1/29/01: I regret that previous items about Tracks and Crunch coming to 15th and P are rather unlikely. Duron's site (which they own) is reportedly their most profitable in the region, though I'm told it might be under contract by a residential developer. McCormick apparently has a multi-year lease. The National Geographic HQ has opened a TV studio in the old Explorers Hall space, all on view through the glass walls. See http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2001/01/15/focus4.html (See also http://www.nationalgeographic.com/tv/channel/) Abandoned Rhode Island Ave rowhouses between 17th and Conn Ave will finally be developed, into offices. See http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2001/01/15/story8.html Outlook (Conn Ave) is closing. See http://washblade.com/local/010126c.htm Brief mention of new Kobalt restaurant (note the K) in the Ritz Carlton project - see http://www.fly2dc.com/articles/2001/2001_01_dn1.asp Keith Stanley has nicely documented the inaugural protest in Dupont Circle. See http://www.kestan.com/travel/dc/dup_cir/votermarch/index.htm Rivaga art gallery (U St, by Results) has closed. Space expected to be converted into a spa. Approval was won for 62-unit condo project at 14th & V. Prices expected from $100,000 to $300,000. See http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2001/01/15/newscolumn6.html See roundup of Shaw projects at http://www.ustreet.com/csna/uscwatch.html 1/13/01 WP story detailed plans for Clifton Terrace. Michaels and Community Preservation and Development Corp. plans a $35.2 million renovation to include 156 rental units ($600 - $870) and 76 condos ($108,000 - $221,000). Work begins March 1. (WP link no longer is available, but story is below.) The Roosevelt deal has been made official. See note below from slated developer on restoration of Tivoli Theatre. For an excellant review of the muddled, suspect selection process, see http://innercity.org/columbiaheights/economic/ (http://www.savethetivoli.org/ has almost no information) Fuddruckers is coming to Chinatown, SW corner of 7th & H. And, for those of you wanting to buy newly-hip dracaena (easy-to-care-for bamboo houseplants) but reluctant to spend $19 for 6 reeds at Smith & Hawken, try the Da Hsin Market at 811 7th St (above H), where they go for $2 each, and shorter ones for just $1.50. I asked how long it would take the shorter ones to grow to the length of the taller ones, and after two clerks discussed it in Chinese, the answer was: forever. Stalled Gallery Place project (7th & H) is at risk - see http://washington.bcentral.com/washington/stories/2001/01/29/story3.html Construction of office building will begin this summer in empty quarter of Tech World (7th & I) - see http://washington.bcentral.com/washington/stories/2001/01/29/story5.html See WP article "Expansion of a Cultural Tradition: Non-Chinese Help Sustain New Year Dance" re profile of dancers who helped festivities in Chinatown: http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A56745-2001Jan27.html GSA is taking another step towards converting the Old Post Office into a hotel. WP reports on that and on future of Woodies building at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A26973-2001Jan21.html The downtown BID erected an old-fashioned (yet high-tech) $15,000 public clock on F St, across from National Place. Please let your philanthropist friends know that we need one in Dupont, too! See http://www.washtimes.com/metro/default-200111522021.htm The BID is focusing on F St in their drive to improve downtown's landscape. See more at their informative Web site at http://www.downtowndc.org/DevInit/Reinventing/vision.html WBJ has a great profile of old elevator at 918 F St: http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2001/01/15/focus9.html I noticed a street sign at 6th & F, just below "F ST NW" which reads "FUN STREET," identical in color and shape but using a more "F"estive font. It's not quite the same as NYC renaming 6th Ave "Avenue of the Americas," is it? If this is allowed for F St, then let the nominations begin for P and Q streets in Dupont... WBJ reports on efforts to improve downtown retail. See http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2001/01/15/story6.html A nice overview of downtown development is at http://www.downtowndc.org/DevInit/Development/devmap.html Georgetown's fabulous Waterworks store (Wisc Ave; bathroom and kitchen fixtures) plans to triple existing space. Another Universe, DC's only comic book store (M St, Georgetown), is closing on Wednesday, but will be replaced by Beyond Comics (http://www.beyondcomics.com), which will have less emphasis on toys and such. I don't understand why Dupont/Adams-Morgan doesn't have such a store. Fairfax County is thinking about a carless urban environment for future stops on Metro expansion to Dulles. See http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A15542-2001Jan18.html Shopping center proposed for Fort Lincoln, north of NY Ave, just past S. Dakota Ave (shortly after Natl