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June 1915. Washington, D.C. "Fifteenth Street north from G Street N.W." Starring the Keith's Theater building, whose corner bar is now the address of the Old Ebbitt Grill. 8x10 inch glass negative, National Photo Co. View full size.
The building to the right ("Keith's High Class Vaudeville") is where "the new" Old Ebbitt Grill is today. Now called Metropolitan Square, the building is a just a facade fronting a large enclosed atrium that is part of a modern office building.
I would assume the individual letters of the names on the marquee above the awning would be lit with bulbs... but I can't figure out how they were wired? I can see "blanks" for example on either side of "HYAMS", so would those be removed before accepting a new letter-square? Or perhaps the letters were magnetic, and just "stuck" to the frame? I never thought about it until I saw this picture... and still can't figure out how each bulb would get electricity. Oh well. It's showbiz!
Below is the same view from April of 2010.
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