Anacostia

“The 11th Street Bridge Park has the potential to represent more than just an innovative public space, the Bridge Park can symbolize a new unity and connection between a booming area of the city and one that has long been overlooked and excluded from the city’s economic progress”

By Prince Of Petworth

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From a press release:

“As part of a year-long community-led effort, the 11th Street Bridge Park releases an Equitable Development Plan to ensure that nearby residents can benefit from this new civic space. The Bridge Park’s Equitable Development Task Force, formed in the fall of 2014, has worked with community residents, business owners, policy experts and government officials to identify actionable recommendations that the Bridge Park and its partners can take in three areas: workforce development, small business enterprise and housing. The Task Force has developed an Equitable Development Plan comprised of 19 specific recommendations encouraging inclusive development in the neighborhoods surrounding the park.

The Equitable Development Plan is available here to view online and here to download.

With the release of the Equitable Development Plan, Bridge Park staff will partner with experts from the Urban Institute to create measureable and detailed outcomes for each recommendation. Implementation of the recommendations has already begun. In early 2016 for instance, the Bridge Park will provide financial support for a new East of the River Home Buyers Club run by MANNA. The Home Buyers Club offers free high-quality financial literacy training and homebuyer education services with the goal of helping low and moderate income persons acquire quality housing and build assets for families through homeownership.

The Equitable Development Plan supports the unprecedented $100 million investment made by the Mayor of the District of Columbia, Muriel Bowser and the D.C. Council in the Housing Production Trust Fund, an effort to create a more inclusive city. (more…)

Sweet Dog found in Anacostia

By Prince Of Petworth

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A reader writes:

“I was out in Anacostia yesterday afternoon helping look for Charlotte, the lost hound mix, and I found this sweet little girl. No collar or tags. I took her to the NY Ave shelter to scan for microchip but none was found. Small brown poodle mix, heavily matted but very sweet. I am a coordinator for K9 Lifesavers rescue so I will hold on to her for the 5-day stray hold period animal control suggested, then re-home her.”

“Over two weeks local teens from both sides of the Anacostia River have collaborated to create a 55 foot mural” See it Tomorrow

By Prince Of Petworth

Mural Art Project Reception @THEARC Flyer v2

From an email:

“Over two weeks local teens from both sides of the Anacostia River have collaborated to create a 55 foot mural. The underlying energy of the mural will focus on capturing the essence of neighborhoods along the Anacostia River through trans-community dialogue.

Tomorrow, there will be a FREE Mural Exhibition Reception open to the public on August 19th from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm at THEARC’s ArtReach Community Gallery. RSVP here if you would like to attend.”

More info and photos from The 11th Street Bridge Park:

Mural Project Press Release (PDF)

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“Did you know there is a National Park in DC with roller skating? Now you do.”

By Prince Of Petworth

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Samuel Dixon Photography

Thanks to Samuel Dixon Photography for sharing his great photos. You can check out the rest of the pictures at his site here.

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Samuel Dixon Photography

From NPS:

“Can you remember the last time you laced up a pair of roller skates? Make new memories with this ‘fun for the whole family’ activity. Skate rentals are free! And on summer weekends you can dance to DJ music as you enjoy this open air roller rink. This is the one and only roller skating rink in the National Park Service!

Season:

Free skate rentals are available seven days a week from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

Hours: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Rates: Roller skates are free to check out with a valid I.D. Call (202) 472-3884 for availability.

Directions

The skating pavilion is located at 1500 Anacostia Drive SE, Washington, D.C., near the DC-295 and Pennsylvania Ave. SE interchange. Via DC-295, exit onto eastbound Pennsylvania Ave. SE, take the first right onto Fairlawn Ave. SE, then the first right onto Nicholson Drive SE, right onto Anacostia Drive, then proceed to the parking area.

Public Transportation

Visit WMATA for fares and route details.
Bus: The U2, V7, and V9 buses service the corner of Pennsylvania Ave. SE and Fairlawn Drive. From that corner, walk west on Fairlawn, turn right onto Nicholson Drive, right on Anacostia Drive, and then straight to the skating pavilion.

Metro: Exit at Potomac Ave. station on the Blue/Orange/Silver lines. Walk southeast along Pennsylvania Ave. SE, and cross the bridge. If crossing from the north side of the bridge, immediately after crossing the bridge, turn left to follow the trail to Anacostia Drive and continue straight to the right to the skating pavilion. If crossing the south side of the bridge, immediately after crossing the bridge, follow the path to the right to Anacostia Drive, then turn right on Anacostia Drive and continue straight to the skating pavilion.”

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Samuel Dixon Photography

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Samuel Dixon Photography

“Anacostia Playhouse Announces Keith Hamilton Cobb’s American Moor Washington, DC Debut”

By Prince Of Petworth

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Photo courtesy Anacostia Playhouse

From a press release:

“American Moor, a solo play written and performed by Keith Hamilton Cobb, begins performances Friday, July 17, 2015 with a opening night gala to benefit the Anacostia Playhouse located at 2020 Shannon Pl SE, Washington, DC 20020. Tickets for the opening are $100 for reserved seating and $50 for general seating and include a champagne reception with the actor/playwright.
This DC area engagement will be directed by fellow actor, and regular of the DC theater scene, Craig Wallace.

American Moor is authentic and unwavering in its hope for change and forward progress. Guests are invited and encouraged to come and lend their voices to the dialogue at one of eight performances scheduled with post-show discussions: Friday, July 24; Thursday, July 30; Friday, July 31; Sunday, August 2; Friday, August 7; Sunday, August 9; Thursday, August 13; Friday, August 14. Post-show discussions are presented in partnership with Folger Shakespeare Library and Thembi Duncan.

