First Look: The Georgetown Library

The fences around the Georgetown Library came down the other day, which gave GM and chance to poke around the building as it nears completion. He took a few shots, so check them out:

Above is the new ramp that goes from the side walk up the the front door. It’s well done and merges into the landscaping when you look at the building from the front.

There is a large patio right out the back door of the library. Below that is a sloping terrace down to the lower level. This is where the children’s library will be. The sloping terrace allows a lot of light in. Continue reading

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The Morning Metropolitan

Box on the sidewalk by Wayan Vota.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

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The Georgetown Metropolis

1600 block of 30th St.

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Would You Care if Medical Marijuana Were Sold in Georgetown?

Photo by Trawin.

GM touched on this the other day, but he thinks it’s worth a more substantial post: the Current reported on Wednesday that an unnamed individual is contemplating applying to open a medical marijuana dispensary in Georgetown. So, what do you think, would you care if he did?

Under the proposed regulations, five dispensaries will be allowed to open up across the city. Patients with certain serious diseases such as HIV/AIDS or multiple sclerosis or other chronic conditions can qualify to receive up to two ounces of marijuana per month from approved dispensaries.

According to the Current article, the individual is considering a space on Wisconsin Ave. near the newly refurbished library. It’s not clear where that space could be. No dispensary can be opened within 300 feet of any school or “recreation center.”  GM’s not sure whether libraries count as recreation centers. But surely Jellef is one. Plus Hardy and the British School are pretty close to there.

Either way, assuming someone could open a dispensary in Georgetown, should they? In the Current article, ANC commissioner Bill Starrels was quoted saying that the individual’s desire to be anonymous indicated just how controversial the idea of opening a dispensary in “historic Georgetown” is. Continue reading

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The Morning Metropolitan

Photo by Dawgfanjeff.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

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The Georgetown Metropolis

3400 block of M St.

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Georgetown Temporary Library to Close This Saturday, New Library Opens October 18th

This Saturday, the temporary library on M St. that has served Georgetown while the historic library is repaired, will close. The newly refurbished historic library will open October 18th.

GM heard an intriguing rumor the other day that East Banc, the building owner of the temporary space, offered to extend the temporary library’s lease rent free. The idea would be to create a satellite library for lower Georgetown. Considering that Book Hill is is so high up Georgetown, this would be a boon to lower Georgetown. Continue reading

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The Morning Metropolitan

Photo by Dawgfanjeff.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

  • “It was a joke.” That’s what Riccardo Bonino told GM yesterday when asked about the sign on Griffin Market that said they’d open on the 22nd “maybe.” The “maybe” part gave Georgetown a scare. Thankfully they opened on schedule.
  • The Current reported yesterday that an individual is quietly seeking to set up a medical marijuana dispensary in Georgetown. He recognizes the challenges, although GM has to wonder why ANC commissioner Bill Starrels cites Georgetown’s historic character as a reason to object to it. How is that remotely relevant?

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The Georgetown Metropolis

3100 block of M St.

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Carl Mydans’s Georgetown

In the Library of Congress’s digital photograph collection is a group of photos taken by Carl Mydans of the capital’s poorer neighborhoods in the 1930s. A subset of these photos is of Georgetown. GM’s used them before occasionally, but Shorpy.com’s use of one of the more amusing of the shots last week inspired GM to do a little comparative work with the old shots.

For instance, the photo above of three boys playing with trucks on the sidewalk is on the 3400 block of O St.


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