Lots of progress at the Petworth Flats coming to 4226 7th St, NW. It will be 1 and 2 bedroom condos. The building had been boarded up since Oct. 2009.
Here’s how it looked in 2010:
Buildings
Dear PoPville,
It seems to be a vacant building on F Street, NW between 9/10. It’s been this way since I moved to the city in 2008 and the entire area has become shopping and eating hotspot but nothing happens to this building. It’s next to Ultra Bar and even has a fancy security cameras on top… Doesn’t seem vacant.
I’m wondering if anyone knows what is going on here?
For a detailed history of the building check out the incredible piece written by Streets of Washington:
The space was then used briefly for a teen dance club called Club Bounce that was closed in October 2008 after a shooting incident nearby. New owners planned an events-oriented venue, to be called the “Museum of Arts and Sciences,” but the new club never officially opened. Finally, Douglas Development purchased the property in 2011, announcing that it would be renovated for retail or restaurant use rather than as another nightclub.
2007
The Nehemiah Shopping Center was in full effect. It is now Capitol View on 14th. It is located on 14th Street, NW between Belmont and Chapin. This angle is from Chapin looking south down 14th Street.
2013
391 Rhode Island Ave, NW
Wow, I think it’s turning out awesome. What do you guys think – thumbs up or down?
Here’s a reminder of what Frazier’s looked like when it was covered in formstone.
641 S Street, NW
Check out the progress at the Wonderbread Factory near the Shaw metro on S Street.
From the back:
Quite a change from 2011:
Dear PoPville,
Looks like Douglas Development and subcontractor McCullough Construction are close to breaking ground at 2221 14th Street NW, a 30-unit residential building with ground floor restaurant/retail at the corner of 14th & Florida, the former Latino Auto Sales lot. McCullough is the same group that brought us the Room & Board Building, so I have high hopes for the project. Douglas’ website says the building is going rental and will feature mostly one bedrooms and some studios.
From Douglas Development:
New construction of a 6 story building featuring ground level retail/restaurant with the upper 5 levels featuring 30 apartment units. The building will also feature under ground parking for residents, balconies and bay windows.
Construction is expected to begin in early 2013.
Facts:
- 33,232 SF (2,792 SF retail)
- Acquired 2011; Redeveloped 2013-2014
- 6-story building
- 30 rental apartments
- 10 parking space below grade
Renderings via Douglas Development.
2007
Kinda like our now and then series, “Only ____ Years Ago” will feature photos from my archives that have changed drastically from a particular year. We will start with a bunch of changes from 2007. Let’s kick it off with 14th and T St, NW. Anyone remember McKey’s Antiques?
2013
14th and Meridian Pl, NW
From CM Jim Graham:
I wanted to share with you an update on the empty building at the Bacon Funeral Home at 3449 14th St., NW.
As you may know, for years I have been involved and worked to have this dreadful cinder block shell finished and put to productive use. District agencies have responded. The Office of Tax and Revenue placed the highest real estate tax possible on the property, the blighted rate. This has also come before DCRA’s Board for the Condemnation of Insanitary Buildings, which took up the matter on November 14 and ordered that the building be secured, windows and doors boarded up and a missing portion of the roof replaced.
On Wednesday, March 13 the condition of the structure was again taken up by the Board. I was holding a hearing but a member of my staff attended. Documentation was presented showing the windows and doors have been secured, but a significant portion of the roof is still open to the elements and has not been enclosed.
The Board again took action and approved a motion to wait for thirty days to allow the owner to take concrete steps to enclose the roof. After thirty days the request will be forwarded to the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, Enforcement Branch to do this work. In other words, if the owner does not put a roof on the building, the city will hire a contractor to complete the entire roof and charge the owner by placing a lien on the property.
There was a welcome announcement. Counsel representing Mr. Bacon informed the Board that financing to resume construction on the property is moving forward and presented a letter of commitment from a bank and closing is expected by the end of the month. I am certain this is welcome news to all.
