Georgetown Theater Building to Celebrate Grand Opening June 2

Years of work will culminate June 2 as architect Robert Bell celebrates a personal and professional dream come true: the grand opening of his Georgetown Theater property, now ready for restaurant or retail along with offices and apartments.

“It represents the renaissance of Wisconsin Avenue,” the architect tells Georgetowner staffers as he shows them around.

The former theater building at 1351 Wisconsin Ave. NW was purchased by Bell from the Heon family in October 2013. It has not functioned as a theater for decades; its last movie run was the infamous “Caligula” from Penthouse Films. After that, it was a jewelry bazaar.

All doubt for this stretch of Wisconsin Avenue at O Street — which Bell calls “the last of the bad blocks” — is set to be wiped clean as visitors will gather June 2 in the large interior, which boasts a glass-framed entrance and a view of a garden and fountain in the back. The first and lower levels measure 120 feet deep by 30 feet wide. Upstairs are offices and apartments, now being finished. Also, plans are afoot for nearby buildings to undergo renovation.

Already Georgetowners are saying that the first-floor space should be used as a restaurant. “It needs a chef,” says one observer. Another admires the “curb appeal” of the entrance for an eatery.

The building is best known for its iconic theater sign with the capital letters, “GEORGETOWN,” which were switched back on Dec. 31 and are now aglow in neon-red for the first time in more than 20 years. The original sign was hauled away in September 2014 and redone at Jack Stone Signs, where it was manufactured in 1950.

“Restoring the neon Georgetown sign has been a project of mine for seven years,” Bell told the Georgetowner previously. “The Georgetown Theater is the missing link to restoring Wisconsin Avenue from Book Hill to M Street as one of America’s best streets. Restoring the façade and vitality of this property will be a major improvement on the quality of Wisconsin Avenue and Georgetown.”

Bell also hopes to rehabilitate the alleyway on O Street which leads to the back cottage using permeable materials, showcasing DC Water’s Green Initiative. The fountain in the back garden is all-natural, fed by an aquifer: an underground stream along Wisconsin Avenue. It’s fresh “Georgetown Theater Water,” quips someone during the tour.

The June 2 open house — from 7 to 9 p.m. — will feature a violinist, a slideshow, a tour and refreshments.

Architect Robert Bell and his plans for the rejuvenation of the old Georgetown Theater property were the subject of a Jan. 15, 2014, [Georgetowner cover story.](https://georgetowner.com/articles/2014/jan/15/genius-place)