3200 block of R St.
Landlord Invokes Herring Hill Past in Decision to Evict Storeowner
The long standing Georgetown shop P St. Pictures is closing. As related in this article last summer, the shopkeeper, Judy Schlosser, has been told to vacate the shop-space that she has occupied for 28 years.
Losing a shop like this stings, but it gets a lot worse when you find out that the future occupant of the space is just the 7-11 next door that wants to expand. It’s just another example of big chain moving in and pushing out a small independent shop.
At least, that’s how GM pictured it until he read a letter sent to the ANC commissioners from Bob Enzel. Enzel is the trustee for the property at issue. He argues that the story that has been presented to the community isn’t accurate. He provides his side of the story, stating that Schlosser had a long list of outstanding debts that were unpaid or simply forgiven.
This is clearly a he-said-she-said situation–as stories like this often go–and GM is not in a position to settle it here. But it was the rest of the letter that GM found fascinating.
First of all, Enzel isn’t some distant landlord with no attachment to the area, cashing checks. He’s a Georgetown native and it sounds like he knows these streets like the back of his hand:
I am a native of Georgetown. Our family has lived in this area for 80 years. I went to Corcoran Public School [ed. note: he’s talking about the Corcoran elementary school at 1219 28th St., which was the white elemtary school in this part of Georgetown until it closed in the 1950s], Gordon Jr. High and Western Sr. High. I can show you where every little store was located and in many cases identify who owned them. The block that housed P Street Pictures and 7-11 had a barber shop, shoe shine parlor and Reed’s Electric Company before Reed’s moved to Wisconsin Avenue. Around the corner on Twenty- Seventh Street, The Diamond Cab Company operated its taxi cabs. In days past, Georgetown housed the Ledo and Dumbarton movie houses, Murphy’s Five & Dime, Galliher & Huguely Lumber Yard, Ladd Mills Esso and the original Georgetown Boys Club…
He continues by pointing out that 7-11 is more a part of the neighborhoods history than any other store still open: Continue reading
Filed under History
The Morning Metropolitan
Photo by csuspect.
Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:
- DCist weighs in on the West Heating Plant sale.
- Glover Park is really fighting hard against the proposed changes to the D1 and D2 bus routes. The changes wouldn’t hit Georgetown as hard since reductions in the D1 service would be offset by increases in the D6 service.
Filed under The Morning Metropolitan
Georgetown: In Motion
GM had a story idea fall through, so he decided instead to run one more “cinemagraph” that he left out of his series over the summer. It seems appropriate given all the O and P St. construction. Enjoy.
Filed under Around Town
The Morning Metropolitan
Photo by M.V. Jantzen.
Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:
- Will the Georgetown DMV close?
- More info on the possible sale of the West Heating Plant.
Filed under The Morning Metropolitan
So You Want to Make Some Changes to Your House? Start Here…
GM learned the other day that the DC Council is taking up consideration of the Historic District Property Notification Act of 2011. What this law would do is to ensure that a notice is sent to every homeowner of a house in DC’s historic districts, including Georgetown, reminding them of what additional approval requirements apply to such homes.
This is long overdue and hopefully will make a difference towards reducing unauthorized construction in historic districts. But why wait for the legislation? GM will fill you in right now on what you need to know.
What Changes Need Approval?
The simple answer is basically all changes. Here are some ostensibly small changes that need approval:
- New Windows
- Adding HVAC to roof
- New porch railing
And of course more dramatic changes obviously also require approval. Basically, there’s a fairly good chance that just about any physical change to the exterior of your house that you can imagine requires at least some minimal approval.
There is once exception to that rule (and an exception to the exception): paint. If you simply want to paint your house a new color, it does not need design review. However, if you have one of those plaques on the front of your house, like this:
Photo by Rich Renomeron.
Filed under Preservation
The Morning Metropolitan
Photo by Ontheborderland.
Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:
- Letter from Elizabeth Taylor (who was Mrs. John Warner at the time) to Andy Warhol gives a Georgetown return address.
- There’s got to be a better description for this crime than “forcible fondling“.
Filed under The Morning Metropolitan
The Georgetown Metropolitan 
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