Aboretum). Site is 4 miles from upcoming Brentwood strip mall (home to Kmart and Giant). Potential shops include Target, Lowe's, Home Depot, Safeway and Wal-Mart, perhaps by spring 2003. See http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2001/01/15/story3.html See WP article on state of housing in region - http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A24332-2001Jan20.html The Residential Action Committee invites everyone to their Wednesday 1/31 meeting in the Third District headquarter's community room (1600 block of V St). Special guest is the city's panning director, Andrew Altman, who will address the group at 7:30. Mtg begins at 7:00. Boundaries of RAC is Rock Creek to 14th, and Florida to Penn Ave. I'm not sure I can make it, but would love to suggest the following: * Striping for bike lanes on 15th St and 17th St (see http://www.announce.com/khein/dupont/gdblp.htm for complete proposal) * Use of pebble-aggregate concrete or brick for future sidewalk replacements. * Elimination of curved curbs at intersections (since they allow cars to blast through crosswalks without slowing down) * Use of curb bulbs at specific intersections (sidewalk extensions above parking lanes to shorten length of crosswalks) * Replacement of freeway-style lampposts with traditional Washington-style lampposts * Addition of underwater lights to Dupont Circle fountain during upcoming renovation (see http://www.announce.com/khein/dupont/dcgulp.htm) See note below re recruiting for movie extras tomorrow and Wednesday. Friday, 2/2: First Friday - Dupont Circle art galleries open house (see http://www.washingtonprintmakers.com/friday.html) Lastly, I released my annual State of the Circle speech today. See http://www.announce.com/khein/dupont/state.htm Best regards, Michael ------------------------------------------------------ From: Ruth Trevarrow [mailto:trevarrowr@sites.si.edu] Sent: Thursday, January 25, 2001 8:17 PM To: TAG-DC@egroups.com Subject: You ought to be in pictures... Tag-o folks, Remember Dolores Smith the director, and Ruth the rabble rouser? They're back - calling for extras for the last five days of shooting the film. We need extras for two scenes; 1.) a theater audience - Tues 1/30, 9am - 12noon Church Street Theater (btwn P+Q, 17+18). Autumn, evening attire. 2.) art gallery opening - Wed 1/31, 10:30am - 1:30pm Touchstone Gallery 406 7th St, NW 2nd floor. Funky, or casual outfits, studied grunge welcome. Please call either Dolores 202-829-8682, or Ruth 202-986-5678 to express your interest in these two final opportunities for fame (though not fortune). No money, but credit in the film, free food and lots of funs folks. We really appreciate all the support TAG has given the film project and would love to see you in the film itself. You look fabulous. And, Dolores, I'm ready for my close-up... RuthT ------------------------------------------------------ Washington Post: Symbol of Decay To Get a Facelift: Interest Is Growing in Clifton Terrace By Sandra Fleishman Washington Post Staff Writer Saturday, January 13, 2001; Page G01 For more than 30 years, people lined up to get out of the notorious Clifton Terrace apartment complex or to protest the slum conditions in the three huge buildings at 14th and Clifton streets NW. Now, people are starting to line up to get back in. Since a sign went up a week ago announcing "Condominiums coming" and a phone number, about 95 people have called Mayhood Co. of McLean for information. Mayhood isn't offering anything for sale yet. Instead, it is testing the market for owner-developers Michaels Development Co. of New Jersey and the Community Preservation and Development Corp. of Bethesda, said Michaels representative Ava Goldman. A sales office is to open this spring. "We've been told that interest is going up in that area, and that's the reason we put the banner up -- to see what the reaction would be," Goldman said. Many real estate developers have had no hesitations about jumping into the hot Shaw market, where some shells are selling for $300,000. It's not unreasonable, though, for the people behind a new Clifton Terrace to first assess its salability. The complex achieved notoriety as a symbol of slum housing during the 1960s and 1970s. Though it was the largest luxury apartment complex in the District when it opened in 1916, built by the same man who created the Sheraton Park and Sheraton Carlton hotels and many other fashionable buildings in the District, the complex had fallen far from grace well before the 1968 riots ripped apart the neighborhood. The federal government stepped in in the 1970s to run the project, but its efforts also failed. In its first attempt, the Department of Housing and Urban Development turned to a firm led by Mary Treadwell, a former wife of Marion Barry, but by 1978 the government foreclosed on the loan after determining that the firm had mismanaged and misappropriated public funds. A federal partnership with a North Carolina businessman in 1983 also failed. Five years later, the complex earned the lowest possible