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On the night of Saturday, January 28, 1922, the roof of the Knickerbocker Theatre collapsed.
Last edited Sun Jan 28, 2024, 04:11 PM - Edit history (2)
The period of the year in which DC traditionally experiences its biggest snowfalls begins with the last week in January and goes through the first three weeks of February. It comes as no surprise that the biggest snowfall of them all (during the era in which official records have been kept) happened then.
The streetcars had stopped running the day before due to the snow, so people who went to the theater had to get there on their own.
Capital Weather Gang Retweeted
99 years ago today, in 1922, the roof at the Knickerbocker Theatre (at 18th Street & Columbia Road in Adams Morgan) collapsed under the weight of 28 inches of snow, killing 98 people. The Post article from 1922 is unbelievably haunting: http://wapo.st/2Tipqcz
@capitalweather
@capitalweather
Link to tweet
Blizzard of 1922: Knickerbocker Theater Disaster
71,204 views • Dec 19, 2009
Jeff Krulik
894 subscribers
Hand cranked newsreel footage (silent) of the Knickerbocker Theater disaster during the worst snowstorm in Washington DC history, January 27-28, 1922. I used this footage in my documentary TWENTY FIVE CENTS BEFORE NOON which aired on WETA in 1990
71,204 views • Dec 19, 2009
Jeff Krulik
894 subscribers
Hand cranked newsreel footage (silent) of the Knickerbocker Theater disaster during the worst snowstorm in Washington DC history, January 27-28, 1922. I used this footage in my documentary TWENTY FIVE CENTS BEFORE NOON which aired on WETA in 1990
Knickerbocker storm
Formed: January 27, 1922
Dissipated: January 29, 1922
The Knickerbocker storm was a blizzard that occurred on January 27–28, 1922 in the upper South and middle Atlantic United States. The storm took its name from the resulting collapse of the Knickerbocker Theatre in Washington, D.C. shortly after 9 p.m. on January 28 which killed 98 people and injured 133.
{snip}
Formed: January 27, 1922
Dissipated: January 29, 1922
The Knickerbocker storm was a blizzard that occurred on January 27–28, 1922 in the upper South and middle Atlantic United States. The storm took its name from the resulting collapse of the Knickerbocker Theatre in Washington, D.C. shortly after 9 p.m. on January 28 which killed 98 people and injured 133.
{snip}
Knickerbocker Theatre (Washington, D.C.)
The Knickerbocker Theatre in October, 1917
Location: 18th Street, and Columbia Road Northwest, Washington, D.C., United States
Coordinates: 38.92225°N 77.042806°W
Completed: 1917
Destroyed: 1922
Design and construction
Architect: Reginald Geare
The Knickerbocker Theatre was a movie theater located at 18th Street and Columbia Road in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of Washington, D.C. in the United States. The theater's roof collapsed on January 28, 1922, under the weight of snow from a two-day blizzard that was later dubbed the Knickerbocker storm. The theater was showing Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford at the time of the collapse, which killed 98 patrons and injured 133.
The disaster was the worst in Washington, D.C., history. Former Congressman Andrew Jackson Barchfeld and several prominent political and business leaders were among those killed in the collapse. The theater's architect, Reginald Geare, and owner, Harry Crandall, later died by suicide in 1927 and 1937, respectively.
The Knickerbocker Theatre collapse is tied with the Surfside condominium collapse in 2021 as the third-deadliest structural engineering failure in United States history, behind the Hyatt Regency walkway collapse in 1981 and the collapse of the Pemberton Mill in 1860.
{snip}
Theater
The Knickerbocker Theatre was commissioned by Harry Crandall in 1917. Designed by architect Reginald Geare, it had a seating capacity of 1,700.
Collapse
On January 28, 1922, the Knickerbocker was showing the silent comedy Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford. News reports estimated that between 300 and 1,000 people were in the theater that evening. Two days before, a massive blizzard had begun and lasted 28 hours, resulting in significant accumulation of snow and ice throughout the Washington, DC area. It was the worst snowfall in the area since 1899, and much of the city was paralyzed by it. The snow accumulation on the Knickerbocker's flat roof put significant strain on the structure, and on the evening of the 28th, it gave way.
