John DeFerrari

John DeFerrari was born and raised in Washington, D.C., and has a passion for local history and historic preservation. Trained as a writer, he has a Master's Degree in English Literature from Harvard University. "Lost Washington, D.C.," his first book, was based in part on reader favorites from his long-running blog, "Streets of Washington," which appears on Substack. His other D.C. history books include "Historic Restaurants of Washington, D.C.: Capital Eats" (2013), "Capital Streetcars: Early Mass Transit in Washington, D.C." (2015), and "Sixteenth Street NW: Washington, DC's Avenue of Ambitions" (2022). His latest book, "Palaces of the Public: A Cultural History of Washington, DC's Hotels," was published by Georgetown University Press in 2026.