Family members, politicians and the public filed by the casket of former Washington mayor Marion Barry Thursday in the first of several memorial events honoring the "mayor for life."
Barry will lie in repose Thursday for 24 hours in the Wilson Building. Mayor Vincent Gray, mayor-elect Muriel Bowser and former mayor Adrian Fenty were among those standing on the steps of the Wilson Building to greet the casket and Barry's relatives. A brief ceremony followed the arrival of the casket.
As needed, police will close Pennsylvania Avenue NW between 12th and 14th streets between 8 a.m. and midnight Thursday and 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. Friday.
Barry died last week at age 78. He served four terms as mayor and three terms as a city council member.
PHOTOS: Memorial Events for Marion Barry
From 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Friday, Barry's body will be taken by public procession to Temple of Praise (700 Southern Ave. SE), a church he regularly attended. (Map of route above.)
From the Wilson building the procession will travel as follows:
- East on Pennsylvania Avenue NW
- Right on Third Street NW
- South to Independence Avenue SW
- Left on Independence Avenue SW and travel Southeast on Washington Street to South Capitol Street SE
- Turn right on southbound South Capitol
- Proceed onto the Service Road toward M Street SE
- Turn left on M Street to 11th Street Bridge
- Cross bridge to Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE
- Pass constituent office 2100 MLK Jr. Avenue SE
- Pass W Street at MLK to - Union Temple and Union Grill
- Talbert Street SE – stop to acknowledge Barry’s last residence
- Pass Sumner Road SE to acknowledge Barry Farm
- Continue south on MLK Jr. Avenue SE
- Pass St. Elizabeths
- Highview – stop to acknowledge 12 year residence
- Continue south on MLK Jr. Avenue SE
- Left on 4th Street SE toward Mississippi Avenue SE
- Left on Mississippi Avenue SE to Ballou High School
- Continue down Mississippi Avenue past Southeast Tennis and Learning Center
- Turn right on Wheeler Road SE
- Continue on Wheeler Road to Southern Avenue SE
- Continue on Southern Avenue to Temple of Praise Church, 700 Southern Ave. SE
The public viewing at Temple of Praise will be held from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, followed by a community memorial service from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Barry's funeral will be held Saturday at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center (Halls C&D, 801 Mount Vernon Place NW). A viewing from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. will precede the service, which will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. L Street NW will be closed between 7th and 9th streets from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. Officials preparing for the service said they are expecting up to 15,000 mourners.
A private burial will follow at historic Congressional Cemetery on Capitol Hill, which Barry picked himself. The cemetery has been told to expect about 150 people and has posted signs that the grounds will be closed to the public most of the day Saturday.
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Longtime FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, composer John Philip Sousa and Civil War photographer Matthew Brady are among the famous people buried at Congressional.
After a brush with death several months ago, Barry gave his family specific instructions on how his services should be planned.
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