The Tombs and 1789

You are now looking at two iconic restaurants of the Georgetown neighborhood. As a student, Richard McCooey dreamed of founding a dining establishment that was uniquely tied to Georgetown University. In the early 1960s, about a decade after McCooey graduated from Georgetown, he realized his dream here on the corner of 36th and Prospect.

He gutted the building to make room for 1789 and dug out a basement to make room for The Tombs. 1789, of course, is named after the popularized founding date of Georgetown. The upscale steakhouse used to have a takeout window at the top of the staircase to the basement.

The name "The Tombs" is a reference to T.S. Eliot's poem "Bustopher Jones: The Cat About Town." In it, an elegantly dressed cat travels to fine eating clubs around London. The poem states that, "if he looks full of gloom then he's lunched at the Tomb / On cabbage, rice pudding, and mutton." Known for his penchant for fashion, McCooey earned the nickname "Bustopher Cat" in the Air Force. He felt it was only appropriate to name his special underground restaurant "The Tombs."

Tombs is home to many Georgetown traditions. Since 1964, the Chimes - an all male barbershop a capella group made up of Georgetown students - have hosted a monthly "Chimes Night" where they sing for customers. When student turn 21, they're known to stop by for their "Tombs Night" and get a Tombs stamp marked on their forehead. Some seniors are even known to go to Tombs each day for their last 99 days before graduation to get their name on a plaque inside.