Robert Devaney • August 10, 2012

Georgetown Village celebrated its first major corporate sponsor and thanked Wells Fargo Bank for its $10,000 donation June 21 at the N Street home of Thomas Nigra, M.D., and his wife Jane. The Nigras’ house once belonged to Averell and Pamela Harriman, legends in the circles of Washington power. In honor of their spirit, the Harriman House lives on in their name and contains much of the previous owners’ original furnishings along with its red den, classic drawing room and pool.

Georgetown Village is a non-profit membership organization providing services and programs in the Georgetown area so older residents can live better and longer in their homes. Among its services are transportation of appointments, grocery shopping, computer and cell phone help, gardening and household help. Volunteers and helpers are welcome: visit www.Georgetown-Village.org. [gallery ids="100872,127371,127365" nav="thumbs"]

Robert Devaney •

Allyn Rose, a 24-year-old University of Maryland graduate and paralegal studying constitutional law, won the Miss D.C. title June 17 during a competition at the University of the District of Columbia. Rose, who lost her mother to cancer, has picked the Judy R.O.S.E. Method of Breast Cancer Prevention as her platform for the Miss America Organization. A former Miss Maryland USA, Rose will represent D.C. at the Miss America 2013 pageant in Las Vegas in January. Her talent is listed as artistic roller skating.

The winner and top five finalists are awarded a scholarship from the Miss D.C. Scholarship Organization [gallery ids="100873,127378,127373" nav="thumbs"]

Robert Devaney •

The next episode of “America’s Most Wanted,” with host John Walsh, focuses on Georgetown. The show, which will premiere June 29, at 9 p.m. on Lifetime, focuses on the search for a man accused of murdering Christine Mirzayan and is wanted in connection with nine sexual assaults. Police have dubbed him the “Potomac River Rapist.”

The Christine Mirzayan case has appeared on “America’s Most Wanted” before, but a newly discovered link between this murder and nine other rapes have led to this cold case to be re-assessed. “We are revisiting the Christine Mirzayan case to give it, and the other nine rapes, the national attention they deserve. It is important to Mr. Walsh,” said Roger Chiang of “America’s Most Wanted.”

Recently re-examined DNA links two crimes: the murder of Christine Mirzayan and the sexual assault of another victim. Intern and graduate student Christine Mirzayan was murdered in the summer of 1998. She was walking home from a dinner gathering when she was dragged into the woods, sexually assaulted and murdered. The crime took place at Canal Road near the entrance to Georgetown University. The other sexual assault case happened in 1996, less than two miles from the Mirzayan murder. The victim was walking along a row of homes and woods in the Palisades neighborhood in the 4900 block of MacArthur Blvd., when she was dragged into the woods and sexually assaulted. This case has also been linked to several other sexual assault cases that happened between 1991 and 1996.

Chiang wanted to spotlight Amanda Haines, Detective Tony Brigidini and Detective Todd Williams, the cold case team that helped to discover the DNA link between the cases. “If it wasn’t for their hard work … we would have basically nothing,” Chiang said. “I want to give kudos to this great cold case unit.”

Because of what Haines, Brigidini and Williams have done, he said, a DNA link has been discovered and there is a new composite sketch of the man who committed these crimes. Chiang hopes these latest developments can take the case to the next level — including finding a match and prosecution. Police believe the perpetrator has ties to the D.C. area. With the new evidence, the renewed profile and national attention these cases are getting, there is hope that the “Potomac River Rapist” can be brought to justice.

Tune into “America’s Most Wanted” Friday, June 29, 9 p.m. on Lifetime.

Robert Devaney •

In step with its agreement with the neighborhood to lessen main campus expansion, Georgetown University announced July 19 that its School of Continuing Studies “will relocate to the heart of downtown Washington, D.C. Georgetown signed a lease agreement with Brookfield Office Properties for a new space to house SCS at 650 Massachusetts Ave., N.W., at the intersection of 7th Street near the Gallery Place/Chinatown neighborhood. Located just eight blocks from the university’s Law Center campus, the move expands the university’s ‘Georgetown Downtown’ presence. It reflects Georgetown’s commitment to aligning itself with the growth and development goals of the city.”

The announcement came just days after the D.C. Zoning Commission approved the university’s campus plan, thus ending years of tense, sometimes hostile, debate over town-gown issues.