rating from HUD. The area, meanwhile, was considered one of the District's deadliest in the late 1980s and early 1990s because of drug gangs and their turf wars. HUD took over the project again in 1996, a year after D.C. housing inspectors declared that all but three units violated federal safety standards. In 1997, a series of gun and knife battles occurred there between rival neighborhood groups; the resulting trials just concluded last spring. HUD offered the property to bidders in 1999. Michaels and Community Preservation and Development Corp. bought it for $1 that September, with the promise of a $9.2 million federal grant. HUD in 1999 estimated renovations would cost $21 million; Goldman this week said the estimate has risen to $35.2 million. The plans call for the 285 cramped units to be turned into 156 "affordably priced" rental units and 76 condos. Gutting of the rental units, in the two buildings closest to 14th Street, begins March 1. The new units will cost from $600 for a one-bedroom apartment to $870 for a two-story, three-bedroom unit. The condos, all in the 13th Street building, will range from $108,000 for a one-bedroom unit to $221,000 for two-story units with two bedrooms, two baths, a den and two balconies. Because of the federal grant and D.C. Housing Finance Agency bonds to rebuild the rentals, all applicants must meet maximum income limits. The rental unit limits, which will run for at least 20 years, range from $34,000 for one person to $50,000 for a four-person household. The condos will have higher income ceilings -- 54 units are set aside for singles making up to $45,000 and couples earning up to $51,600. For 22 units, the limits range from $65,000 for a single buyer to $95,000 for a three-person household. There are no resale restrictions, but buyers getting a subsidy must reimburse the developers on a sliding scale if they resell at a higher price over the next 10 years. The District has a waiting list of 116 former tenants who will get first dibs on the rentals, including 26 families still in Clifton Terrace. But Goldman predicted that most living elsewhere will not want to move back. The developers are asking current tenants if they want to stay during renovations or move temporarily to other subsidized housing. Renovations are to include adding a day-care center and exercise room in the condo building and a computer center in the rental complex, as well as restoring the historic exteriors. The original lobbies, cut up into living space over the years, will be restored. "Structurally, the buildings are in great shape," said Goldman, crediting original builder Harry Wardman and the construction methods of his time. But over the years, she said, different developers who saw the property as low-income housing carved out so many units "that you can barely squeeze through the hallways." Besides the appeal of refurbished lobbies, she predicted the complex's location high above the District's monumental core will draw interest. "Just from the parking lot," Goldman said, "you can get a great view of the Capitol and the Washington Monument." ------------------------------------------------------ >>> Joseph Horning wrote: Although the Tivoli Theater/Giant Supermarket project is technically in Columbia Heights, many of those on this list serve might be interested in an update. Here is the latest information. TIVOLI SQUARE A Public/Private Partnership with the District of Columbia Tivoli Partners, Developer * Horning Brothers, General Partner * MR&A Architects Oehrlein and Associates, Historic Architects * Monarc, Inc., Historic Contracting Consultants COLUMBIA HEIGHTS COMMUNITY UPDATE January, 2001 RECENT PROGRESS · Tivoli Partners has again expanded our preservation team. · We have commissioned experts to evaluate the domed ceiling and the lobby murals. · We have presented an immediate stabilization plan to the Department of Housing and Community Development. · We have identified cultural groups who might be interested in relocating to the Tivoli. · We have proposed a way to shorten the development timeline by six months. · We now anticipate a February 2002 construction start. · We look forward to presenting more information before the Advisory Neighborhood Commissions (ANC 1-A, ANC 1-B) and other community groups in the near future. · Visit our website www.horningbrothers.com for information. RESTORATION and STABILIZATION OF THE TIVOLI Recently, Tivoli Partners has focused closely on the Tivoli's architectural features of historical significance. In order to accurately assess the condition and costs associated with restoration of historic elements such as the ceiling dome and the lobby murals, Horning Brothers has once again broadened the project team by engaging two restoration firms- Monumental Construction and Moulding Company (MCMC) and Olin Conservation. Olin's area of expertise is art restoration, especially large scale murals. Olin has worked with Horning Brothers on the restoration of two 19th century copies of Raphael for a project in Frederick, Maryland. Olin's