A Self-Reliant People

—Greater Deanwood Heritage Trail —

The Two-Story Art Deco Style Building on your left was once the Strand Theater. Abe Lichtman, a Jewish businessman whose movie theaters catered to black patrons, opened the Strand in 1918. Lichtman also operated the Lincoln and Howard theaters in the Shaw neighborhood of Northwest DC.

At the 600-seat Strand, adults initially paid 15 cents and children paid 10 for first-run movies on Saturday afternoons. The Strand building also housed a pool room, dance hall, pharmacy, and doctor's office.

From 1972 until 2008, the original H.D. Woodson Senior High School stood about a block to your right. Far Northeast's only high school was an innovative, nine-story academic vocational school intended to inspire its community. Instead, over time diminishing city funding, lack of maintenance, and design flaws led to its deterioration, demolition and replacement.

The school's name, though, reflected its community's aspirations. Howard Dilworth Woodson (1876 - 1962) was a Deanwood leader and one of a handful of black licensed architectural engineers in the District. He spent 36 years designing government buildings throughout the United States as well as hundreds of private structures in DC. Locally he designed Union Station's roof, the Metropolitan Baptist and Vermont Avenue Baptist churches, and houses along 49th
Place in Deanwood. Woodson led residents in successful battles for public schools and parks, water and sewer systems, street paving and lighting. And he helped form key civic groups, including the Northeast Boundary Civic Association, the Far Northeast Council, and the Far Northeast Business and Professional Association.

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