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Dumbarton Oaks

The Georgetown BID will shortly be widening the sidewalk for over 4,000 feet of sidewalk through the commercial district.

The sidewalk expansions will take the form of raised wooden platforms. Since they are at the same grade as the brick sidewalks themselves, the extension feels like a genuine expansion of the sidewalk. You can see prototype versions of this model in front of Clyde’s and Laduree, among a few other spots. They will be installed on M St. between 29th and 34th streets, and on Wisconsin between Water and Q streets. Once installed, the platforms will grow the sidewalks from an average of width 9.5 feet to 15 feet.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Another piece on the new Donahue cocktail bar moving into the old Smith Point space.
• Georgetown Glow returns tomorrow.

Today on Georgetown Time Machine, GM is posting a nice shot of the Montrose estate in a derelict shape.

The photo, from DCPL’s archive, is from 1891, and shows the estate’s front facade from R St. GM wrote about this property last year. This photo was in that post, but the version above is much clearer. Here is what GM wrote about the estate’s later years:

In 1837 [the estate] was sold to William Boyce, who renamed it Montrose, in honor of his familial connections to the Scottish Earls of Montrose.

Although his family continued to own the property until 1911, they did not live in it after 1858. It fell into disrepair, although some tenants brought it back into shape shortly in the 1880s. Eventually, however, it became totally abandoned and derelict. Georgetowners, led by Sarah Louise Rittenhouse, successfully petitioned Congress to purchase the land and dedicate it as park in 1911.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• If you’re wondering why there’s a bouncer outside the old Smith Point recently, this is the low-down.
• A cyclist was hit by the driver of a truck on M St. by Key Bridge yesterday and taken away with serious injuries, his condition is unknown.

After a year of being denied the pleasures of the cooling refreshment of a public pool, the Mayor announced yesterday that they would be reopened this summer. There will be capacity limitations put in place, with an initial cap of 50%. But this should be very welcomed news.

Shutting down the pools last year always seemed to GM to be a mistaken reaction. It was already pretty clear that the risk of outdoor transmission was fairly low. The very same time that pools were closed, the city was opening indoor dining, an activity we knew (and still know) is among the most risky activities.

Good Morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Martin’s Tavern is enmeshed in allegations of racial profiling and failure to address the complainant’s concerns.
• Tudor Place will reopen this month.

1400 block of 35th St.