This rental is located at 3300 16th Street NW:


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The Craigslist ad says:

“405 Sq. Ft. 7th floor studio available now for $1,295.00

Bright and sunny studio updated kitchen and bath with a great view
2 blocks from Columbia Heights Metro
Target, Bestbuy, Washington Sports Club, Giant grocery and restaraunts
Free bike storage, and a huge 24-hour on-site laundry room
Parking is available for an additional fee

Are you a student or a recent graduate? Please ask Keener Management about our student special discounts.”

Does $1,295 sound reasonable for this studio?


Voted one of the best real estate agents in DC by the Washington City Paper Readers’ Choice Poll in 2009, hipchickindc aka the not-so-hip Suzanne Des Marais is an Associate Broker with Urban Pace. She lives (and sells a lot of houses) in Bloomingdale, but works all over DC, with everyone from first time buyers to highly regarded developers. 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: 1322 Kenyon St NW
Legal Subdivision: Columbia Heights
Advertised Subdivision per Listing: Columbia Heights

Original List Prices

Unit 1: $499,900.
Unit 2: $589,900.
Unit 3: $609,900.
Unit 4: $650,000.

List Prices at Contract

Unit 1: $479,900.
Unit 2: $589,900.
Unit 3: $609,900.
Unit 4: $650,000.

List Date: 10/29/2010
Days on Market: 23-47

Settled Sales Price

Unit 1: $467,500. Subsidy: $0. Price per Sq Foot*+: $277
Unit 2: $580,000. Subsidy: $0. Price per Sq Foot*+: $368
Unit 3: $584,000. Subsidy: $0. Price per Sq Foot*+: $370.
Unit 4: $620,000. Subsidy: $10,000. Price per Sq Foot*: $404.

*Sq footage calculation includes deck or terrace
+Unit conveyed with parking but note that price per sq ft adjusted to not include parking

Settlement Dates: 01/20/2011-02/21/2011
Bank owned?: No Short Sale? No
Type Of Financing: All Conventional

Original Good Deal or Not post for the condos: here. PoP also looked at the pre-conversion listing, for which the GDoN post can be seen here.

The listings can be seen: here. To see pics, open the listing links, click on the main pic and scroll through.

Continues after the jump. (more…)


I know we normally judge buildings in this time slot but I couldn’t resist this beauty from Girard St, NW in Columbia Heights. The owner happened to pass by when I was taking photos and let me take a peek inside. Sweet!

From the Hood:

Price? $1700 from Craigslist. Leopard skin cloth included:

Couple more shots after the jump. (more…)



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“Dear PoP,

Last night around 6:45pm a young woman (friend of mine) was assaulted at 14th and Fairmont NW in Columbia Heights. A young man came up behind her as she was approaching her apartment building, hit her multiple times and demanded she give him her blackberry. She sustained serious injuries including a fractured jaw. On the bright side, police were actually able to catch her attacker just hours later. Just wanted to remind readers to be alert and careful no matter what time of day.”


From an email:

The all new DC Square Dance Collective presents a traditional
Appalachian square dance!

Saturday February 26, 8:30 – 11:30 pm
Saint Stephen’s Church, 1525 Newton St. NW, Washington DC (Newton and
16th, short walk from Columbia Heights metro)
$5 cover, All ages welcome, no experience or partner needed

Live music by the Possum Wranglers (Paul Brown and Scott Prouty on
banjo & fiddle, Brandt Ryder on guitar, Kevin Enoch on bass)
Calling by Janine Smith and friends


“Dear PoP,

I live right around the corner from the empty restaurant/bar Social on 14th and Meridian Pl., NW in Columbia Heights. It’s been months since it closed and I haven’t seen any changes or updates! (Aside from the smashed ceramic pots in the sidewalk patio.) There are even the same bags of trash right inside the door of the bar area that have been there since the day it closed. Have you heard anything as to whether or not it will reopen or a new business will move in it’s place? How can the owners afford to pay rent on the property and just let it sit there?”

Another reader writes:

“Social apparently owes a large number of unpaid taxes to the DC government. There’s now a lien on the liquor license, so anyone looking to open a restaurant there would have to pay the back taxes.”

When we first heard Social had abruptly closed back in Nov. ’10 I had hope that the close might only be temporary. Well clearly things are not looking good. I also have noticed that all the pots out front have been smashed in addition to garbage beginning to collect out front. I’m really saddened by the situation because I thought the owners were really nice folks who had taken a rundown building and made a pretty cool restaurant/bar out of it. I now fear that the building is going to sit vacant for a while if what the second reader writes is accurate. It’s really a shame because this corner had transformed from a rundown hole into a cool space seemingly overnight. Let’s hope it doesn’t turn back into a rundown hole before new owners can take over.



Photo by flickr user DG Jones

I figured most had seen these articles about these two features from the New York Times but since I keep getting emails (thanks to all who sent them) here they are in case you missed them. It’s cool to see others recognizing the great gains in our neighborhoods. I thought it was especially good timing on the Columbia Heights one…

In Washington, D.C., Columbia Heights’ Hip Strip

and Barracks Row represents as well:

In Washington, a Historic Retail Strip Is Revived


This past weekend, I was introduced to a few more changes at the Red Derby, located at 3718 14th St, NW (at Quincy). In the backroom the pool table has been removed and Big Buck Hunter and Golden Tee video games have been added along with more lounge like seating. Do you prefer the video games and more seating or the pool table? The dart board remains!

A couple more shots after the jump including an artistic series titled “life cycle of a mimosa (more…)


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