Neighbors have overwhelmingly agreed in the choice of a name for the new traffic circle near Potomac Metro Station.
Flack, who died in 2025, is a famous singer-songwriter who got her start at Capitol Hill’s Mr. Henry’s Restaurant (601 Pennsylvania Ave. SE) on Capitol Hill. She is best known for her recording of “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” which actor/director Clint Eastwood featured in the movie “Play Misty for Me.” It became Billboard’s top song of 1972. Other well-known recordings include “Killing Me Softly with His Song,” “Feel Like Makin’ Love,” “Where is the Love,” and “The Closer I Get to you.”
Flack taught at Browne Junior High and Rabault Junior High. She also taught private piano lessons out of her home on Euclid St., N.W. Her music career began to take shape on evenings and weekends in DC area night spots and accelerated after Mr. Henry’s owner Henry Yaffe modified his top floor into a performance space to suit her in 1968. In 2022, the Daughters of the American Revolution dedicated a call box to her career start in the neighborhood.
Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6B voted unanimously to recommend that the District name the new traffic circle under construction at the intersection of Potomac Avenue, Pennsylvania Avenue and 14th Street SE “Roberta Flack Circle,” in honor of the late singer. Flack got her start in the music business by performing in the upstairs room of Mr. Henry’s (601 Pennsylvania Ave. SE).
Commissioner Karen Hughes reported that 1,003 residents participated in the ANC’s ranked-choice community poll. Flack received 501 first-round votes and secured 682 votes after tabulation, making her the overwhelming community preference. Hughes said the ANC would forward the results to the DC Council along with a letter describing the polling process and neighborhood participation. A Councilmember must introduce legislation to make the naming official.
Commissioners also discussed coordinating with Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen’s office and the Capitol Hill BID on a future dedication ceremony after construction is complete.
