In a city that changes as much as Washington DC, there is no surprise that it has its fair share of abandoned buildings and places. While no one enjoys having abandoned eye sores on the streets, renovations and rehabilitations often become stalled due to budgets, zoning, or the inability for anyone to agree (sounds a lot like how the rest of Washington is run). If you are looking for a creepy way to spend a fall night in Washington, we dare you to take this road trip to Washington DC’s most abandoned places.
We begin our journey at the old Strand Theare in Deanwood. The Strand opened in 1928 and was the first movie theater built east of the Anacostia River. But it closed in 1959 and has fallen into disrepair. Apparently there is a tree growing through the roof at this point. There have been plans to renovate the building but so far nothing has been approved.
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MacMillan Sand Filtration Site - Michigan Avenue, on the east by North Capitol Street, on the south by Channing Street and on the west by First Street.
From the Strand, we’ll head to the iconic MacMilan Sand Filtration Site, which is often referred to as DC’s Stonehenge. These creepy abandoned silos and dusty tunnels underneath won’t be empty for long but don’t miss them while they stand as a testament to the city’s past.
The Bond Bread Factory was built in 1930 and was known for its distinctive art deco architecture. The bakery culture used to be big in Washington DC and the smell of fresh baking bread would waft through the Shaw neighborhood. Now all that remains from that era is a creepy, dilapidated building that no one seems to know what to do with.
The Holt House is an under-the-radar historic building that is owned by the Smithsonian. Sitting on the grounds of the National Zoo, the house was built in 1810 and was used by the National Zoo as administrative offices until 1988 when it was boarded up and while efforts have been made to restore the house, which is at risk of collapsing, not much has been achieved.
Glen Echo Trolley Trestle, Foundry Branch Valley Park
A trolley used to connect Georgetown to Glen Echo, Maryland and the Glen Echo trolley trestle is one of the few remaining bridges of the line. In the early 1900s, hundreds of thousands of Washingtonians took the trolley to the Glen Echo Amusement Park. Now it sits abandoned surrounded by trees and woods and is the place of many dares by DC youths.
St. Elizabeths - 1100 Alabama Ave SE, Washington, DC 20032
St. Elizabeths is the subject of many of Washington DC ghost lure. A former insane asylum, this creepy campus is partially closed down after the hospital closed due to neglect (and a tendency of patients to escape). St. Elizabeths has plans to be redeveloped but for now, the east side of the campus is a look at the past.
