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Montrose Park

Last week GM wrote about the signs put up in the 1950s around Georgetown celebrating the old names for the streets. In response, somebody pointed out to him that another somewhat rare relic of DC transportation past shows up around Georgetown: the Pineapple topped signal poles.

They seem to have only been used for traffic signals. And perhaps since most traffic signals in Georgetown are the more elaborate Washington Globe-style with lights, GM could only find these poles at intersections that only previously had traffic signals.

For instance, they are at 30th and P, where there was a traffic signal until about five years ago. Here you can see how the were converted from traffic signal posts to not-really-doing-anything-anymore posts:

Continue reading →

Photo by Ehpien.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• This article is confused about a bunch of things, but it nonetheless touches on some important topics about Georgetown and gentrification.
• Nice aerial shot of Georgetown from 1959.

Dumbarton Oaks

Photo by J. Maughn.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Nice look at Georgetown’s fantastic Riggs library.
• New restaurant opens on 31st with confusing menu.

Dumbarton Oaks

Photo by Ehpien.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Sequoia is planning an “art focused” renovation.
• This is a pretty common example of how people who do work without a permit in Georgetown react to having to get a permit.

The photo above was posted by DDOT to its Tumblr feed earlier this month. It shows M St. in Georgetown at some undetermined date. Surely we can date it!

First off, the block shown here is the 3100 block of M St., just east of Wisconsin Ave. (you can just make out the edge of the Riggs bank on the far left of the photo). Towards the end of the block you can see the notable tall building that now houses Steve Madden.

Just starting from a guesstimate, based upon the cars, GM will say this is probably in the 1930s. The streetcar at the center is a PCC streetcar, which was built starting in the 30s, so that would be consistent.

Where the Urban Outfitters is now you can see the old Woolworth’s. But that’s not much help in dating it because that opened in 1922 (and closed in 1980).

The fact that there were still buildings standing between the Scott’s building and the Riggs bank doesn’t help since there were around in the 1950s. Continue reading →

Dumbarton Oaks

Photo from Eater DC.

New and hip restaurants never open up in Georgetown anymore. At least that’s the common refrain. And there is a lot of truth to it. Even the well regarded restaurants that have opened in Georgetown, like Chez Billy Sud or Fiola Mare, are far from hip. But maybe that’s a good thing?

Recently in Shaw–the epicenter of recently opened hip restaurants in DC–there have been a spate of closings. They’ve even come up with a clever name for it: the Ninth Street Massacre.

While that is (hopefully) a tongue-in-cheek expression, the closings have been a great disappointment. They include Chao Ku, A&D, Table, and the somewhat infamous (and infamously short-lived) Shaw Bijou. The local ANC rep, and unofficial “mayor of Shaw”, chalks up the losses to the “normal course of business” and to bad leases. But there’s also just more risk involved in trying to open an adventurous restaurant in a gentrifying neighborhood. Continue reading →