Rising Stars Rejoice at Willard Hotel
• December 23, 2013

A Christmastime celebration of students and singing, “An Evening With the Stars,” rang through the ballroom of the historic Willard Hotel Dec. 11. With great food and great decor, the get-together saluted those involved with Rising Stars — a non-profit founded in 2012 by Oliver T. Carr, Jr., and corporate partner Carr Workplaces — “that raises money to support organization which help at-risk children succeed in their education.” Rising Stars adds that it “truly believes by helping children rise up through education and creating a lifelong love of learning, we will help our nation continue to grow and succeed.” Other event sponsors included EagleBank and Colonial Parking.

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Bomb Threat at House of Sweden Closes K Street, Rock Creek Parkway
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A bomb threat phoned into the House of Sweden caused the Swedish Embassy and other office at the waterfront building to be evacuated and caused street closures during the evening rush hours. As of 6 p.m., traffic in Georgetown and the West End was a mess.

“Someone left a message at the embassy switchboard Thursday afternoon claiming there was an explosive device in the building, at 2900 K St. NW,” according to WTOP. “Swedish Embassy officials say the building was cleared. However, bomb units are on the scene sweeping for explosives.”

Meanwhile, WikiLeaks tweeted around 5 p.m.: “Swedish press are reporting that the embassy in Washington has been evacuated over [an] Assange-related bomb threat.”

In the mid-afternoon, the Metropolitan Police Department sent an announcement through Twitter, concerning closed streets near the Georgetown Waterfront — specifically K Street and Rock Creek Parkway: “Police Activity Update: Street Closures will remain CLOSED until further notice.”

The MPD as well as the Secret Service Police were on the scene at 29th and K Streets, near the House of Sweden. Traffic was closed on Rock Creek Parkway, K Street between Rock Creek Parkway and 30th Street as well as westbound 26th Street at Virginia Avenue.

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Evans Campaign Raises $1 Million; Pitches Donors at George Town Club
• December 19, 2013

Mayoral candidate and Ward 2 council member Jack Evans met with supporters at the George Town Club Dec. 13. During the week, the Evans campaign hit the million-dollar mark in fundraising but wants another half-million, Evans said.

Wooing potential donors in the Grill Room of the club, Evans said he was “not just any white guy,” citing the success of development along 14th Street and his hand in helping Whole Foods set up in the District among several business and job-creating projects. He touted his “ability to run the city after 22 years of experience.”

“I believe this is our time,” the optimistic Evans said and added he thought with himself as mayor and former mayor Anthony Williams on the Federal City Council, that “would be a game changer.”

Concerning the race for the Democratic Party’s nomination for Mayor of Washington, D.C., Evans said that the “more people in the race, the better.” The candidate who gets just one more vote than the others wins the primary. Addressing Republican supporters in the room, Evans said that they could re-register as Democrats to vote in the April 1 election and switch back to the GOP later. The campaign is also pushing to get college students registered to vote.

Talking about affordable housing, Evans said he wants to find a way to keep homeowners in their homes and not having to move because of rising assessments and property taxes.

Washington, D.C., is the “fastest growing city in the U.S.,” Evans said, with 1,000 newcomers moving in each month — as well as the city being the number-one destination for recent college graduates. He said he wants the city to be on par with London and Paris.

As for public safety, Evans cited lowered crime and said he would keep Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy Lanier, if he became mayor.

Aside from what he called the “rosy picture” of D.C.’s economy, Evans said its public education was “one of the worst public school systems” in the country. He saw hope in forming some kind of partnership between public and private schools, noting that the area has some of the “finest private schools.”

Evans also said he had concerns about raising the minimum wage from $8.25 per hour to $11.25 per the recent City Council bill which he supported. The minimum wage is supposed to be a starting wage for the work force, he said.

