A note on the block party, by Darrow Montgomery, as told to Mitch Ryals.

The last time I was in historic Anacostia on an assignment was just in November—for the opening of the new go-go museum—and things have already changed. So I wanted to take a look.

There was a gas explosion in January that destroyed a building next door to a day care. The building is completely destroyed, and the rubble is still left sitting in the hole where it stood. It’s amazing no one was hurt.

Signs in the storefront windows along Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE are illustrative. King’s mug shot photo sits in the window of the We Act Radio studio; another window commands “THOU SHALL NOT KILL.” On the back of a “Sidewalk Closed” sign, someone has scribbled a note reminding us that the “the street [is] waiting.”

If you wander off MLK Jr. Avenue, down U Street, old Victorian-era row homes offer some contrast and a bit of respite to the main drag.

As I turn right off of MLK Jr. Avenue onto Good Hope Road, I get a little nostalgic. Good Hope Road SE has been renamed Marion Barry Avenue SE. The Mayor-for-Life should have his own street, but I’ll miss Good Hope Road. It was one of the best street names in D.C.

Photographed May 21 on the block bound by Marion Barry and Martin Luther King Jr. avenues SE, and 13th and U streets SE.

A note on the Block Party, by Darrow Montgomery, as told to Mitch Ryals:

Sights and scenes are changing so quickly in D.C.—on Georgia Avenue NW, 14th Street NW, and elsewhere. Part of my goal with these mini-essays is to document the old stuff before it’s gone.

The twist on this episode featuring the McMillan Reservoir is that things are a already disappearing or are being repurposed. The iconic silos are still there, but they give me the creeps. They remind me of old crematoria.

But there’s something sort of macabre in the newness, too. Fencing around the site shields what’s inside from prying eyes. And the netting is dotted with advertisements of shiny happy people that belie the history of the place.

In 2000, Robin Bingham wrote a feature story for City Paper about finding Marvin Minter’s body in a hovel in one of the squat towers at the McMillan site. I think about that story every time I pass by.

Photographed April 16 on the block bounded by North Capitol, First, and Channing streets NW and Michigan Avenue NW.

Photographed April 2 on the block bounded by Georgia and Illinois avenues NW and Ingraham and Jefferson streets NW.

Photographed March 11 on the block bounded by 10th and 11th streets NW and M and N streets NW. For previous episodes of Block Party, click here.

Photographed Jan. 24 on the block bounded by Georgia Avenue, Tuckerman, Underwood, and 13th streets NW

Photographed Jan. 4 on the block bounded by Grant Road, Fort Drive, Wisconsin Avenue, and Albemarle Street NW

As 2023 comes to a close, take a moment to look back through staff photographer Darrow Montgomery’s lens. This year’s collection of his favorite photos includes a few from his project on local liquor stores, some shots from his new photo essay series Block Party, and a sneak peek at a yet-unpublished project on Rock Creek Park. There’s also a sleepy, speckled dog.

Many of the photos in this package were shot using a camera with only a black and white sensor. The style is a callback to Montgomery’s earliest work for the paper—more than 30 years ago—when he only shot in black and white. It requires a slightly different approach to his craft and can evoke a more emotional response than photos with colorful hues.

As we look forward to a new year, take a scroll through some of the scenes Montgomery photographed as he went about his life and his work. We hope you enjoy these gems—we certainly have.

—Mitch Ryals

Photographed Nov. 3 on the block bounded by 12th and 13th streets and Monroe and Newton streets NE.

Click here to see more Block Party essays.

Photographed Oct. 18 on the block bounded by 14th and Irving streets and Park Road and Hiatt Place NW.