Heidi Swift and Lisa Goldsmith of HKS architects, Arts Coalition for the Dupont Underground founder Julian Hunt, managing director Braulio Agnese, and (at rear) design coordinator Monling Lee. Photograph by Dan Chung.
Long before Metro, Washington’s trolleys dipped underground to navigate Dupont Circle. When the city began digging in 1948, shop owners complained about the disruption and newspaper heiress Cissy Patterson applied leverage to stop a planned stairway at her mansion’s doorstep.
Fifteen years later, with the end of DC’s trolley era, the station was mothballed, then briefly served as a fallout shelter and, in the mid-’90s, a short-lived food court.
Now a nonprofit called Arts Coalition for the Dupont Underground has leased the former station with plans to turn the 75,000-square-foot concrete cave into a rental space for exhibits, concerts, and other events. An opening date depends on fundraising, but with the current vogue for transforming public infrastructure, hopes are high that this latest reuse will redeem the underpass’s checkered past.
Before Metro, Washington Had Underground Trolleys
Now, an arts nonprofit is drawing up new plans for the abandoned trolley tunnels.
Long before Metro, Washington’s trolleys dipped underground to navigate Dupont Circle. When the city began digging in 1948, shop owners complained about the disruption and newspaper heiress Cissy Patterson applied leverage to stop a planned stairway at her mansion’s doorstep.
Fifteen years later, with the end of DC’s trolley era, the station was mothballed, then briefly served as a fallout shelter and, in the mid-’90s, a short-lived food court.
Now a nonprofit called Arts Coalition for the Dupont Underground has leased the former station with plans to turn the 75,000-square-foot concrete cave into a rental space for exhibits, concerts, and other events. An opening date depends on fundraising, but with the current vogue for transforming public infrastructure, hopes are high that this latest reuse will redeem the underpass’s checkered past.
Most Popular in News & Politics
Every Bus Line in DC Is Changing This Weekend. Here’s What to Know.
Yet Another Anti-Trump Statue Has Shown Up on the National Mall
8 Takeaways From Usha Vance’s Interview With Meghan McCain
Bans on Underage Vaping, Swastika Graffiti, Synthetic Dyes: New Virginia Laws Go Into Effect in July
Another Mysterious Anti-Trump Statue Has Appeared on the National Mall
Washingtonian Magazine
July Issue: The "Best Of" Issue
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
How Would a New DC Stadium Compare to the Last One?
The Culture of Lacrosse Is More Complex Than People Think
Did Television Begin in Dupont Circle?
Kings Dominion’s Wild New Coaster Takes Flight in Virginia
More from News & Politics
The “World’s Largest Outdoor Museum” Is Coming to DC. Here’s a Preview.
A Cult Classic of Cannabis Brands Is Making Its DC Debut
The Commanders Wine and Dine DC Council Members; GOP Senator Suggests Tax Language Was “Airdropped” Into Spending Bill; and Trump Wants DOGE to Investigate Musk
100 Reasons to Love DC Right Now
How DC’s Attorney General Got So Good at Double Dutch
DC Council Ponders New Way to Expel Trayon White, the GOP’s Budget Bill Advances, and We Found You Some Tacos With Ethiopian Flair
For DNC Chair Ken Martin, the Big Beautiful Bill Is Personal
Every Bus Line in DC Is Changing This Weekend. Here’s What to Know.