The Knickerbocker Theatre from the outside after the collapse of the roof
The collapse occurred suddenly just after 9:00 PM. Witnesses reported that they had no hint of danger such as creaking or loud noises beforehand. With a loud noise, the roof of the theater collapsed onto the concrete balcony, and both in turn collapsed onto the orchestra seating section. In the moments after the collapse, a witness called a telephone operator, who spread the alarm to police, firefighters, and hospitals. She also phoned the city government, which ordered the immediate closure of all theaters in the city to prevent loss of life from any further collapses. People nearby during the collapse rushed to help, although their efforts were disorganized until the arrival of more than 600 soldiers and Marines. It took time for authorities to gain control of the scene as relatives of people in the theater tried to gain entry. Authorities also experienced delays in getting fire engines and other equipment to the scene as the streets of the city were nearly impassable in places due to snow and vehicles that had become stuck during the blizzard. However, a fleet of ambulances from Walter Reed Army Medical Center and volunteer taxis were able to reach the scene and evacuate some of the injured to hospitals.
{snip}
Further reading
Ambrose, Kevin (January 14, 2013). The Knickerbocker Snowstorm (Images of America). Arcadia Publishing. p. 128.
Ambrose, Kevin (January 27, 2017). "Haunting faces, scenes and stories from the Knickerbocker Theatre roof crash 95 years ago". Washington Post.
External links
Footage of the Knickerbocker Theatre Disaster on YouTube
The Knickerbocker Theatre in October, 1917
Location: 18th Street, and Columbia Road Northwest, Washington, D.C., United States
Coordinates: 38.92225°N 77.042806°W
Completed: 1917
Destroyed: 1922
Design and construction
Architect: Reginald Geare
The Knickerbocker Theatre was a movie theater located at 18th Street and Columbia Road in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of Washington, D.C. in the United States. The theater's roof collapsed on January 28, 1922, under the weight of snow from a two-day blizzard that was later dubbed the Knickerbocker storm. The theater was showing Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford at the time of the collapse, which killed 98 patrons and injured 133.
The disaster was the worst in Washington, D.C., history. Former Congressman Andrew Jackson Barchfeld and several prominent political and business leaders were among those killed in the collapse. The theater's architect, Reginald Geare, and owner, Harry Crandall, later died by suicide in 1927 and 1937, respectively.
The Knickerbocker Theatre collapse is tied with the Surfside condominium collapse in 2021 as the third-deadliest structural engineering failure in United States history, behind the Hyatt Regency walkway collapse in 1981 and the collapse of the Pemberton Mill in 1860.
{snip}
Theater
The Knickerbocker Theatre was commissioned by Harry Crandall in 1917. Designed by architect Reginald Geare, it had a seating capacity of 1,700.
Collapse
On January 28, 1922, the Knickerbocker was showing the silent comedy Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford. News reports estimated that between 300 and 1,000 people were in the theater that evening. Two days before, a massive blizzard had begun and lasted 28 hours, resulting in significant accumulation of snow and ice throughout the Washington, DC area. It was the worst snowfall in the area since 1899, and much of the city was paralyzed by it. The snow accumulation on the Knickerbocker's flat roof put significant strain on the structure, and on the evening of the 28th, it gave way.
The Knickerbocker Theatre from the outside after the collapse of the roof
The collapse occurred suddenly just after 9:00 PM. Witnesses reported that they had no hint of danger such as creaking or loud noises beforehand. With a loud noise, the roof of the theater collapsed onto the concrete balcony, and both in turn collapsed onto the orchestra seating section. In the moments after the collapse, a witness called a telephone operator, who spread the alarm to police, firefighters, and hospitals. She also phoned the city government, which ordered the immediate closure of all theaters in the city to prevent loss of life from any further collapses. People nearby during the collapse rushed to help, although their efforts were disorganized until the arrival of more than 600 soldiers and Marines. It took time for authorities to gain control of the scene as relatives of people in the theater tried to gain entry. Authorities also experienced delays in getting fire engines and other equipment to the scene as the streets of the city were nearly impassable in places due to snow and vehicles that had become stuck during the blizzard. However, a fleet of ambulances from Walter Reed Army Medical Center and volunteer taxis were able to reach the scene and evacuate some of the injured to hospitals.
