President Clinton PBS Documentary Airs Tonight
• March 1, 2012

While you may have missed former President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton strolling around 36th and Prospect Streets near his alma mater Georgetown University, after dining at 1789 Restaurant Feb. 17, you can tune into public television tonight for the start of a two-part documentary on Clinton, just in time for Presidents’ Day.

Public Broadcasting Service’s “American Experience” takes on the Clinton years in a four-hour, two-part treatment, which airs 9 p.m., tonight and tomorrow (locally, WETA and WHUT).

Clinton began his presidential run in autumn 1991, giving his “New Covenant” speeches at Georgetown University’s Gaston Hall. At the time, Georgetowner editor and publisher David Roffman gave an assignment to one of his editors to cover the address by the Arkansas governor who was seeking the Democratic presidential nomination. Roffman had thought it a minor local event as he believed Clinton did not have a chance to beat Sen. Bob Kerrey (D-Neb.).

3rd Georgetown Arts Show Gets Its Close-up
• February 23, 2012

The third annual Citizens Association of Georgetown art show debuted with a Feb. 16 reception at the House of Sweden at 2900 K Street, N.W. “Georgetown ARTS 2012,” sponsored by […]

Ins and Outs: Antiques of Georgetown Closes
• February 22, 2012

Bidding Goodbye to Antiques of Georgetown

A farewell party for Antiques of Georgetown is planned for March at the store, after it officially closes Feb. 29. 

“I have been very happy here,” said William Donahue, whose first antiques shop was four doors east on O Street. “I have loved being my own boss.”

As reported in the Jan. 25 Georgetowner, Donahue—who has operated an antique shop in Georgetown since 1967—is retiring.

An economics major, Donohue worked for Riggs Bank downtown until the antiques world became a business for him. “My wife Mary and I had three kids when I started,” Donahue said. “We lived in Foxhall Village.” Now, they have places in Bethesda and Georgetown, and wife Mary prefers to spend more time in Florida.

“One of my best clients was Supreme Court Chief Justice Warren Burger,” said Donahue, who also recalled when First Lady Nancy Reagan visited his shop and was given two pieces of art she had admired—by the artist.

The most interesting piece he sold? A desk with nine secret compartments. His most sentimental item? A chandelier from his family’s R Street home, still in the shop.

The Donahue family—the father was a physician—grew up on 35th Street. The children were born in Georgetown University Hospital; that same building is now Loyola dormitory. A brother, Matt, who lived on Prospect Street, died Jan. 19.

Donahue remembers delivering newspapers in town when many black families lived on 32nd Street and elsewhere. Grown-up memories include Sunday brunches at Doc Dalinsky’s pharmacy with trays of food from the Georgetown Inn’s Collins Bird. One of those Sunday regulars, Ben Bradlee, might add: It has been a good life—antiquing and other adventures—for Donahue.

The store is having a half-price sale; check www.Georgetowner.com for details on the March send-off reception.

Say Hello to a 2nd Tu-O-Tu

On Feb. 20, owner Mino Sarano opened a second eatery, Cafe Tu-O-Tu Express, at 3421 M Street, N.W., right next to the Pie Sisters. The Regency Row spot on the west side of town complements his first Tu-O-Tu near the Fours Season Hotel at the east side. Manager Bora Akcakanat welcomes his new neighbors with wraps, sandwiches, salads and an all-day breakfast, which includes a “Key Bridge” egg, cheese and bacon sandwich. So, that’s area code 202 . . . 337 4455.

New in Town: Suitsupply and Noodles and Company

The Dutch outfit, Suitsupply, known for its quality suits at reasonable prices, will be opening its doors at 2800 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., at the Four Seasons. The only other U.S. location is in New York.

Noodles and Company is taking over the former Einstein’s Bagels location by the Safeway building at 1855 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W. Dine in or take out a wide array of menu options, all containing noodles, of course.

Potomac Phil Predicts 6 Weeks of Winter, 9 Months of Gridlock in Congress
• February 13, 2012

The dead, stuffed Potomac Phil predicted six more weeks of winter and nine more months of gridlock in Congress, reports Patrick Ryan of SnarkInfested.com. The rodent-meteorologist event was held at Dupont Circle, Feb. 2. Potomac Phil’s message was made about an hour after the famous Punxsutawney Phil in Pennsylvania saw his own shadow and foresaw six more weeks of winter.

This first-ever D.C. gathering for a groundhog earned a resolution from the D.C. Council and announced the even easier prediction of gridlock in Congress. Local Council member Jack Evans joined event coordinator Aaron DeNu and others, as they leaned over the stuffed groundhog. There were groundhog-shaped cookies for the group, and a rabbi offered a prayer about light.
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NGA’s French Galleries Re-open Jan. 28 to Renewed Radiance and Delight
• February 8, 2012

After two years of renovation, the National Gallery of Art will reopen its galleries devoted to impressionism and post-impressionism to the public on Saturday, Jan. 28. Housed in the west building of the gallery, the installation displays some of the greatest paintings by Manet, Monet, Renoir, Cézanne, Van Gogh and Gauguin on view anywhere.

