This story is part of the WTOP series “DC Uprising: Voices from the 1968 Riots.” Each day this week, we’ll tell the stories of the upheaval and tumult 50 years ago through the eyes of those who experienced it.
WASHINGTON — The eruption of unrest in 1968 left scars on D.C. neighborhoods for years.
Many residents didn’t think some areas — marked by burned-out husks of buildings and boarded-up stores — would ever recover.
The following interactive photo gallery shows how the cityscape has transformed over the last 50 years.
The photos depicting damage from the 1968 riots are from the Darrell C. Crain Jr. photo collection and maintained by the D.C. Public Library. They are reposted here, with permission, alongside photos showing those areas in 2018 taken by WTOP photographer Dave Dildine.
The changes are startling, but what remains — the landmarks that endured — also tell a revealing story about the city.
Drag the slider left/right to see what DC neighborhoods looked like in 1968 and today.
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More from the series, “DC Uprising: Voices from the 1968 Riots.”
- ‘Everything was on fire’ — remembering the DC riots 50 years later
- DC Uprising: An oral history of the 1968 riots
- Under fire: Retired police, firefighters remember 1968 flashpoints
- ‘The mayor saw it with his own eyes’ — a reporter chronicles 1968 chaos
- After the riots, an activist on trial
- How Ben’s Chili Bowl survived the 1968 riots to become a DC landmark (VIDEO)
- Shattered lives, unanswered questions 50 years after the riots
- Small DC church survived the riots. But then came the wrecking ball. Finally, a rebirth
- Then & Now: Powerful images show 1968 riot damage and rebuilt DC neighborhoods
