Tag Archives: Apple Store

2010: The Year That Will Be

Last week, GM bid 2009 adieu and labeled it a bit of a transitional year for Georgetown. Why transitional? Well, many places went (or stayed) dark last year. 2010 will be the year when a lot of lights get turned back on.

Below are just a few of the closed establishments that will open their doors in 2010:

Safeway – Target Date May 2010

It’s hard to believe that it’s been eight months since Social Safeway closed down. But according to the recently amended schedule, the new and improved Safeway will open its doors May.

Don’t expect the new Safeway to look like the old one, just closer to Wisconsin. No, the new Safeway is part of the chain’s overall rebranding effort to stake out a place closer to Whole Foods in the grocery spectrum. If you want a peek at what it will look like, stop by the City Vista Safeway by the Convention Center sometime.

GM will just be thrilled not to have to hike out to the Palisades anymore.

Apple Store – Target Date May 2010

A year ago this month, the whole city was lamenting the failure of Apple to obtain approval of its designs for a new store on Wisconsin Ave. A year later, the designs are approved and construction well on its way. Or rather, deconstruction well on its way. The old French Connection building is gone. Supposedly the new building will be constructed between now and May.

While Safeway is supposed to open in May as well, GM’s predicting that Apple will make a bigger initial splash. Continue reading

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2009 – A Georgetown Year in Review

2009 was the first full year of the Georgetown Metropolitan’s existence (except, of course, for it’s earlier existence as a genuine newspaper). While there were certainly some nights when GM has to stretch for content, overall Georgetown provided plenty of stories this year to fill these pages. So before we ring in 2010, GM wants to take one more look back at the year that was in Georgetown.

A Bad Apple Turned Good

2009 started off with a bang in Georgetown as Apple had four different designs rejected for its proposed store at 1220 Wisconsin Ave. While the decisions to reject the designs weren’t being made by “Georgetown,” there were howls of complaints from commentators who should know better lamenting about the monied-elite squashing their dreams of a District-based Apple Store.

The fact is that Apple simply made several bad decisions, perhaps out of pique, before they finally realized what they were up against. The first design was rejected based on the mild complaint that the wall of glass along the sidewalk was too monotonous:

Rather than actually address those concerns they went off the deep end and proposed these two successive designs, which may have their own merit but which are completely inappropriate for Georgetown:

Two designs later, Apple finally got a design approved by simply going back to the first design and making the glass wall slightly less monotonous. You know, like the Old Georgetown Board was asking for from the beginning. Continue reading

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Guess Who’s One Year Old?: The Third Most Popular Post

This week, in celebration of turning one year old, the Georgetown Metropolitan is looking back at the five most popular posts from its first year. Today we head back to February 3rd for The Approved Apple Designs. This was a post from the middle of the Apple Store saga. As you can see below, it captured those few days between ANC approval of the fourth design put forward by Apple and the rejection by the Old Georgetown Board of the same.

The construction at 1229 Wisconsin Ave. should tell you that that wasn’t the end of the story for the Apple store. One month later Apple was back with a slightly modified design, and finally obtained approval from the Old Georgetown Board.

By the way, one online source says that Apple has posted for jobs for a May 2010 grand opening of the store…

While Vox Populi may have gotten the DCist link love it’s the Georgetown Metropolitan that has the actual approved most recently rejected* designs for the new Apple store at 1229 Wisconsin Ave. Check them out:
The Approved Apple Store Design
As described in GM’s ANC round up, the approved design fits in with the 19th century buildings around it. The roofline matches the building housing Nine West and is decorated by dentil mouldings, echoing its neighbors. Hopefully the actual structure won’t be the blinding white light that the designs make them out to be. Continue reading

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The Morning Metropolitan

Blue Alley by M.V. Jantzen.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

  • Peggy Cooper Cafritz’s temporary apartment in Georgetown suffered a small fire. She’s staying there as she recovers from her mansion burning down in July.
  • Demolition is moving swiftly on the old French Connection building. The Apple Store is scheduled to be open next March.

 

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The Morning Metropolitan

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

  • Matters of Style visit the Georgetown Flea Market.
  • Demolition has started in the old French Connection building to make way for the Apple store, which is scheduled to open March 2010.
  • Georgetown Running Company runs a mile.
Photo of Healy Hall by Flickr user Eric Holscher used under Creative Commons license.

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Quick Note to Journalists Covering the Apple Store:

What was approved by the Old Georgetown Board was what’s known as a “design concept“. It’s not the final design. They’ll have to go back through the ANC and the OGB to get the permit for the finalized plans. The designs won’t change that much, but you should be clear that this is by no means the final design or approval (GM admits he’s been a little sloppy about that too).

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Apple Store Design Finally Approved

Apple's March Proposal

Original image curtesy of ANC2E, modifications roughly matching those made by Apple added by the Georgetown Metropolitan

As described the other day, the ANC approved the most recent design tweak by Apple for its proposed Wisconsin Ave. store. The Post is reporting that the Old Georgetown Board finally approved the design.

By the way, GM really wanted to be the first to break this, but the staff of the Commission of Fine Arts apparently won’t disclose the results of public meetings over the phone.  Spoilsports.

And since we’ve been down this road before, it’s worth noting that there’s still a tiny, tiny chance the Commission itself will reject the decision of the Old Georgetown Board, something they rarely do.

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ANC Round Up: Apple Redux, Reuse, Recycle

If last month’s ANC seemed quick and efficient, this month was pretty much the exact opposite: slow and tortuous. In the end, not much happened, but any ANC agenda with the Apple Store on the agenda is significant in some way. Plus GM got a resolution passed! Find out more after the jump:

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ANC Preview – Apple Returns, North Face Arrives

ANC2E

ANC2E will meet for its March meeting 6:30 pm next Monday at Georgetown Visitation (back at the old location in the main building). GM breaks down the agenda after the jump:

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Jaffe to Georgetown: Drop Dead

One of these days, there will be an Apple store built somewhere in the District. GM looks forward to that blessed day so he can stop writing about it. As it is, every day there’s no Apple store somewhere there’s more and more blame directed at Georgetown residents, primarily from journalists who should know better.

The latest bit of it comes care of Harry Jaffe, hands down one of the most knowledgeable journos on District matters. But sadly, even he can catch a case of Georgetown bashing as he displayed last Friday. How wrong is Jaffe, let GM count the ways:

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