Washington, D.C., Past and Present [Paperback]

Peter R. Penczer (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0962984116 | ISBN-13: 978-0962984112 | Publication Date: November 1, 1998 | Edition: First Edition

With 127 pairs of matching photographs, "Washington, D.C., Past and Present" takes the reader on a journey through time. Author and photographer Peter R. Penczer has selected 127 fine vintage photographs of Washington, D.C., and the Virginia and Maryland suburbs and has rephotographed each site from exactly the same vantage point.

Readers will be astonished by how much, and in some cases how little, the city has changed. Many of Washington's great monumental buildings are still with us today, but in dramatically different settings. Others, such as the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station, site of President Garfield's assassination, have since been demolished. Today the site is occupied by the National Gallery of Art.

On every page, then and now photographs appear side-by-side. A photograph of workers putting the finishing touches on the Tivoli Theater in 1923 is shown alongside the Tivoli today, a magnificent ruin. Where a row of houses stood in Southwest Washington in the 1950s we now see the Southwest Freeway.

The Virginia and Maryland suburbs are covered here as well. Early photographs of Clarendon, Falls Church, Alexandria, Fairfax, Herndon, Chevy Chase, Rockville, Hyattsville, and many other localities appear alongside recent photographs of exactly the same view.

Accompanying the 254 then and now photographs are 127 lucid, thoroughly researched captions describing the forces that have transformed Washington, D.C., and the metropolitan area. "Washington, D.C., Past and Present" is fascinating reading for anyone interested in Washington, metropolis and capital city, and its environs.

Editorial Reviews

Review

All cities are layers of now and then, before and after, past and present, and this quality is a large part of their continuing tug on our imaginations. In contemporary cities, however, history has a way of disappearing very fast. Change is constant and so thorough that buildings, streets and even whole neighborhoods vanish without a trace--except, in fortunate instances, for the evidence of photographs taken long ago. For this reason, the publication of "Washington, D.C., Past and Present" is a matter for some celebration. Conceived and published by author-photographer Peter R. Penczer, the book provides an unpretentious, entertaining and at least mildly upsetting review of the city's history. You can page through for a quick survey, or spend hours devouring details. -- Benjamin Forgey, Washington Post, Jan. 2, 1999

About the Author

Peter R. Penczer is a writer and photographer. A native of Connecticut, he has been living in the Washington area since 1984. This is his first book.

Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: Oneonta Press; First Edition edition (November 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0962984116
• ISBN-13: 978-0962984112
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,327,540 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, Native Washingtonians will Love It!, January 24, 1999

By 

Michael J. Harris - See all my reviews

This review is from: Washington, D.C., Past and Present (Paperback)

This is a fascinating book. Page after page of "before-and-after" photos comparing old time "Washington" to modern-day "DC." The book covers the four quadrants of the city (NW, NE, SW and SE), as well as many suburban areas (once self-contained communities which have been swallowed up by the metropolis that modern-day Washington has become). As a native, I was surprised at how many of the "before" shots were familiar -- and the flood of bittersweet memories those "before" pictures brought back in terms of how dramatically Washington has changed in just the past 30 to 40 years -- not to mention the past 130 years, which is how long ago some of the "before" pictures were taken. As this book proves, in many cases the changes have been for the better: poor neighborhoods rehabilitated; ghettos replaced by substantial housing; cowpaths paved; a much-improved Potomac riverside; etc. In other cases the changes are simply heartbreaking: the once highly livable Southwest area of the city demolished and replaced by, frankly, some of the most hideous architecture and freeway systems imaginable; the once inhabitable downtown area of Rockville replaced by concrete "bunkers" of remarkable ugliness; streets once full of people and shops giving way to block after block of monotonous office buildings. It's almost impossible to remember that Tysons Corner, Rosslyn, College Park, Upper Northwest, Chevy Chase, and many other bustling metro areas were once charming (dare I say "sleepy?") little bergs. It's also sort of humorous to note that such highly congested areas as the "intersection" of Lee Highway and Route 66 (in East Falls Church, Virginia) were equally "congested" way back in 1898 (albeit with horses and buggys instead of cars, vans and 4-wheel drive vehicles)! In any event -- and whether or not one feels the changes have been for the better or the worse -- all of the photos are top-notch, and Mr. Penczer has painstakingly based the "after" pictures on the originals. A million dollars worth of memories for a mere $19.95 -- go get it!!