The Georgetown Metropolitan

3200 block of Prospect St.

In preparation for the property’s development into an apartment building, the gas station that once stood at the intersection of Pennsylvania Ave. and M St. has been demolished.

The building was built in 1951 to house the Lord Baltimore gas station. It was even given an award for beautification from the Progressive Citizens Association of Georgetown:

Now all that remains is a pile of bricks and the cupola:

This colonial style was used all around DC for gas stations built in the mid century. GM’s not sure if they were all Lord Baltimore, but it would seem likely that they were all built by the same company.

Here’s just a reminder of what the gas station replaced:

And here’s a reminder of what’s going to be built there:

All told, GM would prefer the church come back…

At least the historic Old Georgetown sign remains:

Photo by Ehpien.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• House where JFK met Jackie hits the market.
• Washington Post article warns of the threat of “instant Georgetown”. What the hell is that supposed to be?

1300 block of 33rd St.

Two weeks ago, GM introduced a new series: Seven Georgetowns. The basic idea is that Georgetown is made up of seven individual sections that if they were to be judged as neighborhoods on their own, they’d still have a ton to offer their residents. And today, GM will discuss the section he affectionately refers to as the DMZ.

Yes, it’s DMZ like “de-militarized zone”. The idea is that it is a narrow strip of contested land between two large powers that is operating under an indefinite armistice. The powers in this case are Georgetown University and “the residents”. (Much like genuine DMZ’s, there’s a sensitivity over terminology. Full-time non-student residents like to call themselves “residents”, but students are residents too, so the term is a bit loaded.) Continue reading →

Photo by Daniel Lobo.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• When’s the last time you’ve heard it called the Social Safeway?
• Wow, check out this pool, that can be yours for about $6 mil.

GM’s going to be traveling to San Francisco this week, and will be too busy to be able to post anything. See you next week!

Cherry Hill Lane

What a Georgetowner wants, what a Georgetowner needs? What makes them happy and sets them free? These questions, give or take, were the heart of a survey conducted by the Georgetown BID last fall. And the results are in: Georgetowners wants basically what you’d think they want.

Here’s the presentation given to this week’s ANC meeting summarizing the results:

Overall the picture is clear: Georgetowners want more shops and restaurants that cater to residents. The most popular shop or restaurant among the respondents was Martin’s. This is the archetypical neighborhood-serving pub. It’s small and slightly removed from the high bustle of M St. So despite its tourist appeal, locals still visit it often.

Curiously second on the list is TJ Maxx, which is categorically about as far away from Martin’s as you could be. This obviously speaks to a revealed preference for basic staples at affordable prices. Imagine how well a Target could do? Continue reading →

Photo by Mrs. Gemstone.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• That guy who kidnapped a GU student is getting deported to the UK, which seems like an odd punishment.
• GM missed this back in January, but Sports Zone is closed. Hopefully they’ll restore the facade to it’s prior beauty.