The Bethesda Historical Society will celebrate one of the greatest moments in Bethesda history this year. Sunday, August 25, 2024, from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. on the Bethesda Metro Center plaza. Exactly 40 years ago on Sunday, the Metro system was officially introduced to downtown Bethesda with the opening of the Bethesda Metro Station. The redevelopment of the site on which the Metro Center was built was a time of tremendous excitement and also brought with it upheaval and the departure of beloved businesses and old architecture.

The Metro Center’s redevelopment brought modern office buildings and a hotel that are still impressive today. For a time, there was even a Burger King! And the Metro Center Plaza became a central gathering place for downtown Bethesda, with its ice skating rink, Christmas tree, and Fourth of July fireworks. All of these seasonal features are now gone, as the center of the action has been transformed into the newer Bethesda Row development this century. The fountains on the Plaza still provide an oasis of calm in the central business district.

It’s hard to imagine today how exciting it was to ride the Metro for the first time in the 1980s. The system’s stations were the design envy of the world. Some of that original aesthetic and vision has been lost in recent attempts to whiten surfaces and destroy dramatic lighting. Suffice it to say that those who dominate regional decision-makers today have little appreciation for Brutalism (or great architecture, for that matter).

Sunday’s event will feature historical exhibits, music and family activities. There will be a special address at 12:15 p.m. The event is co-sponsored by the Marriott Bethesda Downtown Hotel, Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center, Greater Bethesda Chamber of Commerce, WMATA and the KID Museum.