Brookland

Update on Chocolate City Beer Coming to Brookland/Edgewood Border

By Prince Of Petworth

We first spoke about this new micro-brewery coming to DC back in July ’10. Last week I stopped by the amazing space located on the 2800 block of 8 St, NE and chatted with one of Chocolate City Beers’ partners, Jay Irizarry. Let me first say that the space is amazing. It is still getting a bit of work done but you can get an idea of how cool it is and will be. Rumor has it that it was once the spot where stone was cut for the nearby basilica. Naturally the folks from Chocolate City Beer will one day offer stonecutter beer. I’m gonna post a ton of pictures after the jump that will give you a taste of just how sweet this spot is.

But back to the brewery. Number one – the space is going to be used for a production brewery only. It is possible that in the future there could be some sort of brew pub on the second floor but there are no plans for that in the short/near term. It would obviously require multiple permits and approvals. At the moment they hope to produce 20-40 kegs a week with the first one going out in March (if all goes well). You’ll be able to find Chocolate City Beer kegs at many neighborhood bars around town. I’ll update a full list when the first kegs are shipped. One final cool element about the building is that they’ll be growing hops up the back of the building and will possibly have bees on the roof.

I think I speak for many when I wish them Godspeed. And of course updates will follow when warranted.


Back of building where hops will grow.

Lots more photos, including inside, after the jump. (more…)

Casey Trees New Headquarters in Brookland

By Prince Of Petworth

Thanks to a reader for sending the heads up. The Casey Trees Web site says:

In 2008, after a three year search, we found a suitable match in Brookland. Two properties located across the street from each other – 3030 and 3015 12th Street NE – will serve as our new office and tree yard respectively.

For our office, we are retaining and renovating the existing 4,000 square foot structure and adding an additional 4,500 square feet. The final building will feature a large conference room to accommodate our year round education programming, a staging area for planting materials and volunteer activities and other amenities including an elevator.

We have designed the exterior to include a rain garden, a bio-retention planter and a greenroof. We intend to use these exterior elements to demonstrate how even a small building, if designed correctly, can help slow and filter stormwater from the site and street, reduce energy consumption and produce several other environmental benefits.

Disturbing Incidents on the Met Branch Trail

By Prince Of Petworth

We just spoke about how great the trail looks back in mid-Sept. A reader writes:

“There’s been a rash of assaults on the newly-opened Met Branch [bike] Trail. I’ve enclosed one message below. [From the Brookland listserv]:

This evening at about 7:50 I was heading South on my bike, going from Brookland to Capitol Hill to visit a friend. I was approaching the section just North of Rhode Island Ave. where there’s a parking lot and shopping plaza. About four black youths (junior-high age) were at the bench along the trail, when one of them (the smallest kid, no more than 4 feet tall) came out with a large plastic drink cup and doused liquid at me, hitting my chest. It was not water. It was bodily fluids. I stopped and got off my bike, and tried to catch the perpetrator but they all dispersed (laughing), and I realized it was futile, so I got back on the bike and continued. I made it to my friend’s house, promptly took a shower and threw away the clothes I had on, and then called 911 to report the crime. The dispatcher said that since I was no longer at the scene, they couldn’t file a report, but that they would send an officer to check out the area.”

And another:

“I was riding my bike home from work on the Metro Branch Trail about 3:45 pm this afternoon (Saturday) when a female member of a group of 6 young teenagers stood up from a bench and pushed me off my bike as I rode by. I slammed into the fence along the trail. She then proceeded to sit back down on the bench as I struggled with my bike. They did not attempt to take anything from me. This happened a few hundred feet from the entrance onto the trail at 8th and Edgewood, right by DC Prep. I rode my bike(which was all bent out of alignment) to the trail head and called police. The police responded quickly and were very helpful, but the kids were gone.

I am bruised and shaken, but basically okay.”

Judging Renderings and Bonus Sweet City Sign

By Prince Of Petworth

The Brookland Artspace are going in on 8th St, NE though applications will not be accepted until January 2011. According to the ArtSpace Web site:

“Dance Place and Artspace are partnering to create a $13 million arts campus in the Brookland neighborhood of Washington D.C. Artspace will break ground on 41 affordable live/work units for artists and their families with gallery and studio place will be developed. Artspace is assisting Dance Place, Washington D.C.’s most prolific presenter of modern dance, to build a new performance and rehearsal space, an education center and administrative space.”

And it’s been a while since I’ve spotted a sweet old school city sign so I wanted to share this simple one from 12th St, NE also in Brookland.

Nice Brookland/Edgwood Mural and Metropolitan Branch Trail

By Prince Of Petworth

These murals are located near Franklin St, NE and a new section of the MBT trail.

The Metropolitan Branch Trail is looking great:

Their Web site says:

“The Metropolitan Branch Trail (MBT) is an 8-mile trail that runs from Union Station in the District of Columbia to Silver Spring in Maryland. Following the Metropolitan Branch Line of the Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) Railroad, the trail passes through numerous vibrant and historic neighborhoods as well as connecting to the National Mall. The MBT is an important transportation route providing connections to homes, work and play as well as access to seven Metro stations. Current plans include connections to the area’s trail network such as the Capital Crescent Trail, Anacostia Trails System, and integration into the East Coast Greenway.”

You can see a full map of the trail here.

Good Deal or Not? “Four finished levels of space” edition

By Prince Of Petworth

This home is located at 1239 Monroe St, NE:


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The flier says:

“GRAND DAME IN BEST BROOKLAND LOCATION. VERY CONVENIENT TO ALL TRANSPORTATION AND SHOPS. SPARKLING INSIDE IN MOVE IN RENOVATED CONDITION. FABULOUS MASTER BEDROOM SPACE, SUN-PORCH, FRONT PORCH, GREAT FENCED YARD WITH SUPER OFF STREET PARKING, CLASSIC DINNING ROOM, EAT IN KITCHEN, AND FOUR FINISHED LEVELS OF SPACE. SENTRA ACCESS ON FRONT WALKWAY HANDRAIL. LP TITLE TO SETTLE”

You can find more info here and a virtual tour here.

What do you think about the home itself? I think I may have asked this once before but how much of a discount would you give if you lived next door to a firehouse? Ed. Note: I’ll show the firehouse for the 4pm ‘judging buildings post’, it is pretty sweet. Does $529,500 sound reasonable for this 5 bed/2.5 bath home?

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