
It’s obviously to early for a proper judging but I’m just curious about the opening on the street level. Do you think this indicates there will be a retail space? Or is it just a big window?


It’s obviously to early for a proper judging but I’m just curious about the opening on the street level. Do you think this indicates there will be a retail space? Or is it just a big window?


Back in early Dec. I was super psyched to see that the Jeanne d’Arc statue in Meridian Hill Park got its sword back. Turns out that wasn’t the whole project. The material was treated/painted black (it formerly looked greenish.)
What do you think of the new color?


All the details here.

Image via google street view
Dear PoPville,
I live around the corner from Carolina’s, a rather shady restaurant at the corner of 14th and Spring Road. Since I moved to the neighborhood about 8 months ago, I have heard nothing but complaints about the place from my neighbors (noise, fights, crime, garbage, rats, you name it). A couple of days ago I noticed that the interior of the building is empty and a lot of junk is sitting outside. Do you have any information on what is going on. Is it closed for good?
Another reader writes:
Any idea what is going on at Carolina’s Palacio del Sabor? I walked by tonight, and it seems to be gutted. Although, they still had dumped gross liquid on the Spring Rd sidewalk tonight. Honestly, if it’s not closing, I at least hope they will quit doing that at some point – that’s my main beef with the bar. On that note, does anyone have any ideas on how to get them to quit dumping liquid waste (including sometimes grease) onto the sidewalk?
Anyone hear any news of a closure?

This condo is located at 1454 Newton St, NW:
The flier says:
“Fabulous 2BR, 2BA condo with high ceilings and hardwood floors in super convenient location. Fully renovated in 2007. Kitchen w/ 2 skylights, stainless appliances, and recessed lighting. Large master suite w/ double closet. Second BR or den w/ large closet and access to sunny back porch w/ treetop views. Washer/dryer. Walk to Metro, Target, CVS, Giant, restaurants, dog park & more!”
You can find more info here and photos here.
This 2 bed/2 bath is going for $325,000 ($193 monthly condo fee.)

What do you think of the new Park Road banners in Columbia Heights?
Is it now finally time to take down the banner announcing the facade improvement project?


Back in mid-Sept. I shared some details on the new French Bakery, Le Caprice DC, coming to 3460 14th St, NW in the retail space of the Allegro in Columbia Heights. Construction is progressing nicely:

Though, below is the photo, I’m most excited about – the baguette shaper:

And check out the size of this oven:

If all goes well they hope to open up at the end of this week or next week. I’ll update an exact date when it’s official. While the following opening day menu will be expanded – how does it sound so far?
Opening Menu of Le Caprice DC
Croissant au Beurre $1.95
Pain au Chocolat 2.25
Chocolate Croissant
Caprice croissant aux amandes 2.65
Almond Croissant
Raisin Escargot 2.45
Raisin Bun
Chausson aux Pommes 2.65
La gourmandise 2.75
Brioche
individuel 1.95
½ loaf 3.95
loaf 6.95Choco Brioche
Individuel 2.25
½ loaf 4.75
loaf 8.95Artisan Baguette 2.75
½ Baguette 1.45Baguette Céréale 2.95
Whole grain baguette
Cream Puff 1.45
Eclaire 3.95
Religieuse 4.95
Swan 4.95
Saint Honore 4.95
Tarte de Fruit 4.25
Petit fours 19 varieties 8.95 to 10.95 per poundAlso available: Salads, Sandwiches, Quiches, Croque Monsieur and Spinach tourte… for lunch or dinner.

Folks have been wondering for many months what would be coming to the former El Salvadorena space located at 3548 14th St, NW (14th and Parkwood Pl) in Columbia Heights. I’m psyched to finally get word of the new plans. According to a recent liquor license application The Pinch will be a:
“New restaurant serving contemporary American cuisine. Occasional live music or spoken word performance to be offered in basement area. Occupancy load is 99. Sidewalk Café 28.”

First floor pre-renovation
I also ran into the owner who let me take a couple shots of how the space looks now.

Lower level pre-renovation
If all goes they are shooting for a spring opening. Lots more info coming as construction progresses and they get closer to opening.

This condo is located at 1237 Kenyon St, NW:
The flier says:
“LOCATION, LOCATION! 2 BLKS TO METRO!!!!! 2BR, 2BA TWO LEVEL ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS PENTHOUSE UNIT. “STATE OF THE ART” RENOVATION. GRANITE COUNTERTOPS, SS APPLIANCES. CLOSE TO TARGET, BEST BUY AND GIANT. LOTS OF NITE LIFE AND FINE DINING. VIEW OF NATIONAL SHRINE.”
You can find more info here and photos here.
This 2 bed/2 bath is going for $649,900 ($278 monthly condo fee.)

Hipchickindc is a licensed real estate broker. Her latest business venture can be seen here. Unless specifically noted, neither she nor the company that she is affiliated with represented any of the parties or were directly involved in the transaction reported below. Unless otherwise noted, the source of information is Metropolitan Regional Information Systems (MRIS), which is the local multiple listing system. Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
Featured Property: 3013 11th St NW #3
Legal Subdivision: Columbia Heights
Advertised Subdivision per Listing: Columbia Heights
Original List Price: $409,900.
List Price at Contract: $409,900.
List Date: 09/30/2011
Days on Market: 4
Settled Sales Price: $402,000.
Price per Square Foot: $462. (870 Square Feet per Listing, 848 Square Feet per Tax Record)
Settlement Date: 11/21/2011
Seller Subsidy: $125.
Bank Owned?: No Short Sale? No
Type Of Financing: Conventional
Original GDoN post is: here.
The listing can be seen: here. To see the photos, after opening the listing link, scroll through the arrows on the main pic.
Even compared to many other rapidly developing parts of the city, the Columbia Heights neighborhood has experienced a tremendous amount of construction over the past decade. In addition to numerous recently built multi-unit condo and apartment buildings, conversions of existing apartment buildings to condos, and the seemingly ongoing expansion of DC USA, the surrounding blocks feature an abundance of solid Victorian housing stock. Many of the late 19th and early 20th century homes in this area are quite large, and developers have taken the opportunity to create “boutique” condo buildings, ranging from two units to several.
Continues after the jump. (more…)