Downtowner DC July 15, 2020
By • July 15, 2020 0 1263
NAACP TO MOVE HEADQUARTERS TO D.C.
The NAACP, headquartered in Baltimore since 1986, will relocate to the Frank D. Reeves Center for Municipal Affairs at 14th and U Streets NW after the building is renovated. The Reeves Center was opened by former D.C. Mayor Marion Barry in the 1980s as a way to bring businesses to an area still affected by the 1968 riots. Prior to moving to Baltimore, the civil rights organization had been based in New York City for more than 70 years.
MARRIOTT WARDMAN PARK TO CLOSE?
After 102 years, one of D.C. best-known hotels may close its doors for good. Coming off a pandemic-related closure, the Marriott Wardman Park, off Connecticut Avenue NW in Woodley Park, is likely to cease operations on or around Aug. 21, reported WJLA, which was alerted by a hotel employee to an emergency Zoom teleconference at which John Boardman, executive secretary-treasurer of UNITE HERE Local 25, shared the proposed plans.
RESTAURANTS, BARS DROPPING LIKE FLIES
Dupont staple Eighteenth Street Lounge will close after 25 years. Co-founder Farid Nouri said he couldn’t reach agreement with the landlord on lease-renewal terms, Eater DC reported. Restaurants and bars can’t operate at full capacity until there’s a COVID-19 vaccine or cure, believed to be at least a year away. Other closures: Post Pub on L Street NW, after nearly 50 years, and the Source by Wolfgang Puck, beneath the former Newseum.
HOPKINS ADVANCES NEWSEUM BUILDING PLANS
Last month, Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins University closed on the acquisition of the former Newseum building at 555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, where the school intends to consolidate some of its D.C. offerings. The debt-ridden Newseum, which opened its D.C. facility in 2008, closed at the end of 2019 after its parent, the nonprofit Freedom Forum — which had been providing an annual subsidy of about $20 million — agreed to the sale.
NEW BAR COMING TO 14TH ST. CORRIDOR
Jane Jane, a new bar masterminded by D.C. hospitality virtuosos J.P. Sabatier, Drew Porterfield and Ralph Brabham, will settle into an 860-square-foot corner of 14th Street NW this fall with some pandemic-related adjustments. The bar, styled with a retro vibe, will specialize in traditional Southern cocktails. Its name is said to be inspired by Brabham’s mother, affectionately nicknamed Jane-Jane, who just so happens to live in the South.
PEAPOD USERS SHIFTED TO NEW PLATFORM
After dropping the Peapod brand last fall, Giant has brought its grocery delivery service fully in-house under the name Giant Delivers. Former Peapod customers’ accounts are being shifted to the new shopping app and website. The site includes rewards, coupons, and pharmacy and wellness items. Giant is owned by Netherlands-based conglomerate Ahold Delhaize, which bought Peapod in 2001 and also owns Food Lion and Stop & Shop.
