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Dumbarton Oaks

With the news that Ted Leonsis is listing his multi-million dollar condo in the former Wormley School, GM thought it timely to re-run his old article on the school from his series exploring the historic schoolhouses in Georgetown. Where now a owner of multiple professional sports teams lives in a $3+ million condo once walked some of Georgetown’s African American students.

The Wormley School

3325 Prospect St.

Built: 1885

Current Owner: Private residences

Brief Story: The Wormley School was built and opened in 1885.

James Wormley – Courtesy of Blackpast.org

It was built specifically to educate Black children and was named in honor of James Wormley, a prominent African-American from Washington who lived from 1819 to 1884. Among other ventures, Wormley ran the Wormley Hotel at the corner of 15th and H. Its proximity to the White House made it a perfect location for secret meetings between the Tilden and Hayes factions during the great election controversy of 1876.

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Photo by Leslie Current

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Ted Leonsis lists his Wormley School condo.
• This report would seem to bolster the rumor that Chase Bank is going to move into the former Sports Zone. Boooooooo!

Dumbarton Oaks

GM now comes to the final entry in his Seven Georgetown series: Central Georgetown. And in a way this is the opposite of what the other six Georgetowns stand for. The whole point of this series was to explore how the peripheral corners of Georgetown could stand on their own as micro neighborhoods, and that their residents could find a great deal of reasons to not leave their particular corner of Georgetown. Central Georgetown was mostly what GM had in mind when he was thinking about “the rest of Georgetown” that the residents of the other six could avoid.

But that’s not entirely fair to Central Georgetown. It is more than just the crowded sidewalks full of chain shops of M St. and Wisconsin Ave. While parts of the area can feel a bit inundated with shoppers and tourists on the weekend, plenty of its blocks are mostly quiet.

And parts of Wisconsin Ave. through Central Georgetown have resident-focused shops and restaurants. Think of the invaluable duo of Christ’s Child Opportunity Shop and Thomas Sweet’s. Boulangerie Christophe is another fantastic shop on this stretch that has quickly become a local favorite. The small shops on O and P St., off Wisconsin, are also quintessentially Georgetown. And if you’re super rich and have a taste for dramatic antiques, what better source than L’Enfant Gallerie at P and Wisconsin? (GM once saw a pair of mirrors in there he liked, and looked at the price tag. At first he was surprised how cheap they were at $125, and then he noticed the extra three zeros.)

And Central Georgetown can boast the most convenient access to two of the most important civic institutions in Georgetown: the post office and Hyde-Addison School (this, of course, is a touchy subject amongst Georgetown parents these days, given the two-year relocation of the school. But once the expansion is complete, it will be a crown jewel of Georgetown).

Speaking of schools, this area boasts no fewer than three fantastic nursery schools in Children’s House of Washington, St. John’s, and the French Maternal School. (There’s also a popular dance school on Prospect, Centre De Danse).

Ultimately, when people think of “Georgetown” they are first going to think of Central Georgetown. But nonetheless, there’s plenty of reasons a Central Georgetown resident can spend a day without leaving it, and without living too much like a tourist.

And so, that’s it. Seven Georgetowns. What do you think?

Photo by Joe Flood.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Five myths about aerial gondolas.
• The early reviews for Church Hall are positive.

Dumbarton Oaks

As first reported on DC Urban Turf, local DC coffee company, Compass Coffee, will be taking over at least a part of the Georgetown Theater space. According to the report, they will seek zoning approval for 112 seats.

So, yup, even more coffee in Georgetown! In just the past couple years we’ve added a Peet’s Coffee, Blue Bottle, Bluestone Lane (that’s a really new one), Ladurée, Dogtag Bakery, Grace Street Coffee and Boulangerie Christophe. That’s on top of the three Starbucks we already have (and another on the way), Saxby’s and the Dean and Deluca coffee bar. Of course, some of those are not primarily coffee shops, but they certainly do sell a lot of coffee. And in the case of Dog Tag Bakery, it’s Compass Coffee that they sell. Continue reading →

Photo by Streets of Washington.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• More fallout from the residency fraud scandal at Duke Ellington School.
• Spinal Tap’s Derek Smalls coming to the Q & A Cafe.

Dumbarton Oaks