Securing the building is necessary but not enough. I have received multiple complaints over the years that this building is an eyesore to the community of benefit to no one. I commend the owners for their efforts to finally get this building finished and look forward to the day I can share that news.
705 6th Street, NW
Daikaya only opened about a month ago so it’s not time for a proper judging of the food yet. But you can already see that the building itself is awesome. And it’s only gonna get better over time.
Thanks to a reader for sending the following email they received from JBG:
Streets of Washington, written by John DeFerrari, covers some of DC’s most interesting buildings and history. John is also the author of Lost Washington DC.
Washington has one of the highest concentrations of apartment dwellers among American cities, and fortunately many of its historic apartment houses from the early decades of the 20th century have survived. Among these, the Northumberland, opened in 1910 at 2039 New Hampshire Avenue NW, is one of the best preserved. Thanks in part to its very early conversion (1920) to cooperative ownership, the building has benefited over the years from the meticulous care and attention of farsighted owners and remains a jewel-like oasis of turn-of-the-century urban living.
The Northumberland (photo by the author).
The Northumberland was one of many projects undertaken by the relentlessly energetic Harry Wardman (1872-1938) in the early years of his career when he was building row after row of houses in Mount Pleasant and Columbia Heights and just starting to construct towering apartment houses. “In apartment building the most expensive structures in the city are the work of Mr. Wardman,” the Washington Times noted in 1911, soon after the Northumberland was completed. Wardman was a developer’s developer, putting up the most desirable buildings possible at the least possible cost and then quickly moving on. “His money is always active and he is always borrowing,” the Times explained. “He always takes profits and goes at something new.”
Continues after the jump (more…)
635 Massachusetts Ave, NW
From Chinatown (above) to NoMa (below).
From NPR’s website:
The new NPR headquarters comprises two integrated blocks: the bulk of a historically preserved four-story 1920′s era warehouse and a new, modern seven-story office block that rises behind. Designed by the Washington D.C.-based architectural firm Hickok Cole, and built by Balfour Beatty Construction, the building contains approximately 330,000 square feet of above-grade space and 440,000 total square feet. It will accommodate NPR’s DC-based staff of approximately 767 that is currently spread across three buildings – 635 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, and two nearby leased locations.
The heart of the building is a two-story open newsroom with broadcast and production studios to accommodate NPR’s round-the-clock schedule. NPR’s news, music, programming and digital staff are co-located on these floors. In addition to serving as center for NPR’s operations, the building is also home to the Public Radio Satellite System, an independent distribution system that moves public radio content across the country.
Visitors will enter the building through a landscaped plaza. Upon entering they will find an exhibit and a multimedia mosaic dedicated to NPR’s story, a performance studio that seats up to 250, and the NPR Commons, an events space for small groups and site of the NPR Shop. NPR expects to host many public events in the new headquarters.
The 1111 North Capitol building is expected to earn LEED Gold certification; environmentally sensitive features include a green roof and highly efficient cooling system to support energy conservation, and a system that captures street run-off within the tree-pits adjacent to North Capitol Street.
NPR established its current headquarters at 635 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, in 1994, before Gallery Place became a prime development zone and popular destination. Since then, NPR’s stature as a media organization and its popularity have grown rapidly and its weekly audience doubled.
1111 North Capitol Street, NE
The saga of the old Church at 10th and V St, NW continues. Thanks to a reader for sending word that it’s up for lease again. For a minute it looked like it would become a
“a 6-story, 37-unit condo building that will also house SORG’s offices.”
Back to the drawing board I guess…
Dear PoPville,
Curious to know if you know the story with this house at: 1402 12th St, NW. Certainly not horse’s ass status, but the facade has looked like that for as long as I’ve known it. I had heard a rumor that it was covered in copper, which was stolen/stripped(?), but even if that’s true, I don’t know why it’s been left like this. Any idea?
This was actually nominated for a horse’s ass award back in July 2010.
