Below Dupont Circle, but above the Dupont Metro Station is the old Dupont Circle Subway Station. The present Connecticut Avenue running under the circle was built in 1949 as part of the same project that moved the streetcars underground to reduce the impact of the old trolley system on Dupont Circle traffic. The station was a mirror image of the traffic circle above: each train would complete a half-circle in a counter-clockwise direction in the station before exiting. The platforms were also semicircular. This design ensured that passengers could emerge at the appropriate point in the Circle to catch a connecting bus without having to cross any streets. As there are four streets all intersecting at the Circle, there were seven or maybe eight stairwells into and out of the station. The streetcars traveled north-south along Connecticut Avenue and went underground at about O St., N.W. and reemerged at R St., N.W. In 1962 the station was closed when the trolley system was shut down.
Check out the Massachusetts Ave sign on the wall in the background. You’ll see it again in the gallery below.
Developers signed a 20-year lease for the 26,000 square foot remnants of the trolley station in 1993, with the intent to transform it into high-end retail. But by 1995, “Dupont Down Under” opened as a food court. It was only open for 6 months, before the District terminated its developer’s lease. The city evicted the developer for failure to pay rent and other alleged breaches of contract. In turn, the city was sued, challenging the eviction. Any progress on use of the space was put on hold since it was mired in legal battles.
In recent years, the city has looked into using the space for different purposes including, a gym, displaced gay bars from the construction of the baseball stadium and new art galleries.
I was lucky enough to get a chance to check out the old abandoned Dupont Down Under a few weeks ago. It was awesome. It’s hard to believe there is that much space hidden below the circle. Definitely kinda creepy since it’s pitch black without a flashlight and the remains of crackhead and homeless living spaces are still down there. One of the police officers with us said everything was sealed off permanently after they found a dead body in the late 90′s.
Here are a few pictures from the trip.
Then:
Now:
Info from:
The Washington Post
The Washington Times
The Washington Business Journal
D.C. Underground
Incredible space. Who knew?
Typical of DC.. Valuable space just left to waste away to nothin. Tax dollars at work as usual !!
[...] and announce it publicly.” In the meantime, everything remains sealed off after police reportedly found a dead body there in the late [...]
The tunnel is as old as I am. I am not a native Washingtonian but a the time it opened I was a Federal Employee in the 18th St area and anything new in the area was an adventure and so came Dupont Downunder, by then the Red line was just the subway but a new spot!!!!!!
Two corrections:
Connecticut Avenue was not dug out in 1962 as stated. The present Connecticut Avenue running under the circle was built in 1949 as part of the same project that moved the streetcars underground.
Also, the streetcars ran through the stations in a COUNTER-clockwise direction, not clockwise as stated.
Updated. Thanks Ken!
I remember going to Dupont Down Under–once. It would have helped if they advertised it better and had better signage–NOBODY knew about it!
Why don’t they spruce the place and at least let it serve as a safe means for pedestrians to navigate the circle? Right now walking across Dupont Circle ends up trapping you at as many as 4 differently time traffic lights as well as being stranded on some very skinny and dangerous “sidewalk islands” separating lanes.
And where exactly, in which large city, did going underground to walk under the nicer city sections, attract people? These public bypass routes going underground never worked in European cities either. Certainly it is also worrisome for single women, as well elderly (who can’t use those steps so easily) and for anyone who doesn’t favor unwatched, windowless, dank, urine smelling corridors and humorless, perhaps racist graffiti. (A word of warning – as soon as the budgets stop to drop a bit, so does the cleaning crew, and all oversight)
Would you really choose to go down more than once? In the beautiful summer days? In the early darkness of winter days?
Sounds like club use.
Frank: Moscow, London, Paris, Berlin, etc. Many cities have well used and safe underground pedestrian passageways ..
In addition to Moscow, Berlin, Paris – Kiev and Budapest have underpasses. I have to say the idea is great, however the Moscow, Kiev and Budapest underpasses are dark, bad smelling and pretty scary – especially if you are a girl walking through them at night – even if you are not alone, they are not that much fun – if there was some sort of security monitoring what is going on, that might help – as it is now, i would rather take my chances with cars than walk through one of these places – although making them safe would be wonderful!
So, how would one get a tour down there? I could care less about the ‘DuPont Underground’, but the original trolley tunnel architecture and detail.
Thanks for the article!
Thanks for providing the answer to the mystery of ‘what are all these disused subway entrances around Dupont Circle?’ The Circle is a nightmare to navigate as a pedestrian -its a pity the under passes could not be brought back into use – with retail outlets there to keep the place lively & safe…
The last time I saw the interior of the station below Dupont Circle was as a passenger on the trolley.
I spent the summer of 1960, between my Sophomore and Junior years in College, in Washington, living at Cathedral Mansions (directly across from the zoo entrance) on Connecticut Avenue and working at The Hecht Company, at 7th and F Streets, NW.
Although I could get a bus, my preferred method of commuting was on the trolley. It wasn’t air-conditioned but the windows opened – and, these were the days when I went to work wearing real linen dresses (which had to be ironed if you sat down), nylons and 4″ heels, and white gloves (I must have owned over a dozen pairs, so I had a fresh pair each day). But, even then, I felt that I was seeing the end of an era when I rode the trolley and enjoyed taking part in a little bit of Washington history.
the trolley is undergoing a renaissance in DC. I’m all for using this space for something that will eventually give the taxpayer some ROI, but why not use it for trolleys/buses? It seems like it’d be a perfect option for the city if they were ever to think about bringing back the trolley in NW. As is, we already have 2 lines going into NE and SE and several proposed lines in NW. I’m sure this has been discussed. Can someone point me to that discussion?
thanks for the photos – i was reading about this on the post this weekend so was curious to find more photos of it – it looks like it could be great if it was bagel stores, coffee shops etc! would be great in winter too to avoid the snowy dupont circle hazzards!!
Does anyone know the width and ceiling height of the raw space (undeveloped)?
I recall the trolleys from when I was a suburban kid and we’d pile in the ’56 Chevy to take Mom to Woodie’s or The Hecht Co. in downtown D.C. for the holiday light shows in their windows (there were other trips to dwtwn. D.C., but Alex. had or has its own Woodworth & Lothrop store and perhaps a Hecht. Co. & definitely a “Penne’s”).
I loved the ol’ trolleys. To think btwn. GM buying up all the trolley systems in much of the States and this underground connector possibly even making it run better — well, we’ve not learned a lot. At least D.C. got a decent subway system 40 some years ago while the Fed money was being doled out for such systems B4 it all dried up.
Thank you SO much for this blog post. I’m fascinated by underground remnants. Ever since moving to DC and seeing some of the old trolley tracks, I knew there were many mysteries beneath the surfaces we walk every day. I would love to see a cross-section of some of these areas!!
Thank you again for this brief glimpse into a spot I’ve walked/run/biked/driven by countless times and wondered about.