{snip}
Further reading
Ambrose, Kevin (January 14, 2013). The Knickerbocker Snowstorm (Images of America). Arcadia Publishing. p. 128.
Ambrose, Kevin (January 27, 2017). "Haunting faces, scenes and stories from the Knickerbocker Theatre roof crash 95 years ago". Washington Post.
External links
Footage of the Knickerbocker Theatre Disaster on YouTube
The Knickerbocker Theatre Tragedy, at Ghosts of DC
Knickerbocker Theater Collapse, at Failures.Wikispaces
By the following Monday, streetcars had been positioned so that rescue workers could go about the recovery effort while not providing a view for the assembled crowd.
Source for link: Lost Washington: the Knickerbocker Theater
Source: http://kaloramahistory.blogspot.com/2014/09/knickbocker-theater-death-trap-of-1922.html
Here is a list of those who were killed and those who survived. The site has quite a few pictures too.
Knickerbocker Memorial
Full disclosure: I've done some of the editing on those Wikipedia pages, including providing the name of the film that was being shown at the time.
As for Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford, I've long felt that there should be an annual showing of it in DC on the anniversary of the disaster, as a fundraiser for some cause. I asked the Library of Congress about ten years ago if there were any copies left. There are not. It has been lost to the ages.
Sat Jan 27, 2024: On the afternoon of this day, January 27, 1922, snow began to fall in DC. The snow went on all the next day.
Sat Jan 27, 2024: On the afternoon of this day, January 27, 1922, snow began to fall in DC. The snow went on all the next day.
Sat Jan 28, 2023: On this day, Saturday, January 28, 1922, the roof of the Knickerbocker Theatre collapsed.
Fri Jan 27, 2023: On this day, Friday, January 27, 1922, the Knickerbocker Storm started.
Fri Jan 27, 2023: On this day, Friday, January 27, 1922, the Knickerbocker Storm started.
Fri Jan 28, 2022: 100 years ago today, Saturday, January 28, 1922, the roof of the Knickerbocker Theatre collapsed.
Thu Jan 28, 2021: On Saturday, January 28, 1922, the roof of the Knickerbocker Theatre collapsed.
Mon Jan 27, 2020: On Friday, January 27, 1922, the Knickerbocker Storm started.
4 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
Retropolis
A century later, the pain of D.C.’s deadliest disaster still resonates
By Paul Schwartzman
January 28, 2022 at 7:00 a.m. EST
Washington is well known for its multitude of memorials, a vast portfolio that includes tributes to the likes of Jefferson and Lincoln, veterans of World War II, the passengers who perished on the Titanic and even Sonny Bono. ... Tom Barnes knows of one omission he considers beyond egregious: the 98 people who were killed in the deadliest disaster in D.C.’s history, a catastrophe that occurred 100 years ago Friday when the roof of a movie theater collapsed under the weight of more than two feet of snow.
Barnes’s great-grandparents, Clarissa and Reginald Vance, were among those who died on Jan. 28, 1922, at Crandall’s Knickerbocker Theatre. The audience had just settled into their seats for the second showing of the silent comedy “Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford.” ... When he passes 18th Street and Columbia Road NW, the Adams Morgan corner where the Knickerbocker stood, Barnes said, he can’t help but feel a measure of anger that no memorial plaque exists at the site acknowledging a calamity that generated banner headlines around the world. A total of 133 people were injured in the collapse.
{snip}
[Remembering the 100th anniversary of Washington’s Knickerbocker theater disaster]
{snip}
The Knickerbocker’s opening in October 1917 was a grand affair, with newspaper accounts crowing about the theater’s opulence: walls made of “Indiana limestone and Pompeian art brick,” a state-of-the-art ventilation system, balconies, parlors, lounges and a Japanese tea room. ... “Betsy Ross” was the theater’s first “photo-play,” as motion pictures were then called. A special train transported the film’s star, Alice Brady, and other cast members from New York to D.C., where they greeted the thousands of fans who showed up at the Knickerbocker. ... All at once, the theater transformed an otherwise sleepy crossroads two miles north of the White House, where President Woodrow Wilson resided, into a slice of cosmopolitan hubbub.
