Jack Evans Backs Park Use for West Heating Plant Property

This doesn’t come as a huge surprise, but it’s certainly a nice boost to Friends of the Georgetown Waterfront Park: Jack Evans has written to GSA-head Dan Tangherlini to support the public park-use of the West Heating Plant property.

As discussed here before, the Friends of the Georgetown Waterfront Park are lobbying GSA to put some sort of a restriction on the West Heating Plant property before selling it that would require the future owner to maintain the south half of the property as a public park. This could involve a division of the lot, an easement, or some other restriction. (While some have wistfully proposed the demolition of the plant itself, that is not likely to happen. For what it’s worth, GM thinks it’s a beautiful building and would oppose any demolition).

As GM also mentioned in that other article, the elevation of Dan Tangherlini to the head of GSA has been seen as a fortuitous event for the efforts to secure the parkland. Tangherlini is a well respected, long-time DC resident who previously served as the head of DDOT and WMATA and was Fenty’s City Administrator. Many Georgetowners hope that those District ties will endear Tangherlini to their position and a letter from Evans will certainly help. Continue reading

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The Morning Metropolitan

Photo by Mooasaurus.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

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The Georgetown Metropolis

3300 block of M St.

 

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Now and a Long Time Ago: the Georgetown Waterfront

 

This week on Now and a Long Time Ago, GM returns to the Georgetown waterfront. According to the Library of Congress, the photo above dates from anywhere between 1909 and 1932. GM’s looked closely, and the only building in the photo whose construction GM can date if the Capital Traction Power House towards the center right. But that was built in 1910, so that doesn’t help much. So all GM can say is that this photo is from somewhere between 1910 and 1932.

Here’s the shot from today:

Before getting into the differences, GM is struck by the similarity of angle, which suggests that the old shot may have also been taken from the Key Bridge. Since that span was constructed in 1923, it would narrow the window a bit.

While GM can’t quite date the old photo, he can identify a few of the buildings in the shot. Beyond the Capital Traction Power House there’s the flour mill:

On the riverbank there’s a boathouse for canoes: Continue reading

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The Morning Metropolitan

Photo by M.V. Jantzen.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

  • M&T Bank opens in the old Commander Salamander space. GM normally disapproves of new bank branches taking up storefront space, but he’ll make an exception for a Buffalo-based bank. Go Bills!
  • Georgetown canal boat gets a reprieve, but not a pardon.

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The Georgetown Metropolis

 

3500 block of M St.

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Guards Closed

As GM relayed last week, Tim Carman of the Post reported that the future of the Guards, a mainstay of the Georgetown scene, was in doubt. On Friday, Carman reported that the decision was official: the Guards is closed (at least under current management). Carman writes:

Yes, it’s true, says longtime owner Hossein Shirvani, that he and the landlord are deep in lease talks over the future of The Guards. They’re both, he says, looking for someone to take over the space.

In other words, The Guards, the historic Georgetown restaurant that once was the playground of celebrities and politicians alike, is officially closed.

Carman goes on to explain that the decision to close by Shirvani was not economic but rather personal: he’s tired of the business and wants to move on.

GM swung by the Guards over the weekend and confirmed that it wasn’t open and now has “for lease” signs in the window.

GM’s not ready to call the Guards dead for good. Hopefully it will open again under the same name and same style, if not with a bit of a touch-up here-and-there. We’ll see…

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The Morning Metropolitan

Photo by Westher.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

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The Georgetown Metropolis

3400 block of O St.

 

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Birding in Georgetown

 

While GM was looking out his back window last night, he happened to notice a bright yellow bird munching on the flowers of his basil plant:

The shot up above is when the bird flew off to a wire after GM stepped on to the porch. GM has never seen such an exotic looking bird in Georgetown. However, upon researching he determined that it’s just an American Goldfinch, which is hardly rare.

While Georgetown has plenty of green-space for an urban neighborhood, the fact is that we don’t have a particularly exotic stock of wild birds flying around, at least as far as GM can tell. Maybe a few hummingbirds here and there, or the occasional hawk flying by, but nothing to out of the ordinary.

Or is GM just not a very observant birder? What sort of interesting birds have you seen around town?

 

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