Telling the Story of Georgetown, Person by Person

“I grew up in a small town,” said developer Richard Levy, one of those recently interviewed for the oral history project of the Citizen Association of Georgetown. He meant both Georgetown and Washington, D.C., he said. It was a sentiment echoed by those at the table and by many in the audience.

The facts may be the same, but the feelings are more vivid. That is why Georgetowners of all stripes crowded the grand room of the City Tavern Jan. 13 for another live presentation of the CAG project, coordinated by committee chair Cathy Farrell.

Five prominent residents, at one time or another, were there to tell their story about growing up, living or working in Washington, D.C.’s oldest and most famous neighborhood: Anne Emmet, Philip Levy, Richard Levy, Elizabeth Stevens and Gary Tischler. Emmet, an artist, was ready with some insight into old social traditions. Sons of real estate pioneer Sam Levy, Philip and Richard Levy recalled growing up on M Street above the family store. Stevens, with her husband George Stevens, Jr., founding producer of the Kennedy Center Honors, raised three children on Avon Lane. Tischler has been a writer and editor at the Georgetowner over four decades.

With a nod to the old and new, Stevens began the talk, saying that it is “so lovely to live here,” recalling the elegant specialty shops, such as one run by Dorcus Hardin, along with Neam’s Market and the French Market. She also recalled Menehan’s Hardware Store on M Street. She noted that with Jackie Kennedy the town had gotten real style. Nevertheless, she said that Georgetown “hasn’t changed that much.”

Richard Levy, who learned more Georgetown history while researching for his West Heating Plant condo project, reminded the crowd that the town once had 12 gas stations and at least two car dealerships and that the parking lot behind the Old Stone House was a used car lot. He also pointed out that Georgetown has had a vibrant group of Jewish merchants. Living in a house once occupied by John F. Kennedy, he cited the Kennedy era as Georgetown’s second re-birth. (The brothers also mentioned the Biograph Theater and Key Theater, ran by their other brother David, now deceased. The CVS on M is where the Biograph was; the Key, Restoration Hardware.)

Owner of Bridge Street Books on Pennsylvania Avenue, Philip Levy recalled watching football on TV at his father’s store and the cops walking the beat. For him, this “small town” was full of country western music (the Shamrock was on M Street) and was the bluegrass capital of the world (after Nashville). He listed the Bayou, the Cellar Door and Shadows, where Ri Ra is now. He noted the importance of Blues Alley.

Emmet began by mentioning that her mother bought the family’s P Street house in 1950 for $50,000. As her mother become bedridden, Emmet’s neighbors pitched in. To sighs from some in the audience, she mentioned Dorothy Stead’s dress shop. She remembers when Volta Park was a “junk heap” and she was not allowed to go there. She and her girlfriends got to meet the King of Jordan. Then, at a different time, they went with the boys to Wisconsin and M, carrying paint cans and brushes. They held the wet brushes against the turning cars — and never got caught (The audience howled). She said the town has changed a lot. Emmet did stress one of Georgetown’s enduring qualities: “Friends, neighbors, we all took care of each other.”

Tischler, known as the longest-serving and most prolific writer for the Georgetowner, said he began writing in 1980 for the newspaper, which just celebrated its 60th anniversary. He wrote immediately about Sen. Ted Kennedy and then about burlesque dancer Blaze Starr (not in the same story or breath, we assure you). He has written about 2,000 articles about the town and its people and called the place “steadfast” and “classy.” He gave a quick list of notables for him — “George Stevens, Ed Shorey, Don Shannon, Virginia Allen, Chris Murray” — and worried about not naming others. Tischler gave a tip of his hat to author Kitty Kelley, who, he said, “is famous but never acts like it.” Indicating his love of the arts, he also said, “The best view of Georgetown is from the Kennedy Center, and the best view of the Kennedy Center is from Georgetown” — and that he hoped to keep writing 2,000 more stories.

If you want to interview and be interviewed for the oral history project, contact the Citizens Association of Georgetown — CAGtown.org — CAGmail@CAGtown.org — 202-337-7313.