The university says, “1,100 students will take classes and study at the new campus. . . . There will be four levels of leased space that cover 91,000 square feet, allowing for future program growth. The school welcomes conversations with local community leaders about new ways to engage and collaborate at the new campus.”

Across from Mount Vernon Square, the continuing education school is one block from the Washington Convention Center at 7th Street and Massachusetts Avenue, and near Chinatown’s restaurants and shops and three blocks from the Verizon Center, home to the Georgetown men’s basketball team. Currently, the school holds its classes at the university’s main campus at 37th and O Streets, NW, as well as in Arlington, Va.

“This expansion of Georgetown Downtown is a defining moment for the university,” said John DeGioia, president of Georgetown University. “Just as the construction of our Law Center did 30 years ago, this new home provides us with an opportunity to extend the impact of the university into new parts of the city and to broaden the reach of our work.”

According to the university, the school “offers graduate degrees in human resources management, journalism, liberal studies, public relations and corporate communications, real estate, sports industry management and technology management, as well as over 25 professional certificates, summer school and special programs. It also includes the university’s only part-time bachelor’s program. The school intends to launch several new master’s programs in the coming years. In fall 2013, for example, it will launch two of those programs – urban and regional planning as well as emergency and disaster management.” [gallery ids="100910,128497" nav="thumbs"]

Robert Devaney •

On June 21, neighbors at 29th and Dumbarton Streets closed the street and met for a sit-down alfresco dinner to celebrate the continuation of Scheele’s Market, their longtime grocery store. They said farewell to former Scheele’s shopkeepers, Shin and Kye Lee, and welcomed the new business owner, Doug Juk Kim, and thanked the owner of the building, Jordan O’Neill.

Malcolm “Mike” Peabody and his group rescued Scheele’s Market at 29th and Dumbarton by making an agreement with O’Neill to pay $70,000 for improvements and other covenant details. The neighborhood group, Friends of Scheele’s, has worked to keep the store, which has served the town for 118 years. With funds raised by the party, the goal has just about been met. And with music by Wayne Wilentz at the keyboard and Sidney Lawrence on vocals, diners enjoyed food from Stachowski Market and Deli, Georgetown Haagen-Dazs and, of course, Scheele’s. To make a donation, e-mail Mike Peabody at mpeabody@ptmanagement.com.

Robert Devaney •

DMV to Return to
Georgetown Park

The Georgetown office of D.C.’s Department of Motor Vehicles, formerly located in
the lower level of the Shops at Georgetown
Park, that closed May 19 will return to the M
Street shopping mall, Ward 2 Councilmember
Jack Evans announced at the May 30 annual
awards and election meeting of the Citizens
Association of Georgetown.

At the time of the DMV’s closure, it was
not certain that an office would return to
Georgetown. Evans said that there would be
a new DMV office in the mall in less than
a year, when renovations are completed, in
agreement with the Georgetown Park landlord.
Mayor Vincent Gray, who also addressed the
Citizens meeting, called the future return of
the DMV to the neighborhood as showing how
the District government provides “customer
service” to its citizens.

On June 4, the DMV will open a temporary
service center at 301 C Street, N.W.,
where its Office of Adjudication Services is
also located; hours of operations are Monday
through Friday, 8:15 a.m. to 4 p.m. For other
locations and questions, visit DMV.DC.gov

Historic Pie Company Is
Reborn in D.C.

“It is an honor and with great pride that
we announce that the Connecticut-Copperthite
Pie Baking Company will make its historical
return to Washington, D.C., at the Taste
of Georgetown,” stated Mike Copperthite,
descendant of a family business started in the
1880s, the Connecticut-Copperthite Pie Co.,
which cornered the market on pies. The company
baked pies on 32nd Street, recounted the
enthusiastic Copperthite, who plans to set up
shop in town again. “In anticipation of a fall
opening of retail store to be called Shut Your
Pie Hole — ZipYourPieHole.com.”

Tasters agreed that the Copperthite pies
were filled with flavor — and that the company
was full of history. More to come. Welcome
back.

Charles Luck Stone Center
Opens on 34th Street at C&O
Canal

Richmond-based specialty stone center,
Charles Luck has opening its first D.C. location
at Cady’s Alley. Built in the late 1800s as
a stable, the two-story building – overlooking
the C&O Canal – has just more than 700
square feet of showroom space downstairs. (It
once belonged to brewmaster Gary Heurich.)