Five years later, on the night of Jan. 28, 1922, a record snowstorm had dropped 28 inches on the city. More than 200 people tromped through the snow for the 9 p.m. showing of “Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford,” an adaptation of a George M. Cohan Broadway production about con artists. ... With an orchestral accompaniment, the film had just begun when Moe Gold, 20, a law student seated in the second row, heard what he later described as a “sinister sort of whistling noise above my head,” after which “I saw the roof of the theater open” and “the whole world seemed to fall on me.”
{snip}
Front page of The Washington Post on Jan. 29, 1922. (The Washington Post)
{snip}
A year later, Crandall rebuilt the theater, maintaining its largely undamaged exterior walls and renaming it the Ambassador, which stayed open until the late 1960s. In 1967, patrons could score tickets to a Hendrix show for all of $1.50. ... A wrecking ball demolished the Ambassador in 1970, after which a bank was built on part of the site, leaving a small public plaza on the rest. If he could have his way, Barnes said, the Knickerbocker’s facade would be rebuilt to honor the site’s history, though not with a theater on the inside.
{snip}
By Paul Schwartzman
Paul Schwartzman specializes in political profiles and narratives about life, death and everything in between. Before joining The Washington Post, he worked at the New York Daily News, where he covered Rudolph W. Giuliani’s rise as mayor. Twitter https://twitter.com/paulschwartzman
A century later, the pain of D.C.’s deadliest disaster still resonates
By Paul Schwartzman
January 28, 2022 at 7:00 a.m. EST
Washington is well known for its multitude of memorials, a vast portfolio that includes tributes to the likes of Jefferson and Lincoln, veterans of World War II, the passengers who perished on the Titanic and even Sonny Bono. ... Tom Barnes knows of one omission he considers beyond egregious: the 98 people who were killed in the deadliest disaster in D.C.’s history, a catastrophe that occurred 100 years ago Friday when the roof of a movie theater collapsed under the weight of more than two feet of snow.
Barnes’s great-grandparents, Clarissa and Reginald Vance, were among those who died on Jan. 28, 1922, at Crandall’s Knickerbocker Theatre. The audience had just settled into their seats for the second showing of the silent comedy “Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford.” ... When he passes 18th Street and Columbia Road NW, the Adams Morgan corner where the Knickerbocker stood, Barnes said, he can’t help but feel a measure of anger that no memorial plaque exists at the site acknowledging a calamity that generated banner headlines around the world. A total of 133 people were injured in the collapse.
{snip}
[Remembering the 100th anniversary of Washington’s Knickerbocker theater disaster]
{snip}
The Knickerbocker’s opening in October 1917 was a grand affair, with newspaper accounts crowing about the theater’s opulence: walls made of “Indiana limestone and Pompeian art brick,” a state-of-the-art ventilation system, balconies, parlors, lounges and a Japanese tea room. ... “Betsy Ross” was the theater’s first “photo-play,” as motion pictures were then called. A special train transported the film’s star, Alice Brady, and other cast members from New York to D.C., where they greeted the thousands of fans who showed up at the Knickerbocker. ... All at once, the theater transformed an otherwise sleepy crossroads two miles north of the White House, where President Woodrow Wilson resided, into a slice of cosmopolitan hubbub.
Five years later, on the night of Jan. 28, 1922, a record snowstorm had dropped 28 inches on the city. More than 200 people tromped through the snow for the 9 p.m. showing of “Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford,” an adaptation of a George M. Cohan Broadway production about con artists. ... With an orchestral accompaniment, the film had just begun when Moe Gold, 20, a law student seated in the second row, heard what he later described as a “sinister sort of whistling noise above my head,” after which “I saw the roof of the theater open” and “the whole world seemed to fall on me.”
{snip}
Front page of The Washington Post on Jan. 29, 1922. (The Washington Post)
{snip}
A year later, Crandall rebuilt the theater, maintaining its largely undamaged exterior walls and renaming it the Ambassador, which stayed open until the late 1960s. In 1967, patrons could score tickets to a Hendrix show for all of $1.50. ... A wrecking ball demolished the Ambassador in 1970, after which a bank was built on part of the site, leaving a small public plaza on the rest. If he could have his way, Barnes said, the Knickerbocker’s facade would be rebuilt to honor the site’s history, though not with a theater on the inside.
