Nearly 100 Washingtonians Died When a Theater Collapsed in One of the Largest Snowfalls Ever to Hit D.C.

Around 9 p.m. on the evening of January 28, 1922, a massive blizzard caused one of the deadliest disasters in Washington, D.C. history.

Snow had already been falling for over 24 hours when patrons made their way into the Knickerbocker Theater. This 1,700-person venue was the largest movie house in the nation’s capital at the time, and one that writer Kevin Ambrose has called the “Titanic of Washington theaters.” An estimated 500 moviegoers had gathered to see a showing of the silent comedy Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford while outside, the snow continued to accumulate.

Just after the show’s intermission, tragedy struck. The weight of the snow that had collected atop the theater caused its flat roof to buckle, splitting it down the middle and onto the movie house’s concrete balcony. The latter came crashing down as well, trapping dozens of men, women and children beneath a maelstrom of steel and masonry.

While people in the surrounding area rushed to the theater to help, the buildup of snow caused many nearby streets to remain obstructed, hindering rescue efforts. Eventually, more than 600 firefighters, soldiers and Marines arrived on the scene, with Army Major George S. Patton (later famous for helping lead the Allies to victory during World War II) tasked with overseeing the operation. The following day, rescuers were still trying to sort through the wreckage to reach those who’d been seated in the theater’s orchestra section.

A total of 98 people were killed—including former Congressman Andrew Jackson Barchfeld, as well as several notable political and business leaders—and 133 injured by the collapsed roof. Later dubbed the Knickerbocker Storm, the weather event remains both one of the largest snowfalls (28 inches in total) and deadliest architectural catastrophes on record in Washington. The building’s collapse was also one of the deadliest structural engineering failures in United States history.

Snow Covered Negligence: The Knickerbocker Theater Disaster

The city government, both houses of Congress and the city coroner all launched investigations into the cause of the Knickerbocker’s roof collapse. All came to the overall conclusion that it was the result of poor design. The building’s construction had included the use of arch beams as roof support, and they simply buckled beneath the weight of the snow. Both the theater’s architect, Reginald Geare—who also designed Washington’s Lincoln Theater—and its owner, Harry Crandall, later died by suicide. The Knickerbocker’s collapse and the investigation that followed eventually paved the way for improvements in the city’s building codes, such as the mandated use of steel I-beams and greater roof support.

A year after the collapse, architect Thomas Lamb built the Ambassador Theater in the remaining shell of the Knickerbocker, retaining its original facade. In 1969, the building was torn down and later replaced with a bank, followed by a public plaza. Soon, the site may become affordable housing that includes both a public plaza and displays acknowledging the deadly Knickerbocker collapse.