John DeFerrari was born and raised in Washington, DC, and has had a lifelong interest in the history of his native town. He earned a Master’s Degree in English Literature from Harvard University and worked for many years directing reviews of the efficiency and effectiveness of federal government programs. In addition to penning the popular Streets of Washington Substack blog and curating Facebook and Instagram feeds on DC history, DeFerrari is author of Palaces of the Public: A Cultural History of Washington, DC’s Hotels, published in 2026. He has also written four previous books: Lost Washington, D.C. (2011), Historic Restaurants of Washington, D.C.: Capital Eats (2013); Capital Streetcars: Early Mass Transit in Washington, D.C. (2015); and Sixteenth Street NW: Washington, DC’s Avenue of Ambitions (2022), which he co-authored with DCPL trustee D. Peter Sefton. John is co-chair with Peter of DCPL’s Landmarks Committee and takes a special interest in developing historic landmark nominations.
