This rental is located at 4607 Connecticut Avenue, NW:

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The listing says:

“GREAT BLDG ON CONNECTICUT AVE, NW. STUDIO, 1BR & 2BR ALSO MAY BE AVAILABLE. FABULOUS FITNESS CENTER. RENTS VARY PER FLR/VIEW/PLAN. THE LIST PRICE IS STARTING PRICE. CATS ONLY. 3 BLOCKS TO VAN NESS METRO. PHOTOS ARE FOR VARIOUS UNITS. SECTION 8 APPLICATIONS WELCOME.”

This 2 bed/1 bath is going for $2,350/Mo.

This rental is located at 3801 Connecticut Avenue, NW:

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The listing says:

“SPACIOUS aaprtment homes INCLUDE UTILITIES* Opt GARAGE* WALK to Cleveland Park/Van Ness METRO* Exciting shopping, restaurants & theatre* Jog in bordering Rock Creek Park* State of the art Fitness Ctr* Breathtaking VIEWS from rooftop deck* CATS ONLY* Sec8 apps welcome* Rents $1896-1937/mo & availability subject to change without notice.”

This 1 bed/1 bath is going for $1,896/Mo.

This apartment is located at 4007 Connecticut Ave, NW:

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The listing says:

“Nicely furnished condo in a great location near the Cleveland Park Metro and bus lines. Washer/dryer in unit. Lots of light. Hardwood floors and nice appliances. Gym and laundry in building. Leather sofa and chair, plasma tv and other aminities. Secure access. Available now.”

This 1 bed/1 bath is going for $1,900/Mo.

This rental is located at 2939 Van Ness Street, NW:

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The listing says:

“Spacious 1BR on park side of 24-hr-sec. condo with 2 swimming-pools and all utilities included. Central A/C. Extra storage. 1.5 blocks from the Van Ness Metro (around the pool) & supermarket (underground pass). Sorry, building does not allow dogs. Responsible cat owner will be considered. $35 processing fee. Available immediately. Parking space for rent at $70/mo”

You can see a video (with sweet background music) of a unit in the building here

This 1 bed/1 bath is going for $1,725/Mo.

Dear PoPville,

Did you know that apparently Clover Market at 5014 Connecticut Ave. NW has closed . . . One of the last of the old fashioned, neighborhood grocery stores . . . I don’t know how long it was around – but I have lived in DC since 1982 and I certainly know that it was here since long before that . . .

Sad — as another, small independent goes out of business.

Clover Market was located across the street from Politics and Prose bookstore. Looks like a demo permit has been issued but it’s not clear who the new tenant will be:

5015 Connecticut Ave, NW

Back in June 2011 Politics and Prose was purchased by new owners:

“Carla Cohen died in October 2010, and in June 2011, Politics & Prose was purchased by Bradley Graham and Lissa Muscatine. Brad was a longtime journalist with The Washington Post. His wife, Lissa, also worked as a Post journalist for a number of years, and then served as a speechwriter to Hillary Clinton at both the White House and the State Department.”

I hadn’t heard about any changes until now. They’ve recently applied for a liquor license:

“The nature of the business is a bookstore. Entertainment consists of poetry readings and author presentations. Food will be light, consisting of pre-packaged, ready to eat items.

Sunday 10 am – 8 pm, Monday through Saturday 9 am – 10 pm”

According to their Web site the future will:

“look for new ways to make books a popular entertainment to compete with other leisure activities. We will continue to explore links between books and travel and the arts, as well as books that help us understand ourselves and our world. We will be planning trips, meals together, movies, music, and other activities that enrich our lives.”

You can see a calendar of events here.

As books and beer are among my favorite things in life, I’m pretty psyched about this!

Streets of Washington is the brilliant blog covering some of DC’s most interesting buildings and history written by John DeFerrari. John is also the author of the equally brilliant Lost Washington DC. ‘Streets of Washington Presents…’ will feature some fascinating buildings and history from around PoPville.

It was supposedly “one of the largest parking and shopping units in the country” when the Chevy Chase Ice Palace and Sports Center opened in 1938 on upper Connecticut Avenue. As strip malls go, the building, which still stands in the 4400 block of Connecticut Avenue just north of the Van Ness Metro stop, now looks quite tiny, which says something either for the exaggeration of the Washington Post article of November 20, 1938, the growth of shopping malls since then,—or both.

In 1938, this part of the city was well on its way to transitioning from a lightly populated “suburb” within the District to an urban residential zone. The avenue had been zoned in 1920 such that most of it was to be lined with medium-density apartment buildings. At regular intervals, single blocks were designated for commercial development. The 4400 block was one such commercial zone.

