The Georgetown Metropolitan

3200 block of O St.

This week on Georgetown Time Machine, GM returns to the wonderful collection of old Georgetown Branch photos by William Duvall. The photo is specifically of a train as is lumbers between Georgetown and Maryland in December 1967.

The particular spot is just east of Fletcher’s Boathouse. As you probably know, the Georgetown Branch was turned into the Capital Crescent Trail. So if you go to this spot today, you’ll see dozens of cyclists and walkers trundling along the same path. Continue reading →

Photo by Daniel Lobo.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• The rain is doing a number on GM’s vote tally for paint color.
• Come meet the new canal donkeys!

Potomac River

It sounds obvious, but it must be stated: historical preservation is about buildings not people.

This self-evident point jumped to GM’s mind last week when he read this thoughtful piece on preservation and the neighborhood of Kingman Park. The article, by Lindsey Jones-Renaud with Karen Smith, argues in favor of the historic designation of the neighborhood (which is northeast of Capitol Hill) and moreover argues that the city ought to consider the opinions of those who no longer live in the neighborhood when deciding this question.

For those unfamiliar with the neighborhood, the authors provide a helpful and informative description:

Of the 34 neighborhood historic districts in Washington, most have a social history that reflects the achievements of white Americans and a few present multiracial histories. But in Kingman Park, the founding homeowners were exclusively African American. Despite forced segregation until the mid-twentieth century and redlining in later decades, black families like Karen’s grandparents built Kingman Park into a prosperous community. It is this history that the applicants of the historic district sought to preserve. It is the first neighborhood in Washington DC that has received historic designation because of its African American history.

(This last point is wrong. Several historic districts have a period of significance during which the neighborhood was majority African-American, such as Shaw, Blagden Alley, and the Old West End).

Jones-Renaud and Smith focus their argument on the question of whose opinion should matter when deciding whether to designate a neighborhood as an historic district. They make a persuasive case that those who have left a neighborhood, but who contributed greatly to the neighborhood’s history, should be considered at least (if not more) than those who currently live there. Continue reading →

Photo by Aimee Custis.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Chinese Disco closed.
• The controversy over Duke Ellington School continues.

1600 block of 31st St.

The Georgetown BID has taken to calling the open square near the corner of Grace and Potomac streets “Fish Market Square”. GM’s not sure there ever was a fish market at this space, but fairly soon a genuine fish monger will be moving in just a block away.

In the bustling Grace Street development Neopol Savory Smokery will soon be opening. This Baltimore-based smoke fish provider may be familiar to DC foodies because they have another shop over in Union Market. Their flagship location is in Belvedere Square Market in Baltimore, where to do all of their production work in a 700-square-foot stall. Continue reading →

Photo by Bill Starrels.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Georgetown still the most expensive per square feet in DC.
• Nice piece on Etudes, a popular music school in Georgetown.

3200 block of P St.