To the Editor:

Umbrellas and tables and chairs … Oh my!

“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.” When C.S. Lewis wrote these words undoubtedly he didn’t have Downtown Washington on his mind, but he might as well have.

I have been following with some amusement the “debate” over whether or not to allow umbrellas to be displayed on downtown streets. As a business owner, I have a vested interest I suppose on whether or not the busybodies of the world shall deem in their omnipotence what is best for my business and every other business. However, I must admit to bewilderment that so much public discourse and personal conversation is devoted to whether an umbrella belongs displayed in the Historic District as opposed to being devoted to empty buildings, crumpling facades, graffiti-laden alleys and struggling businesses. Alas, one cannot determine what occupies the minds of the chattering class but nonetheless I remain baffled.

The most curious argument that I have heard has been that in the interests of “historical preservation” umbrellas must be banished to the basement as they create a “beach” atmosphere and do not represent the historical past of Downtown. More curious still is that  such arguments are often propagated by those professing to speak on behalf of historical accuracy. However, a cursory look at the facts turns this argument on its head.

The reality is that large umbrellas were not only common in Downtown Washington, but were an everyday sight. As photographs from the Washington Chamber of Commerce publication of 1915 show, tables and chairs on the streets of downtown that included umbrellas were the norm. Umbrellas were so ubiquitous in the area that horse-drawn wagons often had large, somewhat tacky ones affixed to them. Such was downtown.

As we attempt to revitalize our Historic District and businesses attempt to survive the Great Recession, perhaps we can bury the “umbrella issue” once and for all. The photographs do not lie.

Perhaps now we can get rid of profanity and racial slurs on our buildings and leave the umbrellas alone. And perhaps before the chattering class decides to act on behalf of historical preservation, it can first observe what the true history actually was.

GARY A. CERES, Owner

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