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363:'s Chauncey C. Brainerd, were among the victims who perished. Many media reports focused on less famous but more tragic figures, such as a violinist in the theater's orchestra who had been married five days previously and a honeymooning couple who were attending the movie that night. Another report mentioned a young boy brought to the temporary morgue to identify the bodies of both his parents and his two sisters.
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The collapse occurred suddenly just after 9:00 p.m. Witnesses reported that they had no hint of danger, such as creaking or loud noises, beforehand. With a loud noise, the theater roof collapsed onto the concrete balcony, and both, in turn, collapsed onto the orchestra seating section. In the moments
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had begun and lasted twenty-eight hours, resulting in a significant accumulation of snow and ice throughout the
Washington area. It was the worst snowfall the capital had seen since 1899, and much of the city was paralyzed. The snow accumulation on the Knickerbocker's flat roof put significant strain
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As a result of the collapse, 98 people died and 133 were injured. Nearby residents, including the theater's architect, Reginald Geare, helped pull bodies from the debris, feed the rescuers, and supply them with hot drinks. Geare's knowledge of the building's design was invaluable in the rescue work.
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found that, rather than a defect in the beams themselves, the wall bearing the load from one crucial beam had gradually moved out of position, allowing the beam to slip out. However, several lawsuits that resulted from the collapse were unsuccessful, as the courts were unable to determine who was
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was called upon to lead the rescue effort. It took time for authorities to establish control over the scene as relatives of the victims tried to gain entry. Authorities also experienced delays in getting fire engines and other equipment to the theater, as the streets of the city remained nearly
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Even with large numbers of police, firefighters, and military personnel, by 2:30 p.m. the next day, the rescuers had still been unable to remove debris from the balcony and reach those seated in the orchestra. While they worked, a young boy crawled through the rubble. He delivered water to the
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after the collapse, a witness called a telephone operator, who spread the alarm to police, firefighters, and hospitals. She also phoned the city government, which ordered the immediate closure of all theaters in the city to prevent loss of life from any further collapses.
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Many pulled from the rubble were either dead or barely conscious. Contemporary accounts described severe crushing injuries resulting in loss of limbs or forced
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Motion picture exhibition in
Washington, D.C : an illustrated history of parlors, palaces, and multiplexes in the metropolitan area, 1894-1997
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People near the
Knickerbocker during the collapse rushed to help, although their efforts were disorganized until more than 600 soldiers and
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impassable in places due to snow and vehicles that had become stuck during the blizzard. However, a fleet of ambulances from
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in 1927. Crandall died by suicide ten years later, leaving a note for reporters asking them not to be too hard on him.
273:. News reports estimated that between 300 and 1,000 people were in the theater that evening. Two days before, a severe
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and several prominent political and business leaders were among those killed in the collapse. The theater's architect,
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The investigations concluded that the collapse was most likely the result of poor design, blaming the use of arch
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victims to keep them alive. Neighboring houses and stores were used temporarily for medical treatment. A nearby
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in the United States. The theater's roof collapsed on
January 28, 1922, under the weight of snow from a two-day
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Many investigations were conducted into the causes of the collapse by the D.C. city government, both houses of
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The design of the building which was until recently on the
Knickerbocker's site is meant to evoke its memory.
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Dateline: Washington, The Story of
National Affairs Journalism in the Life of the National Press Club
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in 2021 as the third-deadliest structural engineering failure in United States history, behind the
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bank, built in the shape of a movie theater to pay homage to the
Knickerbocker Theatre.
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655:(1st ed.). Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc. 1949. p. 73.
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The year after the collapse, a new theater was built in the same location, dubbed the
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and volunteer taxis reached the scene and evacuated some of the injured to hospitals.
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576:"How the Knickerbocker snowstorm became D.C.'s deadliest disaster 100 years ago"
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602:"When a Winter Storm Triggered One of the Deadliest Disasters in D.C. History"
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721:"The Knickerbocker Snowstorm: Inside insights on D.C.'s deadliest disaster"
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The
Knickerbocker Theatre from the outside after the collapse of the roof
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Geare, whose career had been effectively ended by the collapse, died by
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at the time of the collapse, which killed 98 patrons and injured 133.
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on the structure, and on the evening of
January 28, it gave way.
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The disaster was the worst in
Washington, D.C., history. Former
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rather than stone pillars to support the roof. A study in
699:. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co. pp. 99–100.
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The storm that led to the collapse was later dubbed the
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Collapsed buildings and structures in the United States
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Demolished buildings and structures in Washington, D.C.
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On January 28, 1922, the Knickerbocker was showing the
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Building and structure collapses in the United States
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The Knickerbocker Theatre collapse is tied with the
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817:Blizzard of 1922: Knickerbocker Theater Disaster
180:located at 18th Street and Columbia Road in the
752:The Knickerbocker Snowstorm (Images of America)
849:Cinemas and movie theaters in Washington, D.C.
247:The Knickerbocker Theatre was commissioned by
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511:"Knickerbocker Theatre: Death Trap of 1922"
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827:The Knickerbocker Theatre Tragedy
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667:"Theater Wreck Inquiries Started"
627:"Many of Victims Were Well Known"
337:Among the fatalities were former
235:in 1981 and the collapse of the
224:in 1927 and 1937, respectively.
61:Location within Washington, D.C.
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304:Walter Reed Army Medical Center
251:in 1917. Designed by architect
94:18th Street and Columbia Road,
833:Knickerbocker Theater Collapse
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233:Hyatt Regency walkway collapse
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864:Disasters in Washington, D.C.
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436:The Knickerbocker Snowstorm (
229:Surfside condominium collapse
515:kaloramahistory.blogspot.com
480:"A Winter's Tale of Tragedy"
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695:Headley, Robert K. (1999).
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884:Cinema of Washington, D.C.
334:to extricate the victims.
270:Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford
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199:Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford
196:. The theater was showing
192:that was later dubbed the
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343:Andrew Jackson Barchfeld
210:Andrew Jackson Barchfeld
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397:Engineering News Record
158:Design and construction
811:Knickerbocker Memorial
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322:church was used as a
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174:Knickerbocker Theatre
126:38.92222°N 77.04278°W
606:Smithsonian Magazine
297:arrived. Army Major
796:The Washington Post
725:The Washington Post
484:The Washington Post
424:Knickerbocker Storm
347:National Press Club
194:Knickerbocker storm
131:38.92222; -77.04278
122: /
70:General information
727:. January 28, 2013
676:. January 31, 1922
674:The New York Times
633:. January 30, 1922
631:The New York Times
555:. January 29, 1922
553:The New York Times
406:Ambassador Theater
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438:Images of America
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731:January 28,
680:February 9,
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383:, the city
360:Daily Eagle
351:Pittsburgh
332:amputations
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129: /
104:Coordinates
843:Categories
446:References
117:77°02′34″W
114:38°55′20″N
780:ignored (
770:cite book
434:In 2013,
367:Aftermath
358:Brooklyn
239:in 1860.
150:Destroyed
142:Completed
78:Destroyed
611:March 3,
585:March 3,
410:SunTrust
401:liable.
381:Congress
353:Dispatch
275:blizzard
259:Collapse
190:blizzard
91:Location
822:YouTube
520:May 28,
417:suicide
392:girders
385:coroner
295:Marines
267:comedy
243:Theater
222:suicide
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349:, the
324:morgue
265:silent
176:was a
98:, U.S.
75:Status
670:(PDF)
782:help
756:ISBN
733:2013
701:ISBN
682:2010
639:2010
613:2022
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