Holiday Open House at Georgetown University
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Georgetown University held its annual open house for neighbors Dec. 9 at Riggs Library, decorated for Christmastime.
University president John DeGioia welcomed the happy crowd along with council member Jack Evans, who spoke of how well Washington, D.C., was doing. DeGioia talked about Georgetown’s neighborhood partnership, the university’s new downtown campus near Mount Vernon Square as well as the recent event for D.C. school principals at Georgetown and the upcoming Martin Luther King, Jr., celebration at the Kennedy Center in January. He also noted that the party-goers were in the Healy Building, which was designed by Smithmeyer & Pelz, the same architects who did the Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress, and said he saw the two landmark buildings as bookends of education for D.C. The hostess for the party was the university’s Lauralyn Lee, associate vice president for community engagement and strategic initiatives.

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Last Chance to View Santa Claus Overlooking the Potomac?
• December 6, 2013

Georgetown’s best-known Santa Claus is back on the rooftop of Jack Davies’s Prospect Street house, which overlooks the Potomac River, and welcoming all with a big “Merry Christmas” wave. It may your last chance to see him.

For several years, Davies has been putting up his 20-feet-tall, inflated Santa Claus on the back of his house with its grand vista of the Potomac River. Those entering D.C. from Virginia on Key Bridge easily see it, especially when it is illuminated at night. Davies — a philanthropist and businessman who is part owner of the Washington Capitals, Wizards and Mystics as well as founder of AOL International — said he is happy to bring a little yuletide cheer to people.

The rooftop of Davies’s house has something new this year: a for-sale sign on the railing. Yes, the house has been on the market since spring, and there is a good chance this will be the last time to view this not-so-secret Santa. (Perhaps it will convey to the new owner, if he wants to continue this new Georgetown Christmas tradition.)

And what about that Santa inflatable up on the deck? “The best $700 I ever spent,” Davies told the Georgetowner in 2011. As for that house at 3618 Prospect St., NW, check with Washington Fine Properties.

It’s Official: Mayor Gray Seeks Re-election
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Mayor Vincent Gray made it official Dec. 2: He will seek re-election as Mayor of the District of Columbia. Gray signed forms at the Board of Elections and picked up papers to be signed by at least 2,000 registered voters for the April 1 Democratic Party primary.

In a Dec. 2 letter to supporters, Gray wrote: “We are better off today than we were just three years ago. . . . I am running for re-election to build on the progress and achievements of our first term. We are accomplishing what we set out to do. Step by step, we are moving our city forward. We have built strong foundations. But our work is not done.

?“We will formally launch ‘Gray 2014’ next year. This is not the season when people want to hear from politicians. Now is the time for family, friends and celebration.?”

ANC Questions G’town Theater; Names Ellen Steury Commissioner; Sets Dec. 19 Meeting
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The Georgetown-Burleith Advisory Neighborhood Commission met Nov. 2 at Visitation Prep and focused on Wisconsin Avenue traffic, Metrorail in Georgetown, new designs for the former Georgetown Theater, the Georgetown Business Improvement District’s “Georgetown 2028” and the first annual report for the 2010-2017 Georgetown University Campus Plan.

During the meeting, Ellen Steury was named the commissioner for single-member District 7 – on the east side, north of P and Q Streets, NW—including Evermay, Oak Hill Cemetery and Dumbarton Oaks—to Whitehaven Street. There was no election, as no other citizen applied for the position.

The Georgetown ANC is in agreement with the Glover Park ANC that the District Department of Transportation return Wisconsin Avenue traffic (just north of Georgetown) to six lanes. Sidewalks have been widened only in a few spots.

The ANC also supported bringing subway stations to town. It has passed such a resolution before. All major community groups want Metro. No one in the room expressed opposition.

Owner and architect Robert Bell’s plan for the former Georgetown Theater property (1351 Wisconsin Ave., NW) got another look. The ANC again voiced its concerns – “unprecedented large footprint” – about rear-addition designs that have gotten neighbors’ complaints. This week, Bell will be before the Old Georgetown Board, which also questioned his designs for the rear of the property, which is in the center of the block. The ANC also worried about the “loss of privacy” with the rear addition. Bell replied that the designs offered an upgrade to “a derelict situation.”

