A Museum Comes Home and Dukem Says Goodbye: U Street's Fall, Block by Block

Coming up out of the U Street Metro at 10th and U, the first thing you see is the Spirit of Freedom. The bronze shows three infantrymen and a sailor, and the Wall of Honor behind it carries the names of more than 185,000 Black soldiers and sailors. Since September 30, the building directly across Vermont Avenue has been open again too. The African American Civil War Museum reopened that day in its renovated home inside the historic Grimke School at 1925 Vermont Avenue NW.

Two and a half blocks east, at 1114–1118 U Street NW, Dukem has announced that Saturday, November 7 will be its last day after 31 years.

The institutions near 10th and U move slowly when they come back, and quickly when they leave. Almost everything else on the corridor this fall is happening in smaller rooms, and it changes from month to month.

The Museum Across Vermont Avenue Opened More Than Six Years After Its Shell Was Due

The museum isn't new to the Grimke building. Its own history page says it opened in January 1999 and moved into the Grimke building on U Street in April 2011. What's new is the renovated space, and the timeline behind it is the longest-running construction story on the corridor.

When the museum postponed the July 2025 opening, it cited supply-chain disruptions and a D.C. funding freeze affecting materials, exhibit installation and construction. Executive Director Dr. Frank Smith pointed specifically to shipping delays. The 2018 plan described a 12,000-square-foot museum with additional exhibits and a media theater. The best way to see what actually made it into the finished rooms is to walk in.

The museum also closes out a larger project. A PoPville reader note on the reopening called it the final piece of the Grimke School redevelopment. The school building now holds the museum, VIVA School of Dance studio space and the offices of Torti Gallas + Partners. The wider 9 1/2 Initiative added The Thread, a rental building built around the old gymnasium, and The Fold, a condo building at the end of the alley facing U Street.

Visiting. The museum's homepage lists hours as Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed Sunday. Its visit page says more detailed operating information is coming, so check before you go. Admission is free, with a suggested $10 donation. The museum says it will announce upcoming events, including its signature Veterans Day Reading of the Names. Last year that program ran on November 11 at the memorial across the street, so watch for a 2026 date. The memorial itself is open 24 hours and costs nothing to visit.

Ben's Chili Bowl Took Nine Months, and Came Back to the Same Address

The museum's timeline makes Ben's Chili Bowl's restoration look quick, though nine months is a long time to go without a half-smoke. The original location at 1213 U Street NW reopened on Friday, May 1, after nine months of restoration, PoPville reported in April.

When a U Street institution closes for work, it gets the time it needs and reopens at the same address. That's what makes Dukem's announcement stand out. It isn't a closure for repairs, and there's no reopening date.

Dukem Has Until Saturday, November 7

Eater DC's October 1 report traces Dukem from a carryout spot to a full-service restaurant, a pioneering Ethiopian place on a prominent U Street corner over 31 years. The family's closing statement on Instagram, as Eater quoted it, reads:

"What began as our [late] father Tefera Zewdie's dream grew into a landmark and gathering place."

The family added that the decision was "not made lightly."

As of the day this post goes up, Thursday, October 22, the restaurant has 16 days left. Eater's list of what longtime regulars order is a good shopping list for a last visit: vegetable-filled sambusa, chile-spiked fava beans that work as breakfast, doro wat, and a cold glass of mango juice. Most evenings the room takes on a late-night club feel, with live Ethiopian music and a full bar. Dukem had a burst of new attention in 2024, when TikTok food creator Keith Lee visited the D.C. location. A second Dukem operates in Baltimore. Dukem's own site still lists its regular weekly hours, so for now plan around those.

On 9th Street, the Ethiopian Cluster Is Still Open

Dukem was the most visible Ethiopian restaurant on U Street itself, but it was never the only one. The places a few blocks east on 9th Street NW are still running, and all of them appear in Eater DC's Ethiopian guide, last updated in January 2026.

• Habesha Market and Carry-out, 1919 9th Street NW, serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.
• Family Ethiopian Restaurant, 1414 9th Street NW.
• Chercher Ethiopian Restaurant & Mart, 1334 9th Street NW, is a restaurant and mart under one roof.
• Eatopia Eatery, 1301 U Street NW, Suite 111, is the option back on U Street.

If you're counting down to November 7, keep these in mind. Fava beans in the morning and doro wat at night will still be within walking distance once Dukem closes.

The Small Rooms Turn Over Month to Month

Away from the long-running institutions, change comes in short cycles, usually one storefront at a time.

Five Dollar Bar opened in August at 1359 U Street NW, and every drink and shot costs $5. Eater lists it in its fall guide to new bars.

354 Restaurant at 1301 U Street NW, in the same building as Eatopia, shows how fast this cycle can run. PoPville reported it open in June. By October, HVAC problems had shut it down, and the operator hoped to reopen sometime in November, with no firm date.

Cap City Cards says it's coming back to U Street at 1530 U Street NW, according to PoPville's October 2 report, but hasn't announced an opening date.

Piazza Bar & Lounge has a liquor-license placard up at 2010 9th Street NW. The placard lists a restaurant with seating and a total occupancy of 88. PoPville spotted it on October 1, and no opening date has been announced.

Service Bar at 926–928 U Street NW is rebuilding its streatery. PoPville said on September 21 that the work was looking good, and that the new outdoor space would be smaller than the old one.

The street itself runs on the slower clock. DDOT's U Street NW Bus Priority project covers 9th through 18th Streets and is still in design. The agency expects construction in 2027, with bus lanes, stop changes and bus bulb-outs among the planned elements. One block over, DDOT's 11th Street NW bike project, with protected lanes and pedestrian-safety features, has been in its final construction stretch.

The Next Three Weeks on the Calendar

The U Street Neighborhood Association calendar and Black Cat's schedule fill most of the window between now and Dukem's last night.

1. Saturday, October 24. Coven, a Halloween dance party at Black Cat.
2. Sunday, October 25. The neighborhood association's Halloween-decor stroll, starting at Temperance Alley Garden.
3. Saturday, October 31. U Street neighborhood trick-or-treating, 5 to 9 p.m., as listed on the neighborhood association's calendar. Later that night, Black Cat hosts its 14th annual Eighties Mayhem Halloween dance party.
4. Monday, November 2. The TAG HouseKeeping Circle meets to plan November events at Temperance Alley Garden.
5. Saturday, November 7. Dukem's last day at 1114–1118 U Street NW.
6. Thursday, November 12. Chat Pile with Soul Glo and Shallowater at Black Cat.

Somewhere in those weeks, cross Vermont Avenue from the memorial and see the museum that opened 14 months after its first announced ribbon-cutting date.

Our team keeps track of the corners that give a neighborhood its character, from the Grimke School to a 31-year-old dining room on U Street, because that history is part of what a home on these blocks comes with. If you'd like to talk through what this stretch of U Street means for your own plans, Jeanne Phil Meg is happy to meet you on the corner. Contact Us.