DC HISTORY WEEK The NE Black Modernist Movement Through Architecture

The Northeast Black Modernist Movement Through Architecture Walk is a guided cultural history experience with Imania Price exploring the legacy of Black architects, builders, and developers who shaped modernist homes, churches, and commercial spaces along Benning Road and the Northeast Hills of Washington, DC.

Participants will explore neighborhoods including Marshall Heights, Capital View, and Benning, discovering how Black-led design and construction helped create vibrant, self-sustaining communities during a pivotal era in DC’s development. While many of these structures have been lost to demolition or redevelopment, the remaining buildings stand as powerful reminders of a time when Black architects and builders played a critical role in shaping the physical and cultural landscape of the city once known as Chocolate City.

This walk offers historical context, architectural insight, and community storytelling, highlighting the importance of preservation and recognition of Black contributions to DC’s built environment. The experience invites participants to see familiar neighborhoods through a new lens and to reflect on how architecture, culture, and community intersect in Washington, DC’s past and present.

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Host or Publisher Mustafa Tariq