The Georgetown Metropolitan

Photo by Victoria Pickering.

Good morning Georgetown and happy Halloween! Here’s the latest:

• Be careful if you’re driving a car tonight! There will be lots a kiddies about and you should drive extra slowly!!
• Osteria Mozza set to open Nov. 10th.

Photo by M.V. Jantzen.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Murder Mystery dinner at 1310 Kitchen and Bar Thursday night.
• The Post ranks the 8 best restaurants in Georgetown.

The ANC is meeting for it’s November session next Monday night at 6:30 pm at Visitation.

Some of the topics we’ll be discussing include:

• Fall leaf collection
• Implementation of the Georgetown traffic and circulation recommendations
• New lights for Shaw Field on GU’s campus
• New Streatery guidelines released by the city

Here is the full agenda, see you then!

Photo by M.V. Jantzen.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Cox Row house sells for over $11 million, highest so far in 2024.
• One local newspaper is not afraid to make an endorsement!

Last week it was reported that Eastbanc was finally moving ahead with its long planned residential building at the intersection of Pennsylvania and M (where the Sandlot outdoor bar is now). I thought that was a good opportunity to dig back into this lots history with a Georgetown Time Machine.

Above is a photo from the DC Historical Society. It shows the Boys Club of Washington DC as it stood in the late 40s. Of course, the building itself was not originally constructed for the Boys Club. It was clearly a church. Specifically it was the Peck Memorial Chapel of the Presbyterian Church of the Covenant (which later evolved into the National Presbyterian Church).

It was constructed in 1886 and used by the parish until 1938. At that point the building was sold to the Rotary Club, which used it to house the Boys Club until the late 40s when the Boys Club bought the land that later became Jelleff. Although the club sold the land to the city in 2009, it continues to operate the facilities (which are about to get a complete renovation).

The chapel build was demolished in 1951. A Lord Baltimore gas station was constructed in its place. This eventually was purchased by Eastbanc and itself demolished in 2018.

Here are few more photos of the chapel before it was demolished:

An aerial shot from the 40s.

Here is a mash-up of a view of the chapel with the modern day. Prior to the chapel being demolished, there was already a Lord Baltimore service station next door. The whole lot was replaced by a larger (award winning) Lord Baltimore station following the chapel’s demolition:

This was the building torn down in 2018.

Photo by M.V. Jantzen.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• New Jose Andres-linked hotel moving forward.
• Longtime Georgetowner columnist, Mary Bird, passes away.

The annual Marine Corps. Marathon is this Sunday. And that means certain road closures will be in effect in the morning hours.

Specifically, from about 5:30 AM until about 10:30 AM, Key Bridge, M St. west of Wisconsin, Wisconsin south of M St., and K St. east of Wisconsin will be closed to auto traffic. (Pedestrians can still cross throughout the closures). Rock Creek will also be closed (and for a bit longer than the Georgetown streets).

So if you need to get around by car on Sunday, keep this all in mind and plan ahead. This is particularly true for residents along Water St. No cars will be allowed in or out of this stretch until late morning, after the runners are all through.

Photo by M.V. Jantzen.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Chicken Pot-Pie-athon going on now!
• Eastbanc finally moving forward on M and Pennsylvania apartment building.

Two new retailers are coming to Georgetown, according to new Old Georgetown Board filings. The first, seen above, is for Kiehl’s. They are apparently moving into 3110 M St., which was most recently an Up/West.

Kiehl’s is a skincare company. If you happen to have or know any Gen Zers, you will know that that generation is obsessed with their skin care routine. So I think this opening is part of a bull market in that sector.

If you find yourself experiencing a bit of deja vu right now, that’s because Kiehl’s previously occupied this exact location. They closed around 2019. But they just couldn’t quit Georgetown (or 3110 M St. specifically).

The other notable new store is Huckberry, which is coming to 1239 Wisconsin Ave. This is another DTC brand looking to establish a brick-and-mortar business in Georgetown. Unlike most of the other DTC brands that have opened in Georgetown in recent years, this one is exclusively targeted at menswear. We’ll see if that’s a viable long term strategy or not.

Photo by M.V. Jantzen.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• The new tavern coming to 33rd St. has already changed its name from Creme to the Lobby, which is an improvement, if you ask me.
• Some interesting business ins-and-outs.