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Ben's Chili Bowl

1958 establishments in Washington, D.C.African-American history of Washington, D.C.Chili con carne restaurantsFormer cinemas in the United StatesHistoric district contributing properties in Washington, D.C.
Hot dog restaurants in the United StatesJames Beard Foundation Award winnersNRHP infobox with nocatRestaurants established in 1958Restaurants in Washington, D.C.Theatres on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington, D.C.
Ben's Chili Bowl
Ben's Chili Bowl

Ben's Chili Bowl is a landmark restaurant in Washington, D.C., located at 1213 U Street, next to Lincoln Theatre, in the U Street Corridor (a.k.a. Cardozo/Shaw neighborhood) of Northwest D.C. It is known locally for its chili dogs, half-smokes, and milkshakes, and has been an integral part of the neighborhood's history since its founding in 1958. It was frequented by both police and protesters during the 1968 Washington, D.C. riots, and is regularly visited by celebrities, such as Anthony Bourdain and Chris Tucker. In January 2009, Washington, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty took then President-elect Barack Obama to eat at Ben's as part of his welcome to the city.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Ben's Chili Bowl (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Ben's Chili Bowl
Vermont Avenue Northwest, Washington

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Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 38.9172 ° E -77.0288 °
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Address

Greater U Street Historic District

Vermont Avenue Northwest
20060 Washington
District of Columbia, United States
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creativefolk.com

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Ben's Chili Bowl
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Bohemian Caverns
Bohemian Caverns

The Bohemian Caverns, founded in 1926, was a restaurant and jazz nightclub located on the NE Corner of the intersection of 11th Street and U Street NW in Washington, D.C. The club started out as Club Caverns - a small establishment in the basement of a drugstore - famous for its floor and variety shows. The club was frequented by many of Washington's elite at the time who would come to see such musical artists as Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway. In the 1950s, the club's name was changed to Crystal Caverns and then to Bohemian Caverns. In 1959, promoter Tony Taylor and Angelo Alvino bought the club and transformed it into the premier jazz venue in Washington, D.C. Taylor booked many of the leading jazz musicians of the 1960s including Bill Evans, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Shirley Horn, John Coltrane, Eric Dolphy, Bobby Timmons, Nina Simone, and Charles Mingus. In 1964, Ramsey Lewis recorded the critically and commercially successful album, The Ramsey Lewis Trio at the Bohemian Caverns. By 1968, the club began to lose business. The financial strains and the civil disturbances following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led Taylor and Alvino to close the club in September 1968. Thirty years later, as a re-development of the U Street area was underway, the club was purchased by Amir Afshar and re-opened.Beginning in 2006, Bohemian Caverns was under the direction of club manager Omrao Brown.After a vehicle-into-building crash forced the operators to halt operations for six weeks, Bohemian Caverns went out of business and vacated the building at the end of March 2016.

Republic Gardens

Republic Gardens is an historic nightclub located in Washington, D.C. It first opened in the 1920s and operated as a popular nighttime music attraction for several decades. During its early years, notable musicians such as Cab Calloway and Ella Fitzgerald performed at the nightclub. After the burn out of the 60's riots, Republic Gardens closed and remained vacant until 1996, when club promoter Marc Barnes purchased and reopened the nightclub. Republic Gardens was originally renovated in 1992 by George Saah and Bob Speidel, then sold to the Whitney brothers, who then sold to Marc Barnes. During the Marc Barnes resurrection era Republic Gardens catered to a young and professional urban crowd, setting off the momentum of resurgence for the blighted U Street corridor of Washington, D.C. making it colorful national landmark destination of the upwardly mobile African American. With an international chef as a hallmark of its offerings, and A-list celebrity events, Republic Gardens began to embed into the culture of the new DC social scene as well as the national urban lifestyle epicenter. Marc Barnes went on to springboard into building a 52,000 sq. foot mega club called Dream (turned LOVE) in another DC neighborhood on the brink, Ivy City and ultimately The Park at Fourteenth in the bustling heart of downtown DC. Republic Gardens has been reported to become a mixed use building for the now thriving U Street as of October 2014.