Photo by TheatreTalks

It was on this day 91 years ago that the Knickerbocker Theatre in Adams Morgan collapsed under the weight of two days worth of snow, killing 98 people and injuring 133. The collapse occurred after 28 inches of snow had fallen on the city and just as a performance was taking place; it still ranks as one of the worst disasters in the city’s history.

While both the design of the theatre and the decision not to clear snow off of its roof were blamed for the collapse, courts denied a number of lawsuits on the grounds that they could not assign liability. A year after the collapse, a new theatre was built at the same location, but it was demolished in the 1960s. A SunTrust bank and plaza now stand where the Knickerbocker Theatre once was.