The Georgetown Metropolitan

This week for Georgetown Time Machine, I’m digging back into the 20 year old photos. This particular 1993 photo is of the former Hatum Valet at 1661 Wisconsin Ave.

Hatum Valet appears to have been a straightforward cobbler. The store later moved up to the 1800 block of Wisconsin. At least that’s what I wrote in 2011. I also wrote that they became Sky Valet. But I can’t actually find any evidence for why I thought that was the case. So maybe I was way off base!

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• More on the new fence at the old Aqueduct abutment.
• A peek inside the new GU hospital wing.

Representatives of DPR provided an update on the Volta Park renovations Monday night at the library. About seven hardy souls braved the elements to attend and at least an equal number logged in virtually.

The presentation was led by Chris Dyer, DPR community engagement manager, and Peter Nohrden, a DPR landscape architect. Nohrden provided the substantive bulk of the presentation, which included the following main points:

• The construction was delayed (it was supposed to start this fall) due to extensive archeological work that needed to be performed to ensure the work wouldn’t disturb any graves left over from the old cemetery.
• Thankfully this archeological study determined that the work could move forward.
• The bulk of the project is aimed at reducing the erosion and water run-off. And to that end a large French drain will be constructed across the field, ultimately linking with a proper storm drain near Volta Place.
• The grass near the baseball infield will receive brand new sod. The grass further out will be aggressively aerated and re-seeded.
• The backstop will be fixed up but stay as is.
• The dirt areas along the first and third baselines will be replaced with a wood chip surface that will be bound with an adhesive to remain in place.
• The benches will be also fixed up but stay basically as is.
• There will be a new ADA ramp that will go from the upper 34th St. entrance down to the northwest corner. It will be gradual enough that it will appear more like a path and not need hand-railings.

Which brings me to the fence. The plans still call for a new fence running across from the tennis courts to 34th St. DPR justifies this fence several ways. The first is that it states that while the community largely feels that this is a grass park that happens to have a baseball field in it, the city considers it a baseball field that happens to have some extra grassy areas. As such, DPR believes that a fence delineating the field from the other grassy area is necessary.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• New fencing goes up to block access to the old Aqueduct abutment.
• Update from the BID on the state of the commercial community.

The ANC will meet for our final time in 2023 next Monday night at 6:30 pm. We will be in person at Visitation with a hybrid option. This will be the plan going forward.

Some hot topics for this meeting!:

• Crime: Concerns about crime have spiked recently and we will be hearing our regular report from MPD as well as a separate conversation with representatives from the US Attorney’s office (which prosecutes all adult crimes in DC)
• The proposal to convert the old Capital One bank to a Tattee Bakery will be discussed
• Updates on the Traffic and Circulation Study

Here is the full agenda:

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• “Darth Fisher” coming to the canal.
• Massive community Christmas tree to be installed at Book Hill and lit this Thursday,

The Department of Public Works has announced that leaf collection is beginning today for Section C, which includes East Georgetown. Please rake your leaves into your nearby tree box asap if you live east of Wisconsin Ave.

If you are in West Georgetown, you are in Section D, whose timing has not yet been announced. So please hold off on putting leaves out on the curb just yet.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Want to sip bourbon in your own mini chalet?
• New Second District Commander facing increasing crime concerns.

As you get ready for Thanksgiving this week week, it’s important to take some time to think about those that have much less than us to be thankful for. And to turn those thoughts into action, please consider giving to Georgetown Ministry Center.

The institution, based right in the heart of Georgetown, offer services and programs to the area’s homeless. And in cold winter nights, it offers a place to sleep, which can be a question of life or death.

If you’re a federal employee who participates in the Combined Federal Campaign, please add the center (CFC# 31661) to your list of charities. Then pass the gravy!

Photo courtesy of Old Time DC.

This week on Georgetown Time Machine, I’m borrowing a wonderful shot from the equally wonderful Old Time DC Facebook group. It’s the corner of Wisconsin and O st.

The photo is from January 1988, and the store at the center of the photo is the legendary Doc Dalinsky’s Pharmacy. Of course, Doc had sold the shop five years earlier to retire. And, sadly, the shop itself was to close later that year:

But for a little while on that snowy Georgetown morning, it looked perfect.