The Georgetown Metropolitan

This week for Georgetown Time Machine, I’m checking out a scene that has change quite a small amount in the thirty years since the photo was taken. This particular shot, taken in 1993 at the corner of Bank and M, shows that the building was occupied by Kinko’s copy shop. And now it’s occupied by…Kinko’s copy shop.

Technically it’s a FedEx Office store, but that’s only because FedEx bought Kinko’s.

Some things are different, of course. The upstairs is occupied by a kitchen design studio, not a temp agency. More noticeable there’s a large London plane tree shading the block. It’s encouraging to see such a large tree succeed on M St., which can be rough on street trees.

The building itself dates to 1979. As I’ve covered before, this lot was once occupied by the Bank of Columbia, from whom the Bank Alley name derives.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Deb Johns talks about her Scout bag company.
• Lots of good spots to take in the fireworks in Georgetown, what are your favorites? Personally I like to just climb to my roof.

Here’s your July Northwest Georgetown ANC update!

Summer is here! After a spring of marvelously dry air, the wallop of soupy humid air has descended on us like an unwanted down comforter. What better way to get some relief than a dip in cool waters?

We’re spoiled for swimming options in Georgetown. Of course we’ve got Volta Park and Jelleff pools right in the neighborhood. Plus we’ve got Francis pool just across Rock Creek. And a surprising number of homes in the neighborhood have their own pools. But what if you want to swim in nature?

For many years, swimming in the Potomac river was as unsafe as it was illegal. But with tireless effort, the river is getting cleaner. And at our ANC last week, DC Water discussed some improvements that will make the river even cleaner. First, the sewer separation efforts along the Georgetown waterfront are complete. What this means is that during heavy rainfalls, raw sewage is no longer being dumped directly into the river. (While there are two more overflow spots above the Key Bridge, they don’t typically overflow.)

Additionally, a long (long) planned tunnel will be dug underneath the waterfront park down past the Kennedy Center all the way to the Blue Plains sewage treatment plant. This will act like a giant underground reservoir to hold heavy rains and debris and almost entirely eliminate stormwater run-off into the Potomac. Construction is set to finally begin next year, and it will take until at least 2030 when it will become operational.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Fire damages Ristorante Piccolo.
• Executive Director of Black Georgetown Foundation thanks community for support shown after grave desecration.

As the great philosopher, Alice Cooper, once wrote: School’s out for summer, school’s out forever.

Happily that’s not quite true for the ANC. We’ve got one more meeting tonight before the summer hits. And, of course, we’ll be back in the fall (September to be exact). Although for our chair, Elizabeth Miller, she really can stay true to the song; school’s out forever for her as she steps down off the ANC as of tomorrow.

But before she and the rest of us go, there’s the matter of the meeting itself. It will be virtual again (via Zoom) starting at 6:30 pm. (I’m hoping that after the summer break we can start to make the in-person meetings more regular).

Here is the draft agenda:

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• More on the La Chaumiere purchase.
• Dr. Fauci joins GU.

Please consider taking a survey on the potential future shape and usage for Jelleff Rec. Center! Here is some information and a link to the survey from the Jelleff Community Friends:

Jelleff Community Center, which is managed by the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Washington on behalf of the District’s Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR), is located at the edge of Georgetown at the intersection of S Street and Wisconsin Avenue, NW (in Ward 2).  Jelleff was constructed in the early 1950s, is badly out of date, and urgently needs new facilities and new ways of using the site to serve more members of the community.  After a feasibility study for its renovation was completed in 2021, the DC Council approved $28 million for this important project.

DPR is deciding right now whether to renovate and expand parts of the old building or to construct a completely new building.  DPR is also considering which programs and amenities to offer after renovation or construction for both inside the Center (e.g., basketball courts and meeting rooms) and outside the Center (e.g., the pool and baseball field).

The next community meeting is scheduled for July 11th at 6:30pm at the Georgetown Public Library.  We are working on a virtual option.

We would like to survey the community so that we can present data at the community meeting about what is important to current and prospective users.

Please take 4 minutes out of your day and take this short survey.  It matters.

Best,

Jelleff Community Friends

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• New Mediterranean restaurant moving into old Paolo’s space.
• La Chaumiere has been sold, but it looks promising that the tradition will continue.

This month’s Old Georgetown Board materials hint at a new tenant for the historic Au Pied de Cochon space at Wisconsin and Dumbarton. Proposed signage for the space indicate that a Boston-based Greek fast casual restaurant is coming.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Grave of young girl desecrated with fire at Mt. Zion Cemetery.
• Preview of Capital Fringe’s offerings.