Special guest facilitators will be announced on social media under the hashtag #MoorToThisStory.

What: AMERICAN MOOR by Keith Hamilton Cobb presented under the auspices of the Actors’ Equity Association Members’ Project Code.
When: July 17-August 16, 2015. Thursday-Saturday at 8pm, Sundays at 3pm.  
Run Time:  80 minutes
Information:  www.anacostiaplayhouse.com
Tickets:  $25 each; Call 202-290-2328 or visit www.anacostiaplayhouse.com
Where:  Anacostia Playhouse. 2020 Shannon Place, SE, Washington, DC 20020

Tickets are $25 general admission, $20 for East of the River residents, seniors and students.”

Today’s Rental is a 4 bed/2 bath for $1990 in Anacostia

By Prince Of Petworth

rental

This rental is located at 1643 U Street Southeast. The listing says:

“Nice Detached Victorian Home w/Some Original Features 2 Levels 4-Bedrooms 2-Full Baths w/Large Rear Fenced Yard & Front Landscaped Garden Front Porch/Rear Deck Windows/Storage Sitting Rm Off Rr Bdrm Sep Dining Rm Living Rm Bright Eat-In Kitchen Pets: Case-by-Case Basis 2 Car Driveway Close to Metro/Transportation & Routes 695/295/395 Owner: Lic RE Agent Min.Income: $60K Good Credit”

You can see more photos here.

This 4 bed/2 bath is going for $1,990/Mo.

Death at the Prom at Uniontown Bar & Grill

By Prince Of Petworth

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From a press release:

“Who: Nameless Theater
What: Death at the Prom, by A’Leighsha C. Butler, directed by Nia M. Barge
When: April 16, April 23, April 30 Happy Hour Starts at 6pm. Show Starts at 7pm.
Where: Uniontown Bar & Grill 2200 Martin Luther King Jr Ave SE
Tickets: $15 Early Bird Tickets until Sat May 30th. Regular Tickets $20. Student and group discounts available. Order online: www.thenameless.us

Nameless, a newly formed DC-based theater company, announces the premiere of Death at the Prom, a modern murder mystery comedy show. The site-specific production, takes place in the midst of a high school prom where disaster strikes. Attendees will gather clues, question suspects and bring the murderer to justice. Rather than observing the show from behind the safety of the fourth wall, Death at the Prom, catapults audiences from their seats and into the zany world of the show.

Uniontown Bar & Grill, one of only two sit down restaurants in the transitioning Anacostia neighborhood, will morph into the prom of Green Meadow High- a fictional school plagued with the typical student cliques, overworked teachers and an overzealous principal on a mission to reclaim the school. Nameless is thrilled to bring this theatrical event to the Anacostia neighborhood, which is also home to the Anacostia Arts Center. (more…)

Archeological Finds Vol. 6 – An Outhouse Toilet

By Prince Of Petworth

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I have to admit, I’m loving this feature, if you have a photo of a neat find from your house or place of work please send an email to princeofpetworth(at)gmail.com thanks.

A reader writes:

“I bought a house in Anacostia few years ago and one of the features that I found interesting was a toilet located on the rear exterior of the house. Is this common for dc?”

Ed. Note: Back in 2008 a reader also found one in Petworth.

First-Ever Anacostia River Festival coming in April

By Prince Of Petworth

Anacostia Watershed Society 8
Photo by The Anacostia Watershed Society courtesy of 11th Street Bridge Park

From a press release:

“The first-ever Anacostia River Festival will celebrate the history, ecology and communities along the banks of the Anacostia River. The 11th Street Bridge Park and the National Park Service present the event, which will offer free kayaking and canoeing, musical performances, fishing and water filtration workshops, live birds of prey demonstration, a photography exhibition and a bike parade. The Anacostia River Festival is a premier event and official closing of the 2015 National Cherry Blossom Festival.

WHEN: Sunday, April 12, 2015, noon – 4 p.m.
WHERE: National Park Service’s Anacostia Park. Good Hope Road and Anacostia Drive SE
COST: Free – Family Friendly Event
FOR MORE INFORMATION: here

“We are so excited to be a part of this year’s National Cherry Blossom Festival and look forward to the positive exposure it will bring to East of the River neighborhoods as well as the 11th Street Bridge Park,” said Scott Kratz, director of the 11th Street Bridge Park, a collaborative project of the D.C. City Government and non-profit Building Bridges Across the River at THEARC transforming an old freeway into a new civic space scheduled to open in 2018. “The Anacostia River is a stunning, but often forgotten, natural resource hiding in plain sight and, by collaborating with a number of existing groups, we aim to re-engage residents with this amazing urban watershed.”

The event will bring people from across the city and throughout the region to participate in hands-on art workshops, dragon boat rides, a community sing along, urban archaeology, community bicycle rides, boating and other fun activities to connect families with the natural world. (more…)

From the Forum – Anacostia [East of the River] – Would you move there? Which parts?

By Prince Of Petworth

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Photo by PoPville flickr user ep_jhu

Anacostia- Would you move there? Which parts?:

“I don’t know much about Anacostia other than its reputation [to some] – dangerous, isolated, etc. But, looking at homes, it seems like there are some beautiful homes for reasonable prices on that side of the river. Are there parts of Anacostia that are better than others where it might be smart to target a housing search?”

You can see all forum topics and add your own here. If you are having trouble uploading your question to the forum please try clearing your cache. If it still doesn’t work please email me at princeofpetworth(at)gmail

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