{snip}
By Paul Schwartzman
Paul Schwartzman specializes in political profiles and narratives about life, death and everything in between. Before joining The Washington Post, he worked at the New York Daily News, where he covered Rudolph W. Giuliani’s rise as mayor. Twitter https://twitter.com/paulschwartzman
These were among the comments:
wdccruise 18 hours ago
This youtube video explains the problems with the design and construction of the building that resulted in the collapse:
This youtube video explains the problems with the design and construction of the building that resulted in the collapse:
B-flat 22 hours ago
A Post article several years ago did a better job at explaining why the roof collapsed. I.e., a diagram showed that the roof trusses extended onto the wall supports by only about 4" all around -- when the wall spread due to the enormous weight of the snow, those trusses weren't resting on anything, and it collapsed.
A Post article several years ago did a better job at explaining why the roof collapsed. I.e., a diagram showed that the roof trusses extended onto the wall supports by only about 4" all around -- when the wall spread due to the enormous weight of the snow, those trusses weren't resting on anything, and it collapsed.
Thejestisyettocome 22 hours ago
This article from {January 27, 2022} goes into more detail: https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2022/01/27/knickerbocker-theater-dc-snowstorm-record/
This article from {January 27, 2022} goes into more detail: https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2022/01/27/knickerbocker-theater-dc-snowstorm-record/
padnactap02 15 hours ago
Was it this article? There's some discussion of the architectural issues:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2018/01/26/98-people-died-in-the-knickerbocker-collapse-courts-never-found-who-to-blame/
Was it this article? There's some discussion of the architectural issues:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2018/01/26/98-people-died-in-the-knickerbocker-collapse-courts-never-found-who-to-blame/
Wonderful World 24 hours ago
I wonder if any health-and-safety changes came about as a result of this disaster...as other notable disasters like infamous hotel and other theatre fires have done to change the way doors open (out instead of in) and building materials and codes.
I wonder if any health-and-safety changes came about as a result of this disaster...as other notable disasters like infamous hotel and other theatre fires have done to change the way doors open (out instead of in) and building materials and codes.
Wonderful World 20 hours ago
Answering my own question:
According to the Smithsonian, yes, some building codes were altered. Apparently, the Knickerbocker's roof (while adhering to the building codes of the time) was barely supported by the actual walls of the building, rather than on beams. That changed in the city after the disaster.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/when-a-winter-storm-triggered-one-of-the-deadliest-disasters-in-washington-dc-history-180979446/
Answering my own question:
According to the Smithsonian, yes, some building codes were altered. Apparently, the Knickerbocker's roof (while adhering to the building codes of the time) was barely supported by the actual walls of the building, rather than on beams. That changed in the city after the disaster.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/when-a-winter-storm-triggered-one-of-the-deadliest-disasters-in-washington-dc-history-180979446/
Sat Jan 29, 2022: Knickerbocker Memorial
Hat tip for the link, the Washingtonian, which managed to get the name wrong
Knickerbocker Memorial
Good site. Lots of pictures.
Knickerbocker Memorial
Good site. Lots of pictures.
Sat Jan 28, 2023: Over a century later, the pain of D.C.'s deadliest disaster still resonates
Sat Jan 29, 2022: A century later, the pain of D.C.'s deadliest disaster still resonates
Last edited Sun Jan 28, 2024, 04:53 PM - Edit history (1)
The snowfall set a record in Baltimore too. That record stood until 2003, when the storm that caused the collapse of the roof of the B&O Railroad Museum roundhouse occurred.
