Dear PoP – What’s the Story with these Buildings?

“Dear PoP,

On N Street, NW, between 17th and 18th Streets, there are four boarded-up buildings on the north side of N, just two doors down from the Tabard Inn. They look like they’re in great condition, but I think they’ve been boarded up for quite a while. Do you know what the story is behind them? Who owns them? It’s a shame that such lovely historic buildings are boarded up like this.”

We discussed these buildings back in back in Sept. ’09 sadly it seems there has been little visible progress. At the time we learned that apparently the developer, Mr. Morton Bender and his company N Street Follies Ltd, would like to develop the properties into a hotel but the issue of parking has been a major hold up. The impasse has gone on for years and there are those who think it’s time to go back to the drawing board.