Washington, D.C., District of Columbia story
A High-Stakes Collapse
In the Adams Morgan neighborhood, there's a site that recalls a tragedy far removed from the glitz of the silent film era. In 1917, the Knickerbocker Theatre opened as one of the…
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In the Adams Morgan neighborhood, there's a site that recalls a tragedy far removed from the glitz of the silent film era. In 1917, the Knickerbocker Theatre opened as one of the most fashionable and largest movie houses in D.C., seating 1,700 people. But on January 28, 1922, the excitement of the cinema turned into a nightmare.
While patrons were watching a film titled Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford, the roof collapsed under the weight of a massive snowstorm. The disaster killed 98 people, including five Georgetown University students and a former Congressman. It remains the worst disaster in the city's history, serving as a grim reminder that the pursuit of 'getting rich quick' can sometimes be overshadowed by the fragile reality of the structures we build around us.
Updated June 2026