Benning Race Track was a

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...

and

motorsport Motorsport or motor sport are sporting events, competitions and related activities that primarily involve the use of Car, automobiles, motorcycles, motorboats and Aircraft, powered aircraft. For each of these vehicle types, the more specific term ...

venue that opened in 1890 on the east side of Washington, D.C. With the close proximity to the capital, the races were attended by many politicians. A journalist once took a photo of

Alice Roosevelt Longworth Alice Lee Roosevelt Longworth (February 12, 1884 – February 20, 1980) was an American writer and socialite. She was the eldest child of U.S. president Theodore Roosevelt and his only child with his first wife, Alice Hathaway Lee Roosevelt. Lo ...

placing a bet, much to the chagrin of her father

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...

, who suppressed the sale of the photos to the newspapers. Famous jockey Walter Miller won all five races during a Benning meet in 1906. The track operated until Congress banished horse racing in the District in 1908. The last race day was April 12 of that year and the grandstand burned in 1915.Benning Track Burned, Boston Evening Transcript, Nov 16, 1915 After horse racing ended, the track was used for automobile racing though the 1910s. It continued as a training stable and event venue until the 1940s. In 1938, inventor Jonathan Edward Caldwell demonstrated his prototype

Autogyro An autogyro (from Greek and , "self-turning"), gyroscope, gyrocopter or gyroplane, is a class of rotorcraft that uses an unpowered rotor in free autorotation to develop lift. A gyroplane "means a rotorcraft whose rotors are not engine-d ...

at the abandoned track. In 1942, a developer bought the track to build the Mayfair Mansions apartment complex. Mayfair Mansions opened in 1946, providing housing options for working and middle class African American families.

References

External links

Lost Washington: Benning Race Track
Defunct horse racing venues in the United States Defunct motorsport venues in the United States {{horseracing-venue-stub