Georgetown BID CEO Joe Sternlieb presented a lightning-round version of the BID’s ambitious “Georgetown 2028” concepts. He said the BID “wanted a stronger commercial district without negatively impacting the residential district.” Sternlieb listed transportation, physical improvements and the economy as the top categories. He also wants to see Metrorail in Georgetown within 15 years by 2028. Also mentioned was the idea of a gondola or cable car from the Rosslyn Metro over the Potomac River to a station within (perhaps) the Car Barn – and also easier access to Roosevelt Island, whether or not a pedestrian bridge is built over the river from Georgetown. A final report from the BID task force on “2028” will be made public Dec. 12.

As for the university’s campus plan and community partnership, ANC Chair Ron Lewis complimented all involved, saying, “The partnership has worked as a true partnership.” It helped to have a detailed road map, he added. Georgetown University’s Lauralyn Lee noted that 450 beds had been added to on-campus housing, with a new dormitory planned as well as the renovation of space within the Quadrangle. (The Zoning Board has not yet approved these projects.) Also important to note, Lee said, was the Office of Neighborhood Life – for students as well as lifelong residents of Georgetown – at 36th and N Streets. She invited residents to call 202-687-5138 or email NeighborhoodLife@Georgetown.edu anytime (Cory Peterson is the director). The annual report will available on the university’s website in about a week.

The next ANC meeting will be on Dec. 19 – and count as its January meeting. Why meet then? Because the Old Georgetown Board plans to meet Jan. 2, leaving the ANC few dates before Christmas or after New Year’s Day. It usually meets a few days before the OGB monthly meeting.

Long & Foster Celebrates 45 Years — and Wes Foster’s 80th Birthday
• December 2, 2013

Over the last couple of weeks, Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc., the largest independent residential real estate company in the United States, has been celebrating 45 years in the real estate industry. Today, Nov. 25, it also celebrates co-founder Wes Foster’s 80th birthday.

Well known in Washington, D.C., and Georgetown. Long & Foster prides itself as a company that was “founded on the principles of integrity, innovation, honesty and good old-fashioned customer service—values it continues to support today.”
Here are some detailed from a company news release:

Long & Foster was founded in 1968 by P. Wesley (Wes) Foster, Jr., and Henry Long in a 600-square-foot office in Fairfax, Va. The company then comprised Foster, Long and one employee. It provided residential and commercial real estate services, selling about $3 million in volume in the first year. Since then, Long & Foster has grown to more than 11,500 agents and employees in seven states in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, and it is now part of the Long & Foster Companies, which also includes Prosperity Mortgage Company, Long & Foster Insurance, Long & Foster Settlement Services, a corporate relocation services division and one of the largest property management firms in the United States. The companies’ combined sales for 2012 were in excess of $48 billion, about half of which resulted from the real estate business.

“From the time I started this company, our goals were to provide the best service possible to our real estate clients, create wonderful career opportunities for real estate professionals, and do better today than we did yesterday,” said Foster, chairman and CEO of the Long & Foster Companies. “It is with great pride that I can now say Long & Foster has been doing so for more than 45 years. It couldn’t have been done without the support of my family and the many real estate agents and employees who have worked so hard to make Long & Foster such a successful company.”

“We are thrilled to be celebrating 45 years of success at Long & Foster as well as Wes’s 80th birthday,” said Jeffrey S. Detwiler, president and chief operating officer of the Long & Foster Companies. “As a company, we’re greatly looking forward to continuing to provide top-notch real estate services and the total homeownership experience for clients across the Mid-Atlantic region for the next 45 years and beyond.”

