lettering.

Around the late 20s, a large marquee replaced the more simple original, somewhat obscuring the arched window over the main entrance. Also, a 60-foot tall vertical sign was also added at this time, with its top support punched right into the sculpture on the pediment. Up until the early 40s, the Metropolitan included live stage entertainment, including a house orchestra, in addition to movies. The theater was also the site of the Washington premiere of “The Jazz Singer” in 1927, the first theater in the capital to show a “talking picture”. A year later, the Metropolitan was acquired by the Warner Brothers chain, which it remained into the 50s.

The theater received two massive remodels in 1954 and 1961 in an attempt to entice more movie goers with its attendance falling. Unfortunately, the Metropolitan closed a few years later, and was razed in 1968.

Lost Washington: The Corby Baking Company/Continental Baking Corporation

The Corby Baking Company, with its main Washington baking facilities at 2301 Georgia Avenue, NW, started as one of the leading independent baking companies. It was founded in 1890 by W. W. Corby. In 1891 a partnership between brothers W. S. and C. I. was formed and continued until 1925.

The Corby company made modern baking history, perfecting several processes and machinery for handling the bread in the making. It was intimately associated with the development of the art and science of baking.