The Georgetown Metropolitan

Last night the ANC met for its December meeting and carried on one of the more momentous discussions it’s had in years: Should the liquor license moratorium continue or not?

GM previewed this discussion before Thanksgiving. In short, after substantive talks between representatives of the ANC, the Business Improvement District, and the Citizens Association, a draft agreement was crafted. It would call for the end of the moratorium and propose the creation of a new template for settlement agreements tailored to the particular concerns of the neighborhood. It would also establish a pre-review process whereby staff of ABRA would vet the application for seriousness before even allow them to placard the license and start the issuance process. Continue reading →

Photo by Elaine.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• BID hires executive to run new Georgetown Heritage non-profit organized to help restore the canal.
• Dumbarton House representative agrees with GM on the Dumbarton/Dunbarton debate.

Washington Harbour

The annual Breakfast with Santa will take place this Sunday at the Volta Park playground, 10am – 12pm. Come on out for Santa, songs, and treats. It’s always a great way to officially kick off the sprint to the holidays and to chat with your neighbors. See you there!

Photo by LaunchOurRocket.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Kitten delivery available.
• The ice rink is open for the season.

3200 block of O St.

You’d think of all places, Georgetown would have a Lilly Pulitzer store. That oversight appears to be coming to an end soon. The ANC agenda indicates that a new Lilly Pulitzer is moving in.

From the agenda the address is 1079 1/2 Wisconsin Ave. GM’s not exactly sure what address this is. The Jack Wills store is at 1079 Wisconsin. The next building up the street is the old Nathans building. Is 1079 1/2 the second floor of the Jack Wills address? Part of the old Nathans building? We’ll see.

Anyway, soon looking like a vision of acid dropped at an 80s cocktail party will be steps away.

Photo by Nothing but Photography.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Some good deals at small shops around town in Georgetown.
• What’s going on at Halcyon House these days.

3200 Volta Place

Last week, William Offut made the case in the Washington Post that the name Dumbarton, as used by various Georgetown locales, is incorrect and that they should all use the name Dunbarton.

Offut’s argument boils down to an assertion that the name is at its heart a joke. Ninian Beall, who came to own all the land that became Georgetown, was a Scotsman who fought for Charles II against Oliver Cromwell after the fall and execution of Charles I. Beall was there when a greatly outnumbered English army destroyed the Scottish army at the Battle of Dunbar. Offut claims that when Beall obtained the land that became Georgetown decades later, he was making a joke on the name Dunbar when he called the plot the “Rock of Dunbarton”

This may be a familiar argument to longtime Georgetown Metropolitan readers. It’s the same one Offut make in a comment here five years ago.

Is it correct though?

It’s hard to tell. As GM wrote five years ago, the name of the street used to sometimes be called Dunbarton. And, old records do refer to the land grant as “Rock of Dunbarton”. But plenty of old records use Dumbarton or Rock of Dumbarton, too. Continue reading →