conservation and preservation work on public display includes the WPA/Ben Shahn murals at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Battaglia murals at the Mt. Pleasant Branch of the D.C. Library, and the Native American murals in the south penthouse of the Department of the Interior. They are currently contracted to restore the B. Faulkner murals of the "Declaration of Independence of the United States" and the "Constitution of the United States" at the National Archives. MCMC is the premiere ornamental plaster moulding expert in Washington, D.C. Among their numerous well-known projects are Union Station, The National Theater, The British Embassy, The Mayflower Hotel, the Phillips Collection, and the Manhattan Opera House in New York City. Although the roof of the Tivoli appears structurally sound at the moment, if the domed ceiling is to be considered for restoration, MCMC recommends that the roof be sealed right away. Olin Conservation recommends removal of the murals, so that these early 20th century works of art are not obliterated altogether. Tivoli Partners has urged the District government to take these immediate steps to stabilize the building. THE ARTS AS CATALYST IN URBAN REVITALIZATION As the architectural beacon of a rejuvenated Columbia Heights, the Tivoli is a natural home to local cultural activities. In our discussions with arts organizations throughout the city, it has become clear that the arts can be a creative catalyst in urban revitalization. To date, we have consulted with over 20 local arts organizations about the Tivoli project. Recent additions include the Cultural Alliance of Greater Washington, the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Arena Stage and Living Stage. We have identified several arts organizations (listed below) that might be interested in moving to the Tivoli, but we will need to narrow this field. Tivoli Partners intends to restore the Tivoli to its original use as an art, office, and retail beacon. We hope the project will not only advance economic rejuvenation, but will help establish a permanent urban home for award-winning Washington, D.C. arts organizations that reflect the ethnic and cultural diversity of Columbia Heights. GALA Hispanic Theater- During 24 continuous seasons, GALA has presented over 100 classical and contemporary plays in Spanish and English, introduced Washington area audiences to outstanding artists from Latin America and Spain, featured dance companies and musical groups, offered bilingual shows for young people, and provided training for emerging Hispanic artists. Classika Theater- Classika fosters and promotes the overall development of children and adolescents through theater work. They stage original adaptations and translations of contemporary and international classical repertoire of rarely seen plays in the United States. Washington Stage Guild- The Company is dedicated to performing plays that are often overlooked, including lesser-known works of famous playwrights, classics, and new plays of merit. Half of the productions to date have been area premieres. African Continuum Theater Company (ACT Co.)- Produces and presents plays which reflect an aesthetic rooted in the African and African-American experience and which endeavor to reveal the interconnectedness of all humanity. The Dance Institute of Washington- Frequently referred to as the "Dance Theater of Harlem" of the DC area, DIW seeks to build self-esteem, discipline, and a drive for excellence among disadvantaged and at-risk children and youth through dance training. Artistic Fabian Barnes and the DIW recently received an Oprah Winfrey Cultural Grant. ARKA Ballet- Their mission is to make dance and the arts of the highest quality accessible to broad and diverse audiences, including audiences that may not ordinarily have the opportunity to experience professional ballet. Momentum Dance Theater- MDT presents multimedia performances and workshops which fuse music, dance, and theater to explore emotionally charged issues such as race relations, women's issues and adolescent relationships. All of the above organizations are interested in approximately 5,000 - 7,000 sq. ft. of office/performance space. DEVELOPMENT TIMELINE The public approval process for this complicated historic preservation project is very lengthy. However, Tivoli Partners has been able to cut approximately 6 months off the original development timeline projection of two years. This breakthrough has evolved through close partnership and ongoing discussions with the Office of Ward 1 Councilmember Jim Graham. By enacting simple Council legislation, Mr. Graham will be able to significantly reduce the detailed process of closing the existing alley on Parcel 29. Mr. Graham has agreed to present this issue before the full Council in the current session. Tivoli Partners now projects a February 2002 construction start. We will apprise you of progress on other aspects of the project in the next Community Update. Joseph F. Horning III Tivoli Partners (202) 659-0700 |