B&O Railroad Museum
{snip}
In the early morning of February 17, 2003, heavy snow from the Presidents' Day Storm collapsed half of the roof of the museum's roundhouse. Although the structure's central support columns remained standing, the supporting iron struts and ties of the destroyed roofing sections failed under the snow load. The museum suffered heavy damage not only to the roundhouse itself but also to the collection within the roundhouse. Some of the items were damaged beyond repair. Reporting on the devastation the following day, The Baltimore Sun said, "...hours after the collapse, columns of mangled steel stuck out from the roundhouse ... Locomotives and passenger cars in the museum's collection, some dating from the 1830s, could be seen covered with snow and debris." The roundhouse, with a newly repaired roof, reopened to the public on November 13, 2004, and the damaged locomotives and cars were surrounded by a plexiglass barrier. As of September 2015, all damaged exhibits have been restored to their original appearance.
After the roof collapse, subsequent fund raising and restoration allowed the museum to upgrade many of its facilities. In 2005 the museum opened a new service facility west of the roundhouse for restoration of historical equipment and maintenance of active equipment.
{snip}
In the early morning of February 17, 2003, heavy snow from the Presidents' Day Storm collapsed half of the roof of the museum's roundhouse. Although the structure's central support columns remained standing, the supporting iron struts and ties of the destroyed roofing sections failed under the snow load. The museum suffered heavy damage not only to the roundhouse itself but also to the collection within the roundhouse. Some of the items were damaged beyond repair. Reporting on the devastation the following day, The Baltimore Sun said, "...hours after the collapse, columns of mangled steel stuck out from the roundhouse ... Locomotives and passenger cars in the museum's collection, some dating from the 1830s, could be seen covered with snow and debris." The roundhouse, with a newly repaired roof, reopened to the public on November 13, 2004, and the damaged locomotives and cars were surrounded by a plexiglass barrier. As of September 2015, all damaged exhibits have been restored to their original appearance.
After the roof collapse, subsequent fund raising and restoration allowed the museum to upgrade many of its facilities. In 2005 the museum opened a new service facility west of the roundhouse for restoration of historical equipment and maintenance of active equipment.
Back Story: 2003 blizzard caused B&O roof collapse
Karl Merton Ferron, Baltimore Sun
Half of the roof of the roundhouse collapsed at the B&O Railroad Museum on West Pratt Street during the snowstorm of Presidents' Weekend 2003.
By FREDERICK N. RASMUSSEN | frasmussen@baltsun.com
PUBLISHED: February 14, 2013 at 6:11 p.m. | UPDATED: May 30, 2019 at 10:43 p.m.
The Presidents’ Day storm of 2003 that swept into Maryland and dumped 26.8 inches of snow on Baltimore — a record-breaker — caused a partial collapse of the B&O Railroad Museum roof on Feb. 17, wreaking havoc on its collection of historic locomotives and cars.
It was this sickening sight that greeted us when my colleague Jacques Kelly and I made our way to the museum a day or two later through snow-rutted streets. There we met our friend, Courtney B. Wilson, the museum’s executive director, who with his characteristic ebullience and optimism was trying desperately to put a good face on a dire situation.
We were not allowed through the locked gates and onto the museum’s grounds and had to confine our inspection tour to the Pratt Street sidewalk with Wilson leading the way.
{snip}
The museum is located at 901 W. Pratt St. For information, call 410-752-2462.
Karl Merton Ferron, Baltimore Sun
Half of the roof of the roundhouse collapsed at the B&O Railroad Museum on West Pratt Street during the snowstorm of Presidents' Weekend 2003.
By FREDERICK N. RASMUSSEN | frasmussen@baltsun.com
PUBLISHED: February 14, 2013 at 6:11 p.m. | UPDATED: May 30, 2019 at 10:43 p.m.
The Presidents’ Day storm of 2003 that swept into Maryland and dumped 26.8 inches of snow on Baltimore — a record-breaker — caused a partial collapse of the B&O Railroad Museum roof on Feb. 17, wreaking havoc on its collection of historic locomotives and cars.
It was this sickening sight that greeted us when my colleague Jacques Kelly and I made our way to the museum a day or two later through snow-rutted streets. There we met our friend, Courtney B. Wilson, the museum’s executive director, who with his characteristic ebullience and optimism was trying desperately to put a good face on a dire situation.
We were not allowed through the locked gates and onto the museum’s grounds and had to confine our inspection tour to the Pratt Street sidewalk with Wilson leading the way.
{snip}
The museum is located at 901 W. Pratt St. For information, call 410-752-2462.