The Georgetown Metropolitan

The DC Department of Transportation just released a new archive of old photos from its collection. It’s located here. GM would like to take advantage of this great archive with a new series: Georgetown Time Machine. In it he’ll take one photo from the archive and highlight what difference time has had on Georgetown.

Today he starts with an aerial shot of the mixing bowl around lower east Georgetown and the Rock Creek Parkway. The photo is most likely from the late 1940s.

Here are some of the interesting items:

The industrial section of Georgetown was still quite industrial at this point. You can see the train tracks, as well as the freight trains themselves, at the eastern end of K St. What’s also quite interesting is that there’s no Whitehurst Freeway. That was opened in 1949, and DDOT says this photo comes from a batch of photos that could come from 1947, so that’s probably the correct date. Continue reading →

Photo by Mike Maguire.

Good morning Georgetown! GM’s back from his late summer trip. Here’s the latest:

• Two men die after jumping into the Potomac river from the old Aqueduct abutment.
• GM hadn’t noticed this: Chopsticks is closed.
• Nice feature on the family behind Cafe Bonaparte.

GM’s heading out of town tomorrow for a late summer trip up north. He’ll be back at the end of August. Stay cool!

3200 block of O St.

The Washington Business Journal has confirmed what some have already guessed that Capital One would do with its recently purchased property at Wisconsin and M. Namely, that the bank plans to turn the property into a Capital One Cafe. This is terribly sad. And lame. Super lame.

This is how the bank describes this new concept:

Capital One Cafes — which combine financial advisory space with a co-working lounge and a food and beverage operation — are designed to attract a younger audience. They are open to the public, not just to Capital One customers. The company has opened up more than 20 around the country but has none in D.C.

This is how GM describes this new concept:

The WBJ article homes in on the real purpose of this extremely expensive endeavor: branding. They write:

When 3150 M St. NW sold for such a high price, David Dochter of Dochter and Alexander Retail Advisors, which represented the seller, said at the time that it was a matter of both “location” and “branding.” The comment makes a lot more sense now as Capital One prepares to put its brand on two of D.C.’s most high profile locations.

There is absolutely no way in hell that Capital One will ever get a return from the retail business at this location to justify the $50 million it paid for the property. They can’t sell enough lattés or lines of credit to get this location into the black. But viewed instead like a giant billboard, then it makes sense. (Or at least gets closer to making sense). Continue reading →

Photo by Marc Andre.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Via Umbria’s new chef.
• Georgetown has three of Eater’s most essential coffee shops.

1300 block of 30th St.

Photo by John Weiss.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• The “corpse vault” that may have sheltered runaway slaves.
• Suspect identified in recent waterfront shooting.

1200 block of 34th St.

In order to fix Lock No. 3 in Georgetown, the C & O Canal was drained. Through the early part of this summer, that left the canal bed a dry and cracked layer of mud. But now it’s something entirely different.

What has emerged from the mud is a virtual savanna of grasses and other leafy plants. And despite the canal being drained, a natural stream of river water has emerged, winding its way through the new pasture. Sit along the canal now, and you can see the vibrant ecosystem that typifies natural wetlands.

Continue reading →