Tag: Development
Amazon Headquarters in Shaw? Oh Hell No!
So going though my email digests I read, a press release titled “Washington, DC Proposes Four Sites for Amazon HQ2”. Instead of deleting it after skimming the first 2 suggestions pushed forward by Mayor Bowser of the Anacostia waterfront and NoMa, I spotted “Shaw- Howard University” and actually screamed.
This was not a scream of delight. More of dread, followed by a suspicious feeling that the Mayor’s office is sucking up to some Shaw community or group because, seriously, where the hell would you put it? Would Amazon have to buy a chunk of the financially distressed Howard University and put it around there?
It would be nice if Amazon decided to put its second headquarters here and the Mayor’s alexawhydc.com campaign is cute. However, we’ve got one major industry in town that employs a range of people (meaning you don’t always need a college degree or post secondary anything) and a lot of them, Uncle Sam. Yes, the federal government is slowly reducing its workforce in the city (if I want to rise up I’d have to go to our suburban office) and the city should seek other major employers. Preferably employers who need people other than college and grad school graduates like myself. Anyway, I have a feeling that we should not set ourselves up for heartbreak. And on the off chance Amazon does choose DC, stay out of Shaw, traffic is a pain in the butt around here already.
Clever Parlor
So the Help and I have been spending a lot of time in Baltimore, dealing with a rental property. So that’s why we found ourselves in the Washington Village (aka Pigtown) neighborhood on a Friday night. Taking a break from grouting a shower, we wandered out to get some dinner.
There is a mix of commercial and residential buildings on the main strip of Washington Blvd, and I had passed by this shop (pictured) several times. It looked like it was an art gallery that might want to be a low key skate shop. That night the lights were bright and the art on the wall called out to me. At the time the shop’s operator was hanging out with some skinny art student, sketching a drawing, in the door and invited us to come in.
We came in to take a closer look at the canvases on the wall and the t-shirts in the cubes. My dear spouse, the Help, is a super chatty fellow and began chatting up the operator, who explained that they feature different artists’ work and the owner’s tattoo art.
Holy crap we’ve walked into a tattoo parlor.
Clever!
Very clever. People tend to object to tattoo parlors in their neighborhoods because, face it many tattoo storefronts have the charm of a low rent pawn shop. However, art galleries are cool and people like art galleries. Tattoo artists are artists and it totally makes sense to have them in an art gallery! And it makes sense to have their art alongside other artists.
I think this, having a gallery/parlor, would make sense in other areas where a tattoo parlor wants to come in and pretty up the neighborhood.
I provided the gun but I didn’t shoot him: Historic Landmarking of Sq. 519
So I got a comment accusing me of wanting historic designations for other’s properties but not my own.
Yay a comment that isn’t spam. I’d prefer a critical comment over 10 comments selling snake oil and condos in Mumbai.
What is it all about? Well there is an application with the Historic Preservation Office for the whole (with a few exceptions) block of Square 519, which is bounded by Florida Ave, 4th, R, & 3rd Streets. It is Case 17-18 Wardman Flats. The DC Preservation League, not I, nominated the block for Historic Landmark status. What does this mean? It means that the developer for 319 R Street can’t go forward yet and the turret on the corner is protected from demo by DC historic preservation law.
I’ve been busy with a property in Baltimore, MD the past month, so I haven’t had much involvement with 319 R Street NW beyond a few blog posts, tweets and showing up at BACA meetings. I’ve been consumed by that (because of a bad contractor experience) and have neglected a lot of things here in DC. So what has happened with 319 R St NW and the rest of the block, was not of my doing.
I will admit, proudly, that I did provide the tools for the application. There is a badly outdated website I created called TruxtonCircle.org . There you can find the census information for every man, woman and child who lived in the area known as Truxton Circle from 1880 to 1940. It has been up since 2012. A paper I wrote sometime ago, “Ethnic Divides in an 1880 DC Neighborhood” was referenced in the application. I’ve been researching the history of the neighborhood for well over a decade and sharing it, so if someone wanted to use it for other purposes, they can. But if someone tries to make Truxton Circle a historic district, I will fight them.
I can totally understand if the residents of Square 519 are mad. They’ve been swept up in something stirred up by the developers of 319 R St NW. If they hadn’t threatened to raze the building, or if they had their architects create a second drawing incorporating the existing turret (as opposed to throwing a new one on top like an ill fitting dunce hat), it probably would not have come to this. The owner of 1721 4th St NW added a 3rd floor without getting the National Register of Historic Places involved and triggering something like this.
But why drag everyone else on the block into this? Whelp… it appears to be a stronger case when taking the block as a whole because, with a few exceptions, it is a Harry Wardman block. So everyone else on the block has this hanging over them because the developers of 319 R Street NW threatened the corner turret.
In this I’m like the person who provided the gun, but I didn’t shoot the guy. And if you’re wondering if I’ve left any other historic weaponry around for anyone to gather and use in an landmarking application, then yes, there is more. People of Bates Street, be aware.
Missed opportunities? – In Shaw – Mari in the Citi
I’ve been noticing the progress of the property at 1740 New Jersey Ave NW. Can’t help but to notice it as I pass it often coming home or going to the metro. I will admit that I haven’t paid too much attention to the back and forth that went on before and during the start of the work on this formerly vacant house. Yet there are some things I see, that confuse me and make me wonder if they were some sort of concession made.
