The Georgetown Metropolitan

Next Thursday night, at 6 pm, at the Georgetown Library, the Department of Parks and Rec will hold a community meeting on the long-planned renovations to the Jelleff Rec Center. (Note, earlier announcements had this meeting on Wednesday, but it was rescheduled to avoid conflicting with the ANC meeting).

The meeting will include the final concept designs for the project, which the community has been waiting a long time to see. So please come out and offer your input!

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Interesting commercial building on O St. for sale. Lots of potential there.
• What we’ll miss (or not) from Foxtrot.

The Georgetown Foxtrot closed for good suddenly yesterday. It was part of a chain-wide closure as the company has gone bankrupt. The CEO wrote:

We explored many avenues to continue the business but found no viable option despite good faith and exhaustive efforts,” Foxtrot said in a statement on its website. “This decision has not been made lightly, and we understand the impact it will have on you, our loyal customers, as well as our dedicated team members.

(For a more honest appraisal of what went wrong, read this deep dive.)

The Georgetown location was consistently packed, which would suggest (although certainly not guarantee) that it was a profitable location. The business plan of “open coffee shop with marked-up prepared food” has been pretty much idiot-proof in Georgetown over the last couple years. And you could see how this location shifted more towards this model over time (and away from its early pretenses of being a small scale grocery store). So I would not be surprised if someone else takes over this location and tries something similar.

Although it could take some time. Remember that a similar chain-wide collapse resulted in the Georgetown Dean and Deluca closing in 2019. Nearly five years later it’s still empty, with the much anticipated Mozza still months away from opening. So, maybe don’t hold your breath, but the retail (especially casual food retail) environment in Georgetown is smoking hot, so there’s reason to be hopeful.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Foxtrot closes (more on this later).
• More on Sara’s breakfast burritos.

The popular takeout spot Wingo’s has returned to its original O St. location. The restaurant has been closed since a fire nearly six years ago. There were hints over the years that it would return, but it always seemed unlucky. The last time I checked in was in March 2020 when owner Mike Arthur told me they planned to open by that summer. And, well. You know how things turned out after March 2020.

What makes the return all the more surprising is how successful Arthur has been with his larger Glover Park location. I guess coming back to his roots was too tempting.

Stop by and say hi!

For old time’s sake, here’s an article I wrote about Arthur and Wingo’s way back in 2010!:

Wingo’s Mike Arthur (with Obe)

Today GM turns back to another of his occasional series; this time it’s Our Town, where GM takes a closer look at one of the great little independent shops in Georgetown. Today’s Our Town: Wingo’s at 3207 O St.

A Bronx-born kid, Mike Arthur has always loved food. He worked in delis and caterers in New York before heading off to Michigan State. After college he settled in Washington and opened a bagel shop with his sister in 1995. After running the shop for five years, he had to sell the store to take care of his ailing father in 2000. Following his father’s death, Mike realized that he still had a passion for food and so he opened up Wingo’s nine years ago.

Obviously, the core of Wingo’s offerings is chicken wings. And that’s still the bulk of the restaurant’s orders. But the restaurant also offers a pretty big menu for a take-out joint, from breakfast items to over 20 different types of sandwiches (including the new Mongolian Beef sandwich).

Eating lunch at Wingo’s

“I wanted to do something I eat, I like” Mike told GM, “this is my food: wings, burgers, turkey burgers, salads, milkshakes. Maybe I just never grew up, but I relate to the kids better.” Being on the same wavelength, gastronomically, with college kids has ensured Wingo’s a loyal fanbase at Georgetown U. and GW. In fact, Georgetown Voice recently affirmed Wingo’s as the best wing purveyor in Georgetown.

Continue reading →

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Brompton shop now open.
• Business ins and outs.

The French Market returns this weekend to Book Hill. The festivities start Friday and they run all the way till Sunday. Friday and Saturday it is from 10 am to 5 pm, and on Sunday it’s noon to 5:00.

This is always a great time and looks like the weather should be very pleasant, with just a few stray rain clouds Saturday and Sunday. So come out early and often!

Continue reading →

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Despite challenging office leasing environment, Washington Harbour just announced four new leases.
• Former Georgetown Holy Trinity librarian opens her own book store in Virginia.

A home with quite a lot of history has just hit the market. It’s 3126 O St. and it was home to one of Georgetown’s earliest schools: the Lancaster School. It can be yours for a mere $5.2 million.

I wrote about the school history way back in 2009 as part of my series on various school buildings in Georgetown. Here it is reprinted:

Today for his survey of historic school buildings in Georgetown, GM sets his sights on the Lancaster School.

The Lancaster School

3126 O St.

Built: Cornerstone laid June, 1811, school opened November 18, 1811

Architect: Unknown

Current Use: Private Residence

Brief History:

The Lancaster school is both a proper name and a descriptive term. A “Lancasterian” school is a school that follows the principals of John Lancaster, who promoted a system of public education based on the one room school house model. In fact, the Lancaster School in Georgetown was the very first public school open to girls and African-Americans in the District.

Like many projects in early nineteenth century Georgetown, Francis Scott Key had his star spangled fingers in the creation of the Lancaster School. Under his encouragement, funds were raised to support the school and enable it to offer free education to poor children (if you could afford it, you paid $10 per year per student).

The first teacher of the Lancaster School was an Englishman named Robert Ould who came from the Borough School of London. The first year he taught a class of over 200 students. Apparently by 1812, the student body was nearly 300.

Unfortunately, GM was unable to track down much else about the Lancaster School after its first couple years. Regardless, being the first public school in D.C. open to girls and African Americans is probably enough of a history for any old school building to be proud of.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Incredible opportunity to hear George Saunders read from Lincoln in the Bardo at Oak Hill Cemetery this Friday.
• Dumbarton Oaks Gardens closed for a private event Friday and Saturday, which is a shame because it’s pretty dang beautiful right now.