[Photo by Weston Brown Flint for 1900's Annual Report of the Public Librarian of the District of Columbia via Flickr user rockcreek]
This aerial photo of Mt. Vernon Square from 7th and K Streets in 1899 shows the familiar square devoid of its two defining architectural structures. Although the Walter E. Washington Convention Center wouldn't go up until 2003 (this was the Convention Center at that time), this may be one of the last documented images without any evidence whatsoever of the Carnegie Library. 1899 marks the year that Andrew Carnegie visited the District and heard about the need for library funding. The library bearing his name was dedicated in the middle of the square four years later, but this photo still shows the area as Mt. Vernon Park, when the central structure was a fountain.
· Carnegie Library [Historical Society of Washington D.C.]
· Walter E. Washington Convention Center [Wikipedia]
· All Looking Back Posts [CDC]