The Georgetown Metropolitan

1300 block of 30th St.

This week for Georgetown Time Machine, GM is visiting with an event he’s explored before: the burning of Dempsey’s boathouse.

Dempsey’s Boathouse was a gigantic boathouse that once stood between the aqueduct bridge and the Washington Canoe Club:

Dempsey’s was built in 1903, a year ahead of the construction of Washington Canoe Club and five years before the Potomac Boat Club built its current boathouse just on the other side of the aqueduct bridge. Continue reading →

Photo by M.V. Jantzen.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• More on that Concept 31M that is replacing the Brooks Brothers.
• In acknowledgment of its role in the sale of 272 enslaved individuals, GU and the Jesuits established a charitable foundation to address racial healing.

3300 block of Prospect St.

This time last year, GM was discussing how the relatively new pandemic would impinge on your ability to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. And while he is not about to tell you that you can enjoy it as you might have in the past, things are looking brighter on several fronts. And there’s nothing more Irish than to look for the bright side of a dark cloud. So without further ado, here is a slightly modified version of GM’s annual St. Pat’s article giving you a guide to enjoy the day around Georgetown:

As you may know, during the early 20th century, parts of Georgetown were heavily Irish. The center of it was on the west side, close to the Catholic landmarks of GU, Trinity and Visitation.

The Irish concentration is long gone, but with the help of old photos you can imagine the ghosts still walking the streets. In the 30s, photographer Carl Mydans walked through the poor and heavily Irish blocks of west Georgetown and captured the scene of children treating the sidewalks as their playroom:

Continue reading →

Photo by Jeff Vincent.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• G2 weekend bus service has been restored.
• GU reports just 22 individuals testing positive for Covid this past week in its community, a drop of 80% since the school’s late January spike. Hopefully NCAA watch parties won’t throw off the progress!

Tudor Place

The most beautiful gardens in Georgetown are finally getting ready for their close up again. GM has learned that Dumbarton Oaks is targeting a mid-April reopening of their gardens.

Exact details have yet to be announced, but the public’s return to these grounds will provide a huge psychological boost as we enter the bell lap of this horrible pandemic.

A mid-April opening would mean we’d miss a couple of the early highlights of the spring, including the Plum Walk, the saucer magnolias, and, of course, the cherries:

Continue reading →

Photo by Jeff Vincent.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Coffee shop with mission to employ people with disabilities is opening in the old Calvin Klein Underwear space.
• Great article on the impact the pandemic had on Georgetown retail.

Dumbarton Oaks