The Knickerbocker Snowstorm -- January 28-29, 1922



Crandall’s Knickerbocker Theatre on the morning after its roof collapsed under the weight of a 28-inch snowfall, January 29, 1922. The roof collapsed during a show on the evening of January 28. This photograph was taken from the police line and shows ambulances waiting to take away the injured. The death toll was 98, with 133 people injured.

Knickerbocker storm



Weather map for the morning of January 28, 1922

Type: Extratropical cyclone Blizzard
Formed: January 27, 1922
Dissipated: January 29, 1922
Areas affected: Mid-Atlantic states of the United States

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.
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Impact in Washington, D.C.

The measured snow depth at the main observing site in Washington, D.C. reached 28 in (71 cm) while an observer in Rock Creek Park a few miles to the north measured 33 in (84 cm) with 3.02 in (76.7 mm) of liquid equivalent. Railroad lines between Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. were covered by at least 36 in (91 cm) of snow, with drifts as high as 16 ft (4.9 m). This snowstorm is the biggest in the history of Washington, D.C. since official record keeping began in 1885 (although it is dwarfed by the 36 inches (91 cm) of snow in the Washington–Jefferson Storm of January 1772). Among other disruptions, Congress adjourned as a result of the storm.

Theater roof collapse



Interior of the Knickerbocker Theatre after the collapse of the roof as a result of the weight of snow from the storm.

The Knickerbocker Theatre was the largest and newest movie house in Washington, D.C., built in 1917 and owned by Harry M. Crandall. The roof was flat, which allowed the snow which had recently fallen to remain on the roof. During the movie's (Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford) intermission, the weight of the heavy, wet snow became too much for the roof to bear. The roof split down the middle, bringing down the balcony seating as well as a portion of the brick wall. Dozens were buried. The disaster ranks as one of the worst in Washington, D.C. history. Congressman Andrew Jackson Barchfeld was among those killed in the theater. The theater's architect, Reginald Wyckliffe Geare, and owner, Harry M. Crandall, later committed suicide; Geare in 1927 and Crandall in 1937.

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 Coordinates: 38.92225°N 77.042806°W
Completed: 1917
Destroyed: 1922

Design and construction
Architect: Reginald Geare

The Knickerbocker Theatre was a Washington, D.C., United States, movie theater located at 18th Street and Columbia Road in the Adams Morgan neighborhood. It 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 more. The disaster ranks as one of the worst in Washington, D.C., history. Former Congressman Andrew Jackson Barchfeld and a number of prominent political and business leaders were among those killed in the theater. The theater's architect, Reginald Geare, and owner, Harry Crandall, later committed suicide, in 1927 and 1937, respectively.
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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.
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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

Knickerbocker Theater disaster, 1/30/22

B&O Railroad Museum
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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

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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. (Karl Merton Ferron, Baltimore Sun)

Frederick N. Rasmussen, The Baltimore Sun

February 14, 2013, 6:11 PM

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.

Lost Washington: the Knickerbocker Theater
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Crandall rebuilt the Knickerbocker in 1923 and reopened it as the Ambassador. As the Ambassador, the building survived until it was razed in 1969.
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3 Responses to “Lost Washington: the Knickerbocker Theater”
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Mark Frazer Says:
February 13, 2010 at 3:27 pm

Thanks for the photos. I went to the Ambassador theater to see Jimi Hendrix play a week long gig. I had no idea it was the rebuilt Knickerbocker.