Downtowner DC: ‘The Playground’ at Building Museum, Key for Cathy Hughes
By • August 9, 2026 0 597
Freedom 250 Grand Prix to Roar In
“Let Freedom Rev!” is the tagline for the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C., the first‑ever NTT IndyCar Series race on the National Mall, to be broadcast nationwide on Fox. The race starts on Sunday, Aug. 23, at 1 p.m., with post-race ceremonies at 3 p.m. To hit 250 miles, 22 laps were added last week, for a total of 147 1.7-mile laps. General admission ticketing closed in June, but there will be a free fan activation zone. Practice runs and an International Race of Champions autograph session will be held the day before.
Dupont Underpass Getting Decked Over
Visible progress is being made on the District Department of Transportation’s Dupont Circle streetscape and deck-over project, due for completion by next summer. The $37.8-million project will create a plaza to be programmed by the Dupont Circle Business Improvement District and Historic Dupont Circle Main Streets. A Washington Post article credited artist Lily Spandorf for envisioning a “Connecticut Avenue Mall.” Her illustration inspired real estate developer Michael Kain and community advisor Michael Feldstein.
New Name for D.C.’s Salamander Hotel
Just east of the Tidal Basin, the Salamander Hotel at 1330 Maryland Ave. SW, originally a Mandarin Oriental, has a new name: The Potomac Hotel. Home of Kwame Onwuachi’s Afro-Caribbean restaurant Dōgon, the 373-room property remains owned by Charleston-based Henderson Park, with Sheila Johnson, Salamander Collection founder and CEO, as a minority partner. Now part of Marriott International’s Autograph Collection, which includes the Mayflower, the hotel will be managed by Boston-based Pyramid Global Hospitality.
Building Museum’s ‘Playground’ Packs Up Soon
The last day to visit the National Building Museum’s 14,000-square-foot interactive summer installation, “The Playground,” is Sunday, Aug. 30. New York-based firm Snarkitecture also designed “The Beach” and “Fun House,” which activated the museum’s spectacular Great Hall in 2015 and 2018, respectively. Among the nine areas of “The Playground,” made of over 1,000 sheets of birch plywood, are a Climbing Wall, a Dig Pit and a Sport Court. Timed tickets are $18.95; $15.95 for seniors, students and 17 and under.
Key to the City for Urban One’s Hughes
On July 15, Mayor Muriel Bowser presented Cathy Hughes, 79, founder of the nation’s largest Black-owned media company, with the Key to the City. Family members, friends, community leaders and media professionals filled Southeast D.C.’s Sycamore & Oak for the ceremony. While at Howard University, Hughes launched the “Quiet Storm” radio format of R&B and smooth jazz. She later purchased radio station WOL and, from that beginning, grew Urban One (formerly Radio One) to nearly 60 radio stations and two cable networks.
