PoPville » Howard Theater Renovation Progressing Nicely in Shaw

PoPville is the District's #1 website for quality of life, real estate, local business and neighborhood news.

Neighborhoods

Adams Morgan Capitol Hill Columbia Heights H St. NE Logan CircleSee More

Visit the Forum >>
Visit the Classifieds >>

NEWER POST

PoP Pho Patrol: Young Chow Chen Asian Restaurant

OLDER POST

Your Afternoon Animal Fix + Found Parrot

Howard Theater Renovation Progressing Nicely in Shaw

Wow – wild to see it and compare it to what it looked like in Dec. ’10. Grand opening at 7th and T St, NW is set for April, 2012. More info here. Hopefully the administrators of the site will learn from the nearby Lincoln theater’s travails.

It is so nice to see this beauty coming back to life.

And I’m super psyched for my friend Sean who has been chosen to design a trumpet for a sculpture out front. Read all about his project here. Congrats Sean!

Category: Buildings, Shaw

By: Prince Of Petworth | 03 November 2011 4:00 PM | 20 Comments

Anonymous

It’s about time. But is it going to be used? Are any events booked for it in the future? Hope it won’t end up like the Lincoln.

November 3, 2011 at 4:13 pm
textdoc

Nice to see this facade coming back to life!

November 3, 2011 at 4:14 pm
Polly

Quite an improvement from when the building was featured in “Mars Attacks”.

November 3, 2011 at 4:23 pm
- M
  
  It was?
  
  November 3, 2011 at 4:48 pm
Bloomingdude

My loins tingle each time I walk by this place.

November 3, 2011 at 4:26 pm
Eric in Ledroit

WOW – haven’t been by here in a few weeks, amazing improvement!

November 3, 2011 at 4:28 pm
Anonymous

huge improvement, yes, but has anyone looked at it up close? i walk by it everyday on the way to work and it looks like a cheap stick on facade… by all means, better than a month ago, but i hope it gets better

November 3, 2011 at 4:31 pm
Bill

I actually have to sort of agree. I’m very hopeful for the finished product, but there’s something about it that makes it look a little fake.

Almost like a cheap Home Depot flip!!!!!!!!!

November 3, 2011 at 4:49 pm
- Bloomingdude
  
  And it’s too far from the metro
  
  November 3, 2011 at 4:50 pm
  - Anon
    
    LMAO, nice
    
    November 3, 2011 at 10:22 pm
- BloMi
  
  I agree that it looks a little cheap, but I didn’t think that was the finished product. I assumed that more would be done to either the front, or the sides to make it look more complete. Part of the problem is the jarring difference between the front and sides.
  
  More importantly, the concerns about it ending up like the Lincoln are real. I hope they use it for a wide variety of performances (theater, music, comedy)–that might keep it viable.
  
  November 3, 2011 at 5:38 pm
  - Anonymous
    
    The unfinished sides will be less noticeable when Progression Place is built up and there is just a narrow alleyway between the two buildings.
    
    Does anyone know what kind of acts/events they are trying to lure to this venue? Their website and an article I read make it look like it might be devoted to jazz. Is there honestly a market for that?
    
    November 3, 2011 at 6:10 pm
- SF
  
  $299K, tops. But there will probably be some sucker who pays more.
  
  November 3, 2011 at 5:40 pm
  - jm
    
    boom
    
    November 3, 2011 at 10:24 pm
Mistr Knucklz

Yeah, we all hope that “they” will run it better than the Lincoln, but “they” probably are going to fail because “they” didn’t realize that there is a whole lot of competition for people’s disposable income and “they” won’t be able to find enough interesting entertainment to bring people at night to what is still a sketchy neighborhood. “They” have not thought this through.

November 3, 2011 at 11:27 pm
- Bloomingdude
  
  A sketch neighborhood, LOL! Shaw isn’t Adams-Morgan or Columbia Heights, where the major scary sketch is going on.
  
  November 4, 2011 at 9:25 am
tim

I know when you move to DC you lose your right to Congressional representation and competent government, but DC hasn’t warn me down that much that seeing millions of tax dollars going into a theater blocks away from a failing theater leaves me unaffected.

November 4, 2011 at 12:17 am
Anonny

Seems like the theory here is “build it and they will come”….not a really great management plan IMHO

November 4, 2011 at 9:21 am
dcspace

A lot of the money was raised through donations and private funding. http://www.howardtheatre.org/support.html

November 4, 2011 at 9:55 am
Anonymous

i’m thrilled to see some activity in this pocket of shaw.

November 8, 2011 at 3:35 pm