Capitol One Branch to Close

The Capitol One Bank branch located at the corner of Q and Wisconsin Ave. is slated to be shut down. Its last day of operation will be May 18th.

A branch has been here since 1996, when Chevy Chase Bank constructed the current building. Prior to that, it was an Exxon station. Like all Chevy Chase Bank branches, it became a Capital One when the later bought out the former in 2009.

This is the third bank branch to close in Georgetown over the last couple years. The HSBC and M&T banks closed in 2020 and 2021 respectively. GM has long been a vocal critic of there being too many bank branches in Georgetown. And it would be hypocritical of him to now bemoan the fact that he was actually a Capital One customer and lives right around the corner from this soon-to-close branch. What’s good for the goose…

There are still way too many bank branches in Georgetown. After Capital One closes this branch, there will still be 15 other bank branches around, including the Capital One Cafe (which, to be fair, doesn’t seem to offer a wide range of actual banking services.)

Since the building at Q and Wisconsin is only 26 years old, it can be razed for a new development. Capital One itself owns the property. So perhaps the bank sees more value in selling the property or developing it itself. Time will tell.