The first thing that confused me was eliminating the half circle driveway and making the two curb cuts, one on Rhode Island and the other on S Street. If you are new to this area of DC let me tell you, curb cuts are money. Most of the time you neighbors will not support your efforts to get one. So if there is not a curb cut there now, there is a snowball’s chance in Miami of getting one. Yes, there is the possibility of being annoyed by drivers who might try to use the curb cut as a short cut and I’d understand eliminating one point of entry, but both were made useless. Also in the past that half-circle has been used as a temporary parking spot, a very valuable asset.
The other odd thing was this doorway that appears to be turning into a wall. I could be seeing this wrong, but that just doesn’t look right. If I am right, that’s a waste of some perfectly good stairs and a walkway going towards this doorway.
Lastly, I’m confused this thing is calling itself an Urban Land Company project. I swear that ULC used to have a better sense of place then what the sign below would suggest. I thought we were past the days of calling this end of Shaw, “Logan Circle”. Logan Circle is about 5 blocks west. U Street is sorta kinda a couple blocks away, and Florida Avenue, just around the corner from this place turns into U Street, eventually, so I’ll give that a pass. Shaw is the only accurate thing. It is in Shaw. 
UPDATE- There is a door where the door is supposed to be.
This page contains a single entry by Mari published on April 8, 2016 7:07 PM.
This McMillan not THAT McMillan Save McMillan – In Shaw – Mari in the Citi
Happy Easter. I’m doing my annual staying home on Easter ritual.
I thought of creating a post called “McMillan was an A-hole, Save McMillan Park!” Something that would address the problem of “Presentism” and McMillan Parkand throw in a little history. Thing was I confused my McMillans.
McMillan #2
By US Government Printing Office – Congressional Pictorial Directory, 89th US Congress, p. 131, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29009100
I was thinking of John L. McMillian, Democrat Representative from South Carolina who ruled the House Committee for the District of Columbia from 1945 until DC got Home Rule and he was defeated. I could go into detail, but for the District of Columbia, African-American citizens and Home Rule, he was an asshole. Google “John L McMillian” and racist, or segregationist.
McMillian #1
By Unknown – http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=M000567, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1486060
Republican Senator James McMillan is the McMillan the McMillan Park, or the McMillan Sand Filtration Site is named for and he’s an okay guy, so far. He had a positive impact on the District of Columbia (he’s the McMillan of the McMillan Plan) focusing on the Monumental Core, that area around the Mall and the Tidal Basin. His focus was more on beauty and parks.
So Save McMillan Park
I vaguely remember then ANC and BACA President Jim Berry convincing me to attend as a representative of BACA meetings about developing the McMillan area between 1st and North Cap. It must have been in the early 00s as I can’t find the emails and I really didn’t want to go to those meetings, so I probably deleted those emails. I favor less development in that area than more and it is a shame that what is proposed seems a little over developed, not leaving enough of the the unique qualities of the site. It doesn’t seem to matter that the reservoir and the sand filtration site are on the National Register of Historic Places. Well with enough lawyers and money….. Anyway if you want to fight the proposed development see Friends of McMillan Park.
UPDATE- Earlier I misspelled McMillan. I found that email from Jim Berry asking me to replace him on the McMillan Advisory Group. It was from 2009, not that long ago. My memory isn’t as great as it used to be.
This page contains a single entry by Mari published on March 27, 2016 10:57 AM.
Is that thing on top new?
I’ve been watching this building as the wind slowly undresses it, ripping away the Tyvek from its plywood skin.
And today I’m just noticing the roof top access.
Can I boycott a place I’d probably never get to
Some of ya’ll are aware of the kerfuffle regarding U Street Girl and the owner of a wine bar threatened legal action. She has recommended that others join her in not patronizing or promoting the 14th Street business. Okay.
I totally agree on principle, but honestly I haven’t even gotten to the wine bars I actually want to go to, like Cork, so I don’t know what use that would be. Also as a fan of redemption and forgiveness I hope that the owner of Du Vin Osteria, David Shott, will make an honest effort to undo the damage done.
Hopefully, we’ll have none of that in nearby (to me) Bloomingdale. Tonight there is going to be an open house Q&A for a proposed bar/pub/wateringhole at 116 Rhode Island Ave NW between 6 and 8pm. I guess it would be a good place to unwind after some yoga ’round the corner. Seriously, I’m looking forward to the development, growth and appearances of all the small businesses in the Bloomingdale and eastern Shaw area.
Feh, PUDs and other complex development deals
I just rejected a SPAM comment for a old post (any post older than 14 days is moderated) about the Radio One deal. That was back in 2007. It is 2010. So ‘cuse me if I’m not as hopeful as some of you about the other projects proposed back in 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004…. You get the idea.
So far, in my mind, which means you’re welcomed to disagree (and I’ll just ignore you), anything requiring financing more complicated than a credit card form is something you shouldn’t hold your breath for. Yes, complex projects do get built. You know that National Harbor thing in PG built over a year or two ago? Yeah, they started that in the 1970s. I know where the paperwork for that is to prove it. So O Street Market may be done sometime in 2020 at this rate.
Yes, yes, I hear things are moving with O St. I will believe it when the machinery arrives, then a bunch of guys in hard hats are there 4-5 days a week for 3 or more months and something like framing. Real framing, not just stuff to keep the walls from falling down, forms. Don’t just adjust the fence and move the bricks around and call that progress.
Don’t hold your breath
Mt. Vernon Square lists all the stalled/ held up/ and snailed projects in Shaw. And another project that is snail or sloth-in-a-coma type projects, the Howard Theater, had its marquee fell down.