“We have a prime location,” said Anderson
McNeill, president of Charles Luck Stone
Centers, who is enthusiastic about the neighborhood.
An opening party at the store on
June 13 said hello to Georgetown. “The stone
center is a source of inspiration and features
distinctive products for style-minded homeowners,
a destination for those whose passion
for beautiful stone.”

Selling stone architectural elements, such
as countertops, interior and exterior walls,
pathways, furniture and accessories, Charles
Luck takes its place in Georgetown’s design
area. “We’re also excited to join the ranks with
other style-minded neighbors, including Ann
Sacks, Baker Furniture, Boffi, Janus et Cie,
Design within Reach, Poggenpohl and Waterworks,
to name a few,” Anderson said.

Thos. Moser Shuts M Street
Store, Plans Another in Area

Thos. Moser Cabinetmakers closed its
D.C. showroom on M Street June 9. It is
expected that Intermix clothing will set up
shop at the empty space soon.

“We have enjoyed our present location at
3300 M Street for nearly ten years, and we are
very grateful for all the customers who have
supported us during this time. However, as
our lease nears its expiration, we have made
the difficult decision to close,” wrote Thomas
Moser, founder and president of Thos. Moser
Cabinetmakers. “Please know we remain committed
to the Washington, D.C., and suburban
Virginia and Maryland markets and hope to
find a suitable new location. In the interim,
our shop remains vibrant and rest assured that
current and future orders and scheduled deliveries
will not be impacted by this change. We
will continue to actively support our customers
through our Customer Care Center in Freeport,
Maine.”

HomeMade Pizza Co.
Closes Wisconsin Ave. Spot

After a February 2011 debut, the Home-
Made Pizza Co. store at 1826 Wisconsin Ave.,
N.W., near Safeway has closed. Other D.C.
store locations remain: Chevy Chase, Spring
Valley and Logan Circle.

Betsey Johnson Store
Closes

The fabulousness that lived at the store
run by Jenny Zinn and her co-workers is over.
After weeks of farewell parties and discounts,
the town’s flashy, pink and fun Betsey Johnson
store on M Street near the Old Stone House
closed June 9. Fashion designer Betsey Johnson’s
chain of stores went bankrupt April 26.
“Johnson won’t be losing her job — but as
many as 350 store workers will,” reported the
New York Daily News. Women’s Wear Daily
reported the designer will retain control of the
Betsey Johnson clothing label.

Robert Devaney •

There are hundreds of congressional hearing in Washington each year. Administration officials and others sit before House or Senate inquisitors answering each as fully and dutifully as they can. These hearings usually occur on Capitol Hill and make for some drama or political theater.

On June 19, a congressional hearing was in Washington but held in Georgetown. Not only was it in Georgetown, but it was in a place which evoked the opposite of what most think about when considering Georgetown real estate: an empty, broken-down heating plant, now for sale by the federal government.

The hearing in the West Heating Plant on 29th Street was a bit of political theater, staged by Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) , chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Calif.), chairman of the Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management Subcommittee. Its title was “Sitting on Our Assets: The Georgetown Heating Plant.” Reviews have been generally favorable.

The representatives — including Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) and Rep. Richard Hanna (R-N.Y.) — set up tables and chairs within the massive plant and grilled one witness: Flavio Peres, the deputy assistant commissioner for Real Property Utilization and Disposal at the General Services Administration.

Their questions hit on why it has taken so long to put up that for-sale sign for this highly valuable property, just south of the C&O Canal and the Four Seasons Hotel. (The sign went up the day before the hearing.) The 1940s-era structure once generated energy for federal buildings and then stood as a back-up. It has been totally shut down since 2000 and has cost the government $3.5 million in maintenance fees.

Denhan and Mica want other unused federal property to get on a faster track to be sold by the GSA, as urged by the Obama Administration. They aptly used their site-of-the-day to make that point to GSA and to the public. They have held hearings off Capitol Hill before and threaten to hold more around the country, if necessary.

Peres took his hits from Mica, who said of his testimony, “We don’t know if it [the plant] was turned on. We don’t know if it has an operating license. We had other places to store what was stored here. . . . It just doesn’t seem like anyone is minding the store or taking care of the assets. This is a pretty valuable piece of property.”

Denham asked, “How is GSA going to ensure that this time we are going to get the highest value on this property that is the biggest piece of acreage in downtown Georgetown?” Peres said that the market was strong and developers and planners knew of the impending sale. He said that the on-line sales auction for the heating plant property would likely be in late September.

