522 7th Street SE
Dear PoPville,
Any idea what is going on with the Mormon church on 7th Street SE, near Eastern Market? At first I thought they were rehabbing, but now it’s been torn down. Not sure if it’s just a rebuild, or if something else is going in there.
I’m told that they are rebuilding a new church there.
I was going to send in the same question but couldn’t get a good picture of it! Thanks for the info, even if it isn’t exactly earth-shattering.
That part of the hill is more or less the heart of the LDS community in DC. I bet they’re going to build something big and beautiful.
Wow, I live here and had no idea.
They might have trouble with the “big” part, though, given the small but extremely vocal minority that is opposed to big things being built in the neighborhood.
I thought Crystal City was pretty much the heart of the LDS community in DC?
Crystal City is not DC.
They just finished a big temple on 16th street. Not all that beautiful and definitely maxing out what the rather small lot could accommodate.
Usual Mormon churches like the one that was here are referred to as meetinghouses.
A temple in LDS usage is a building used for special rites, like weddings, and there are only 139 of them worldwide (another 30-ish are under construction or planned). The building off the beltway is a temple.
man I sure hope they build something completely ridiculous and straight out of LOTR like that gaudy thing in Bethesda.
not so gaudy when you’re coming around the beltway at dusk…. pretty darn impressive
I wouldn’t mind something crazy like that… it would make the neighborhood more interesting!
So is the Disney Castle, but I think the egg came first
No worries about that happening; they wouldn’t build a second temple in the DC area. (FWIW, I’m an ex-Mormon myself from childhood when my folks converted until I left in 2004.)
Has been in the works for some time apparently. They applied for the permit last November and got the raze permit from the city/Historic Preservation Office this January. It actually used to be a Safeway – http://planning.dc.gov/DC/Planning/Planning%20Publication%20Files/OP/HP/Building%20Permit%20Reports/HPO%20Building%20Permits%20January%2023%20thru%20February%203.pdf
Getting ready for Roney!
A recent Washington Post article about that prospect:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-third-ward-mormons-would-welcome-romney-even-though-most-are-democrats/2012/09/27/21767bfa-0400-11e2-91e7-2962c74e7738_story.html
I heard they’re installing a dressage ring and stables.
+1
It will be a ward (church) and will be grander and taller than the old building but not too much so. They passed around an artist’s drawing in the neighborhood a while ago when they were seeking support to raze the old building, which used to be a Safeway many years ago. The drawing looked like a typical contenporary Mormon church building, a cross between a Ramada Inn and Ethan Allen showroom.