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A Children’s Museum Coming to Fort Totten?

Thanks to a reader for sending. Anyone hear anything about a “future home of a Children’s museum” at Art Place at Fort Totten (400 Galloway Street, NE)?

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Category: Buildings, Development, Ft. Totten

By: Prince Of Petworth | 20 March 2012 4:00 PM | 17 Comments

pennyworth

you can see the plans (as well as other neighborhood construction plans) at the library across the street.

March 20, 2012 at 4:17 pm
- Prince Of Petworth
  
  Cool, is there any chance those plans will be available online?
  
  March 20, 2012 at 4:29 pm
  - pennyworth
    
    yep
    
    http://bit.ly/GEV07i
    
    http://app.dcoz.dc.gov/content/search/Search.aspx (search case 06-10b)
    
    March 20, 2012 at 5:27 pm
Anonymous

anyone who grew up in DC knows how AWESOME the old Children’s Museum was when it was on H Street NE… I can still smell the homemade tortillas and Mexican hot chocolate…. SUCH great childhood memories…

March 20, 2012 at 4:29 pm
- Johnny
  
  You beat me to it. Why even build another one when it won’t compare. That place was incredible.
  
  March 20, 2012 at 4:37 pm
  - ontarioroader
    
    Wow – I remember that smell SO vividly. I completely forgot about the old Children’s Museum. Anyone remember exactly where on H St it was? Guess along with blocking out many of my bad childhood memories I also blocked out some good things. That or I’m just getting old.
    
    March 20, 2012 at 4:51 pm
    - shawster
      
      i still have vivid memories of this little pulley system they had rigged to teach kids about “force.” I thought it was so cool I could lift 40 lbs using a block and tackle. I think I was like 5.
      
      March 20, 2012 at 7:03 pm
      - sb
        
        oh my gosh yes! my aunt (who lives in Olney) took my family here when I was little. I somehow got my leg caught in the pulley system and my dad had to extricate me before I got pulled upside down (i was a tiny kid). I remember the mexican hot chocolate too. Had no idea that was on H St…
        
        March 21, 2012 at 9:10 am
    - Anonymous
      
      h and 3rd. where the fancy condos are now.
      
      March 21, 2012 at 8:55 am
- gregmce
  
  I have such fond memories of the old Children’s Museum; to this day I still associate it with mangos and papayas, both of which I had for the first time there as a little kid.
  
  I’m sure the official museum’s new site at National Harbor will be a great building, but I’m afraid that (like everything else at National Harbor) no one’s going to go to it. Hopefully the new museum at Fort Totten might bring in some actual visitors.
  
  March 20, 2012 at 5:21 pm
- Anonymous
  
  Yes! And the maze made out of tapestries, the wax medallions, the weaving looms, and all the kinds of occupations you could play at, on and on. I miss it so much!
  
  I volunteered as a teen, and was going to work there as an adult, but there’s no way to get to National Harbor, unless you have a car, so I don’t know how it has any employees or how it will get any visitors now.
  
  March 21, 2012 at 9:46 am
nolongernew2ch

Awesome. Fort Totten is such an awesome location, transit wise, with both red and yellow/green lines making it very easy to get to anywhere in DC or Maryland, it’s a shame that development is so sparse near there. Definitely one of the great growth opportunities left in DC, and it seems like developers / the city are finally taking advantage. And building something that will itself serve as an attraction will be huge in creating the foot traffic needed to sustain retail growth. Just crazy how sparse the development around that Metro station currently is.

March 20, 2012 at 4:37 pm
equidistance

This is awesome!

March 20, 2012 at 4:46 pm
notlawd

I cant wait for this! I hope they get some decent retail. A trader joes for the grocery would be amazing too. I remember having a birthday party at the old children’s museum when I was younger. I would love to recreate that for my daughter!

March 20, 2012 at 5:27 pm
Low Brau

There are multiple developments coming to brookland and ft totten, exiting times. The totten life blog is planning on doing a full write up soon on art place. Supposed to include skating rink…

March 20, 2012 at 6:13 pm
Anonymous

this is great to hear!

March 21, 2012 at 8:57 am
Anonymous

I hate to play Debbie Downer. but I’d rather a Grocer than a Children’s Museum. There are more storefront churches in this neighborhood than the Holy Land! It would be nice to have basic amenities rather than Senior Centers and liquor stores/carry outs.

March 27, 2012 at 11:34 am