As for the GSA, it holds 142 properties, compared to other agencies that hold 14,000. And, yes, a GSA official spoke to Georgetown’s Neighborhood Advisory Commission about the impending sale last year. There are plans, set by financiers and architects and ready to roll, as evidenced by the Levy Group’s designs. Neighborhood groups want to make sure that some land within the mixed-use site can be used for public parkland, connecting Rock Creek to the riverfront. The huge building itself must be gutted and restructured for condos and the like.

After the hearing, Mica, Denham, congressional aides and media went to the plant’s rooftop with its commanding views of Georgetown, Cathedral Heights, West End, Rosslyn and the Potomac River. Dramatic? Yes, political theater plays well in this town.
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Robert Devaney •

It’s official in our neighborhood: Summer has begun and Volta Park Day is when it starts. June 10 at 92 degrees was the hottest day since August 10. The day provided family fun, especially for the little ones: soda, hamburgers, hot dogs, cupcakes, snow cones, balloon slide, water dunk, sprinklers, band and flea market — not to mention the tennis match and softball game for the older kids. The Volta Park pool opens its full summer schedule on June 19: Tuesday through Thursday, 1 to 8 p.m., public; Saturday and Sunday, noon to 6 p.m.; closed Monday.

The day is put on by the Friends of Volta Park, founded by John Richardson in 1995, a homegrown non-profit which works with the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation to maintain and improve Volta Park’s grounds and gardens. The effort has many local benefactors — Clyde’s Restaurant Group, Georgetown University, Nancy Taylor Bubes of Washington Fine Properties, Michael Rankin of TTR Sotheby’s, Long and Foster, Exxon of Georgetown, Colonial Parking and John Richardson Company — as well as even more neighborhood contributors. [gallery ids="100839,126166,126125,126160,126156,126152,126133,126140,126145" nav="thumbs"]

Robert Devaney •

After months of contentious discussions, private and public meetings and news coverage on Georgetown University’s 2010-2020 campus plan, the town-gown relationship of the oldest neighborhood of Washington, D.C., with the oldest Catholic institution of higher learning in America appears to have become collegial.

The war is over. Peace has been declared. Discussions will continue.

“This is an extraordinary event in the life of our community, and it’s very promising. We have found a way — the community and the university, together — that offers a new cooperative spirit and real results on issues that have divided us for years.”

So said Ron Lewis, chairman of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2E, at a sunlit media announcement at the intersection of 36th and P Streets, N.W., in front of commissioner Jeff Jones’s house, next to the university’s main campus June 6.

Assembled at the peace-treaty-like setting were Mayor Vincent Gray, Ward 2 Council member Jack Evans, Georgetown University President John DeGioia, the Office of Planning’s Jennifer Steingasser, peacemaker Don Edwards and other advisory neighborhood commissioners and university officials as well as Georgetown, Burleith and Foxhall neighborhood leaders.

Praise rang all around between the players in this conflict resolution. Said Gray: “What they have done is developed a prototype and set a precedent for how these issues are to be dealt with in the future.” Evans called the mayor “a miracle worker.” DeGioia called the agreement “exciting” and noted that it “reset the relationship” between the neighborhood and the university. “Without the mayor,” DeGioia continued, “this moment would not be possible.”

Lewis concluded the gathering, saying that details would be issued the next day. (Some reporters wanted them during the event.)

And here they are, according to ANC2E, issued June 7:

Key elements of the revised plan –

• A new collegial partnership of senior GU leadership and community representatives – the Georgetown Community Partnership – to work toward making the Campus Plan a success and to work together on planning for the future

• A Campus Plan for a seven-year term, beginning January 1, 2011, and ending December 31, 2017

• 450 more undergraduates housed on campus at the Leavey Center and other on campus locations by Fall 2015, including 65 moved from the “Magis Row” townhouses on 36th Street NW and housed on campus by Fall 2013 so that the “Magis Row” townhouses can transition to faculty and staff housing or daytime administrative offices

• Undergraduate enrollment to remain at a maximum of 6,675 and total enrollment at the main campus over the Campus Plan period to be a maximum of 14,106 students; and a new, more accurate method for measuring enrollment semester-by-semester

• New emphasis on a living and learning campus that centralizes student social life on campus

• Clear standards for appropriate off-campus behavior and a results-based system for maintaining the peaceful, quiet atmosphere of our residential neighborhoods

• Significantly improved measures for relieving parking and traffic congestion from GU traffic

• A new commitment to explore providing university-sponsored graduate student housing outside the Georgetown, Burleith and Foxhall communities.

