White Bathing Beach

Title

White Bathing Beach

Description

White residents of Washington enjoyed swimming in the Tidal Basin as early as the 1880s. In 1918, the district office of buildings and grounds added buildings to make the beach more enjoyable, like a cabana and diving platform. Like other recreational areas in DC, the part of the beach with buildings and diving structures was white-only. The Tidal Basin beaches closed in 1925.

Date

1918 (opened)

1925 (closed)

Source

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. View original.

Coverage

1920-1949

Theme

civil rights

environment

everyday life

ghost mall

neighborhood

work & play