Developer Garfield I. Kass (1890–1975) saw a great opportunity at this location, despite the difficult site that sloped steeply from street level down to a tributary of Rock Creek in the valley below. There was pent-up demand for shopping from local residents that did not have other options in their neighborhood. Beyond that, “park and shop” centers like this one were hot commodities in the 1930s, after the successful development in 1930 of the Park and Shop center just down the street in Cleveland Park. Kass had already developed park and shop centers in the Rosslyn and Clarendon neighborhoods of Arlington County, Virginia, and another at Georgia Avenue and Rittenhouse Street, NW, in Shepherd Park. Situating such centers along main commuting arteries—on the same side of the street as the evening, homeward-bound traffic—was sure to make for substantial profits.

Continues after the jump. (more…)

4201 Connecticut Ave NW

“Dear PoPville,

Jerry’s Pizza on Van Ness and Connecticut Ave, NW has been closed since last Monday. Word in the street is that it’s going for good. It’s not fancy gourmet, but the vacancy is always a bummer.”

A few weeks ago we noted 876 Cafe was coming to the former Indian Ocean restaurant at 4221 Connecticut Ave, NW in Van Ness. Thanks to a reader for sending word that they’ve opened today. Their Web site says:

Enjoy the complex yet simplistic fusion of Caribbean cuisine with Washington’s premier restaurant 876 Cafe. Located one block from the Van Ness metro station neighboring the Cleveland Park area, 876 Cafe invites you to experience familiar dishes piqued with zesty accents of the islands.

Inside, the warm and open decor showcases talent of local artists and helps the customer to transcend to a vibe where everything is “irie and cool”. Sample favorites like our fresh multi-green salad infused with sweet coconut-gingered flakes, ackee and saltfish wraps or our refreshing coconut water contained in the original husk.

And as with everything you can expect exceptional service in a casual environment.

Go ahead. Grab a group of your friends or co-workers and relax on the veranda, bar or swanky WiFi lounge area for lunch, dinner, weekend brunch or happy hour. 876 Cafe promises to stimulate your pallet and captivate your senses.

You can see their menus here.

I took the photo above near Howard University Law Center in Van Ness. I couldn’t get over how much it reminded me off the Kennedy Center. Anyone know which was built first?

Photo of the Kennedy Center by PoPville flickr user caroline.angelo

876 Cafe will be located at 4221 Connecticut Ave, NW. Looks like they’ll have a nice outdoor dining patio as well.

876 Cafe, where passion, food and fun blends

Looks like things are picking up for Van Ness, as Sushi Para also recently opened up two storefronts away in the former Taco Bell space.

This rental is located at 3883 Connecticut Ave, NW:

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The listing says:

“Beautiful studio w/ xtra storage. Spacious,open kitchen w/granite counters, gas stove. W/D in unit & custom blt Murphy bed. Pleasant view. MODERN bldg w/super amenities: POOL & terrace w/gas grills, 24-hr concierge, club rm & bus ctr w/wifi, up-to-date fitness ctr. Just blks to 2 Metros & neighborhood shops & restaurants. No smoking unit. Garage PARKING available +$100.”

This studio is going for $1,750/Mo.

From an email:

Jake’s Boiler Room is located on the lower level of Jake’s American Grille. This addition is Chevy Chase neighborhood’s newest night life attraction and home to eight large flat screen TVs, billiards, darts, arcade games, X-Box Kinect, and a private cement bar with seating for 15. In addition to the 18 drafts on tap with features such as Abita Andy Gator and Delirium and a full service bar offering your favorite craft cocktails, you can also take advantage of Monday night trivia, a Tuesday night dart league, and Wednesday night karaoke.

District Restaurant Group is known for its unique and inviting dining establishments and is also behind The Ugly Mug on Barracks Row, and District 2 Bar & Grille in Glover Park.

Jake’s Boiler Room: The Basement; 5018 Conn Ave NW; Van Ness; 202-966-5253; jakesdc.com

HOURS: Mon.-Thurs. 5PM to 12AM; Fri.-Sat. 10-1AM; Sun. 10-12AM

The photos don’t do it great justice but you can sorta tell how unique it is. The Nigerian embassy is located at 3519 International Court, NW.

Thanks to all who wrote in that Sushi Para has opened up in the former Taco Bell/KFC space at 4221 Connecticut Ave, NW. They’ve also just applied for a liquor license. We’ll revisit for a proper judging after they’ve been open for a bit.