• Acknowledgement of long-term goals of the community and GU for the future, including a new satellite campus of up to 100 acres located elsewhere; at least 90 percent of undergraduates living on campus by Fall 2025 (an additional 244 beds); cooperating in developing and implementing a 20-year campus plan following on the success of the 2011-2017 plan; and the mutual goal of “a collegial and harmonious relationship between the University and the community to address future plans and common issues in an effective, creative and lasting way”

Further details of the proposed campus plan are available on the ANC 2E website, anc2e.com.

[See Georgetown University’s one sheet on the strategic plan in the photo scroll beneath the story. Click on each picture icon to enlarge image.]

ANC 2E will hold a special public meeting to consider the proposed revised GU Campus Plan on Thursday, June 14, 6:30 p.m., at Georgetown Visitation Prep, 35th Street NW at Volta Place NW. [gallery ids="100837,126123,126110,126118" nav="thumbs"]

Robert Devaney •

Mike Isabella’s Bandolero Brings Big Flavors
to M Street
Bandolero, chef Mike Isabella’s modern Mexican restaurant at 3241 M Street, opened last week. With more tacos and margaritas than you thought you wanted, Isabella’s homage to armed outlaws got uniquely flavored food, a Day-of-the-Dead motif space and servers to spare as well. With margaritas, we sampled the pumpkin seed-mixed dip served with masa crisps, pork tacos, tuna tartare taquitos, charred corn on a stick, nachos, pear-infused wine and enchilada rojo. It’s a lively place with some lively tastes: armed, perhaps; outlawed, never.

Macaron Bee Openson Wisconsin Avenue
O.K., you got your cupcakes, pies, frozen yogurt and ice cream, of course. Now, it’s sweet macaroons — or is it macarons? Oui, we had them at Dean & Deluca and at Paul Bakery. Say hello to new parents and new business owners, Han and Deborah Kim, who opened Macaron Bee at 1669 Wisconsin Ave., N.W., along the Book Hill business strip on May 19. The little shop is open Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Price? One macaron costs $1.75; a box of six, $10.50.

Papa-razzi Shuts Down Abruptly
“We hope this is not an inconvenience, and thank you for all the wonderful years,” the sign read on the window of Papa-razzi May 21. Text messages told the news first: the Italian restaurant next to Georgetown Park on Wisconsin Avenue at the C&O Canal has closed; doors locked; employees on the street.

Betsey Johnson Store to Close June 9
The town’s flashy, pink and fun Betsey Johnson store on M Street near the Old Stone House will close June 9. Fashion designer Betsey Johnson’s chain of stores went bankrupt April 26. Most of the 63 freestanding boutiques will close. “Johnson won’t be losing her job — but as many as 350 store workers will,” reported the New York Daily News. Women’s Wear Daily reported the designer will retain control of the Betsey Johnson clothing label.

‘More Than Just Green Space’ at Ritz, and Free Yoga
The Ritz-Carlton on South Street debuted its artistically-inspired outdoor escape, a multi-tiered Urban Garden located on two levels outside the hotel lobby. You don’t have to be a guest of The Ritz-Carlton, Georgetown to enjoy this “more than just a green space,” the company says. “The Urban Garden, with its terraced garden of paver stones, stacked stone wall, lush grass and a canopy of trees, is a venue for intimate weddings accommodating up to 90 guests, outdoor evening of dining under the stars for 60 guests and receptions of up to 90 guests.”

With activities celebrating summer holidays, such as Father’s Day and July 4th, and with a hot dog and burger bar, daily summer cooler cocktails, weekly early morning yoga, select spa services, and more, the company wants “the Urban Garden to be a hub for the Ritz-Carlton guest and the Georgetown community to gather and interact.”

Beginning Saturday, June 9, at 9 a.m., and every Saturday up to Sept. 8, complimentary outdoor yoga classes courtesy of Georgetown’s Lululemon are available to hotel guests and Georgetown neighbors. (Also available are private one-on-one fitness sessions with local trainers which can be arranged through the hotel’s boutique spa.)

Closed:
Local and international designer, artist and furniture maker, Jan Marfyak has closed his shop, Uncommon Furnishings, at 1301 35th Street, N.W. Marfyak has been around D.C. for years as well as the New York and L.A. arts scene and has worked with Krupsaw’s, Antony Childs, Miller & Armey and Muleh.
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