The Georgetown Metropolitan

GM obtained architectural drawings for a project planned for the former Marvelous Market property at Wisconsin and P, and man are they not going to get approved.

You can see the Wisconsin Ave. elevation above. It’s a bit hard to make out at first, but it is essentially a four story building, with a penthouse, and then a two story tower. The new building would take up the entire parking lot/courtyard in front of the historic building. And it would then swallow up the old building as well, as you can see from the P St. elevation:

The white box in the middle with the five second-story windows is the old market building. The new building would essentially cover the west side and the roof of the old building.

Elevations can sometimes be deceiving, because you don’t know which parts are foreground and which are background, but the overhead confirms that the new building will basically swallow up the old:

(It looks like possibly there would be an atrium separating the old and the new building)

The north half of the current building (which appears to be a more recent addition) would be demolished for a rear yard.

There would apparently be two levels of underground parking. But there is some confusion over the curb cut. The elevation (the first picture above) makes the curb cut look about as wide as it currently is, but in the wrong location (it’s too far north). The overhead drawing has the curb cut in the right spot but would call for a much larger curb cut (25′ to the ~16′ the currently exist).

There would be some sort of a roof top patio with a jacuzzi, etc. And of course, don’t forget that ridiculous tower.

In short, this thing is a mess. And the Old Georgetown Board is going to laugh it out of the room. There is no way a new building would be allowed to diminish the old building so dramatically like that. And a five to six story building would dwarf the buildings around it. Plus, that tower looks like some sort of a faux Victorian cupola that would look totally out of place on top of a primarily modern building. Continue reading →

Photo by Mike Maguire.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• If the Georgetown streetcar extension ever gets built, it won’t be before 2025.
• The Source Theater is running a play right now about a couple of couples living in Georgetown in the 1950s. Plus, the playwright has a fantastic first name.

1200 block of Wisconsin Ave.

GM was at the Apple Store last week bringing his laptop in for repair. As the discussion about the fact that they don’t have the right part and GM would have to come back was wrapping up, GM gazed back at the light-filled rear of the store and casually mentioned that there were supposed to be trees back there.

There were, check it out:

It would have looked great. But they didn’t go through with it when they built the store for some reason. Oh well.

Anyway, back to the disappointing Genius Bar appointment. The titular Genius responded to GM that, yeah, he had heard that too. But then he blamed Georgetown residents for squashing the plans. He described them as “big fish, small pond”. Continue reading →

Photo by Ehpien.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• The Lego Movie will be shown outdoors at Rose Park this Saturday night.
• Honestly, that’s all GM’s got in terms of news today….

3700 block of Water St.

The imminent closing of Appalachian Spring got GM wondering what are all the other long-long term businesses in Georgetown (let’s say, over 30 years). Here’s what he came up with (in no particular order), add more in the comments if GM missed one:

• Martin’s Tavern: It’s the oldest tavern in DC, having started pretty much the moment prohibition ended. Opened 1933.
• The Phoenix:A third generational family affair, the Phoenix was opened in 1955.
• Clyde’s: Inspired by a New Yorker cover that still hangs on its walls, Clyde’s was opened in 1963.
• Safeway: Originally opened as a Sanitary Grocery, the grocery store in Georgetown has been also under the name Piggly Wiggly.
• Bridge Street Books: Opened before Barnes and Noble and outlasted the behemoth. It’s been selling books in Georgetown since 1980.
• Blues Alley: The legendary jazz club has been around since 1965
• 1789/The Tombs: These two establishments have been feeding GU students (and their parents, in the case of 1789) since 1962.
• Mr. Smith’s: This is a close call, since Mr. Smith’s closed its original location on M St. a few years ago and simply took up residence at Chadwicks. But either way, it’s been open since 1962.
• The Lantern Bookshop: The used book store has been open since 1977, although GM is not sure if it’s always been in Georgetown.
• Georgetown Tobacco: This store has been selling cigars in Georgetown since 1964.
• Wedding Creations and Anthony’s Tuxedos: Owned and operated by ANC Commissioner Ed Solomon, this formalwear shop has been opened over 32 years.
• 7-11: The 7-11 on P St. by Rose Park has been opened at this location since 1964.
• The Christ Child Society Opportunity Shop: This secondhand store has been selling Georgetowners’ old jewelry for 60 years.
• Georgetown Floor Coverings: This is another family-owned business. It’s been in Georgetown since 1954.
• Potomac Wine and Spirits: It’s been in a couple different locations, but this liquor store has been open since 1969.
• Sara’s Market: This market has operated continuously since 1919 (although it operated originally as “Jenkins Market”)
• Scheele’s Market: Speaking of markets, this is by far the longest continually operated shop in Georgetown. It’s been open since 1894.
• Georgetown Wine and Spirits: This neighborhood-serving liquor store has been open since the 1930s.
• Morgan’s Pharmacy: Another neighborhood-serving relic, this store opened in 1913.
• Haagen Dazs: GM is not sure how long this ice cream shop has been open in Georgetown, but he does know Henry Rollins and Ian McKaye worked here in the early 80s, so it’s at least that old.
• Thomas Sweet: Another ice cream shop that’s been around since the early 1980s.
• J. Paul’s: This saloon has been slinging suds since 1983.
• Dixie Liquors: This liquor store has gone through a bunch of owners over the years, but it’s been open (on and off) since 1934.

Continue reading →