See the March 13th Georgetowner for a profile of Wes Foster and his company Here

A New Cool: the George Town Club
• November 26, 2013

You can see that the next generation is taking over at the George Town Club. You can see the changes in the windows that now shine in light through the first floor’s new design. You can even see that the club wants to be your second home. Call it the new cool or the club gets its groove back.

“We have carefully re-invented the George Town Club,” said designer Andrew Law of the elegant in-town club, known for its members involved in politics, diplomacy, business, academia and other professions. Founded in 1966 and rich in stories, the club of late had fallen flat but has undergone a design, culinary and leadership renewal that is attracting new members to the corner property at 1530 Wisconsin Ave., NW.

“The club feels relevant again,” said designer Deborah Winsor, who with others worked on the club over the summer. Sisal rugs brighten up a few of the rooms 10 in total — and linen fabric are used on walls to show off antique woodwork. During the rehab and carpenters’ work, insor moved and re-purposed furniture and then moved artwork from downstairs and hung new and contemporary art from Hemphill Gallery.

entrance door open to all of the first floor allows guests to glance from the entrance to the windows on Volta Place in the Grill — where simply, again, removing the drapery blocking the windows made the room appear new.

“Demographics are changing,” said club treasurer John Girouard. “If you don’t change, you’ll die. Just last week, we had 20 new applicants.”

There are more than 100 new members an amount ever increasing. Girouard is thinking management’s increased efficiency and quality control along with targeting the 30
to 50 demographic. There is new programming for the club’s calendar and talk of “date night,” where children are watched in one room while parents dine upstairs.

The Grill Room is the highlight right now, showing off the club’s new cool. The Reading Room and Living Room have been redone. Other rooms will undergo design changes.
The club’s general manager is Yann Henrotte with chef Martin Galicia making up the new menu. Working on the changes have been Law, Winsor, Girouard, along with George Town Club President Sharon Casey, Vice President Lynn Doran and Elizabeth Miller as well as restaurateur Bo Blair with his wife Meghan.

It was the club’s longtime leader Wyatt Dickerson, he of Pisces fame during the 1970s and ‘80s, and partner with the scandalous Tongsun Park, that recommended Bo Blair, he with the younger generation’s guest lists and of nearby Smith Point and elsewhere.

The club wants to be a place for Georgetowners to stop by for coffee before work or relax after work, not just a spot for suburban visitors. One member said he wanted more of a “Cheers” effect for young and old alike, classy but not stand-offish.

To that end, for example, the club is offering a reduced initiation fee for residents of $2,000 (monthly dues, $150; quarterly minimum of $240). Preview membership waives the initiation fee for one year. Those younger than age 35 can join for $750. There are also on-resident and international memberships with lower fees; foreign diplomats accredited to the U.S., O.A.S. or the U.N. are offered free memberships.

The club is open Monday through Saturday but plans to be open also on Sunday sometime in 2014. The club held several get-togethers to promote its new look and vibe. Here are a few photos taken at the George Town Club recently. [gallery ids="101547,149606,149616,149600,149608,149613,149619" nav="thumbs"]

E-commerce Businesses Set Up Shop in Cady’s Alley Bazaar
• November 25, 2013

With shopping occurring before Thanksgiving and Hanukkah and just in time for Christmas, property owner EastBanc and Jamestown organized a pop-up Cady’s Alley bazaar that features five e-commerce firms, which were happy to set up shop in the 8,000-square-foot, split-level emporium, located at 3330 Cady’s Alley, NW, between the Bulthaup and M2L showrooms within Georgetown’s design district. A Nov. 14 launch party introduced the clothing and home accessories brands: Tuckernuck (classic, preppy styles), Chubbies (radical shorts with American pride), Zestt (fresh home pieces and artwork), Read Wall (U.S.-modern, traditional menswear) and Victoria Road (handcrafted goods from around the world). The pop-up stores in Cady’s Alley will be open through Jan. 5. [gallery ids="101550,149573,149567,149579,149586,149587" nav="thumbs"]