The Georgetown Metropolitan

This week on Old Georgetown in Color, GM heads down to the riverfront in the early 20s (photo from the Library of Congress, care of Ghosts of DC). Specifically, it’s 1921 and the beautiful Key Bridge was under construction.

These strapping men on the dock are from the still existant Potomac Boat Club. Even at this point, the club was already 52 years old, having been founded in 1869. The clubhouse is something else, and if you ever get a chance to visit, definitely take it. It’s like an old New Hampshire lake house right here in DC: Continue reading →

Photo by L. Current.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• The Georgetown Current controversially revokes endorsement of Mayor Gray, and the Mayor’s people throw a hissy fit.
• GM missed this from the other day, but no Walgreens for Georgetown Park, a Forever 21 will go in instead.

1000 block of 29th St.

Voluntary agreements are enforceable contracts that liquor licensees enter into with the ANC, the Citizens Association of Georgetown, and others in order that the counter-parties drop their objections to the issuance of or substantial change to a liquor license. Perhaps in recognition of the functionally non-voluntary nature of the agreements, the city began calling them settlement agreements last year.

The reason GM brings this up, is that he discovered that the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration (ABRA) now publishes all the agreements on the website. Why this is interesting is that it gives you a fascinating look into the history of Georgetown nightlife (at least as far back as the 90s).

Continue reading →

Photo by Joe Flood.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• The GU student that died on spring break, died of natural causes.
• Seriously, with all the scandal surrounding Mayor Gray and the election, who would you like to have Friday lunch with more than Kojo Nnamdi? Except GM, of course, but he’ll be there too! Hope to see you there.

1700 block of Wisconsin Ave.

GM has learned that the vacant space on Wisconsin south of M-which once housed Houston’s, and more recently Rugby-has been claimed by “quirky” furniture store Nadeau.

The store most recently appeared in Georgetown during the Cady’s Alley holiday bazaar. Or perhaps you’re familiar with the Alexandria location (or the other dozen or so spots across the country). Continue reading →

Photo by Verbingthenoun.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• If you like great beer and the Grateful Dead, what’s wrong with you? How can you be so right and so wrong at the same time? Anyway, come down to Gypsy Sally’s tomorrow night for Grateful Dead themed night from Charlottesville-based bands celebrating the unveiling of Starr Hill Brewery’s Grateful Pale Ale.
• Under Armour founder claims that it’s not a done deal that Under Armour would come to old Nathan’s spot, despite the fact he bought the building.

3200 block of P St.

GM was signing up for this year’s Bike to Work Day, when he saw that there was going to be a new pit stop for the event in Georgetown at the intersection of M and Pennsylvania (there’s another one down by the Waterfront Park). GM wasn’t surprised they added a new pitstop, but he was surprised at what that location was called: Meigs’ Park.

GM has never heard that little pocket park referred to as Meigs’ Park. He had no idea where the name would have even come from. But a little Googling led to this fantastic article by the superlative Streets of Washington.

In short, the name Meigs refers to Captain Montgomery C. Meigs. Meigs was given the responsibility to modernize the District’s water supply system in 1852. An important project for the system was the construction of an aqueduct bridge from Georgetown to Washington along Pennsylvania Ave. over Rock Creek.

Meigs devised a beautiful design to use arching pipes to both carry the water and provide structural support to the bridge. Here’s a photo (as reproduced on the Streets of Washington site):

What’s funny is that Meigs attempted to have this bridge named after himself, although it never quite took. As the Streets of Washington writes:

As early as 1861, it was being called the Meigs Bridge, but ironically that name never really caught on—ironically in that Meigs had been as vain as he was brilliant. He had his name engraved on the side of Cabin John Bridge and stamped into numerous metal fittings throughout the aqueduct system, yet few people called his bridge the Meigs Bridge. Also known as Bridge No. 6, the span was sometimes called the Tubular bridge or the Aqueduct bridge, but usually it was just the Pennsylvania Avenue bridge over Rock Creek.

And that’s still true. Continue reading →