On Jan. 25, the National Gallery held a preview of the reinstalled 19th-century French art along with a reception for special guests, friends and benefactors, who smiled anew at the familiar faces of Manet, Van Gogh, Gauguin and others.

“The gallery’s French impressionist and post-impressionist holdings, comprising nearly 400 paintings, are among the most prized in the collection, and rightly so,” said Earl A. Powell III, director, National Gallery of Art. “While the appearance of these revered rooms has changed very little — preserving the conditions of light, the room proportions, and wall colors that make the gallery one of the great places to view art in the world — the paintings themselves will be shown in a newly innovative arrangement.”

Here’s how the gallery sums up the new installation: It is “organized into thematic, monographic, and art historical groupings. The ‘new’ Paris of the Second Empire and the Third Republic are highlighted through cityscapes by Manet, Renoir and Pissaro. Showcasing sun-dappled landscapes and scenes of suburban leisure, a gallery of “high impressionism” masterpieces of the 1870s is prominently located off the East Sculpture Hall, including such beloved works as Monet’s The Artist’s Garden at Vétheuil (1880) and Renoir’s Girl with a Hoop (1885). A gallery is devoted to the sophisticated color experiments of late Monet, while Cézanne’s genius in landscape, still-life, and figure painting is explored in another. Paintings exemplifying the bold innovations of Van Gogh and Gauguin are displayed along with Degas’ later, experimental works in one gallery, followed by a room of canvases by artists such as Delacroix, Renoir, and Matisse celebrating exoticism and the sensual use of color and paint handling. The final gallery is dedicated to the Parisian avant-garde circa 1900: Toulouse-Lautrec, Modigliani, Rousseau, and early Picasso.”

National Gallery Celebrates Reopening of Its French Galleries With Public Programs

The National Gallery of Art will celebrate the reopening of its galleries devoted to 19th-century French impressionist and post-impressionist painting with an array of public programs throughout the opening weekend of Jan. 28 to 29 — and later. Located on the main floor of the west building, the galleries will reopen to the public on Jan. 28, following a two-year renovation.

All programs are free of charge in the east building auditorium unless otherwise noted. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

For more information, visit www.NGA.gov.

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Georgetowners of the Year: the Friends of Georgetown Waterfront Park
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The transformation of Georgetown’s land along the Potomac River was completed four months ago. After years in the making, Georgetown Waterfront Park now stands as a stupendous achievement for this town and the District of Columbia. It had many advocates, including our beloved Sen. Charles Percy, who died four days after its official National Park Service dedication ceremony in September. Along with private contributions, the federal and District government stood behind it. Throughout all of this, the local non-profit, the Friends of Georgetown Waterfront Park, never took its eyes off the prize.

The $24-million, 9.5-acre park was a project of the National Park Service, the Friends of Georgetown Waterfront Park and the District of Columbia government. Designed by Wallace Roberts & Todd of Philadelphia, it is the largest park created in D.C. since Constitution Gardens was completed on the National Mall in 1976.

Once the land of old Georgetown’s wharves and then factories, the riverside had deteriorated into parking lots and empty land. In 1985, the District of Columbia transferred the waterfront land to the National Park Service. In the late 1990s, the Georgetown Waterfront Commission made the long push for completion, bringing together volunteers, residents, the rowing community, local leaders and the National Park Service. That group morphed into the Friends of Georgetown Waterfront Park.

The park features pathways, granite artwork that tells the story of Georgetown as a port, a labyrinth, and a bio-engineered river edge, along with a pergola, fountain and river stairs.

While we salute contributors, private and public, and the National Park Service, it is the Friends of Georgetown Waterfront Park—its members and main officers, Robert Von Eigen, Jonda McFarlane, Barbara Downs, Robin Gilbert, Ann Satterthwaite, Grace Bateman, Gretchen Ellsworth, Corinne Bronfman and Roger Stone — that earned the accolade: Georgetowners of the Year 2011. All of them have given us back our river and made “America’s best idea” even better.
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Safeway’s Safety Fair With D.C. Fire & EMS Informs, Entertains Customers and Families
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The Georgetown “Social” Safeway at 1855 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W., presented a Community Wellness and Safety Fair Jan. 28. With the help of the D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services those who stopped by learned about child seat safety and installation, saw the proper way to “Stop, Drop and Roll” during a fire, received blood pressure and glucose screenings — along with CPR and AED demonstrations and fire extinguisher simulations. There were oven mitts, kids’ firemen helmets and other fire safety items given away.

Safeway plans other safety fairs at other District stores.

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High Noon at McPherson Square
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The noon Jan. 30 deadline came and went, as United State Park Police again warned protestors at McPherson Square at 15th and K Streets that camping with overnight sleeping would no longer be allowed. Some have already complied; many appeared ready for a fight and stay in the park overnight.

Photographer Patrick Ryan of SnarkInfested.com reported from the scene: “Occupy D.C. protestors put a giant ‘tent of dreams’ over the equestrian statue of General McPherson in the center of McPherson Square and chanted, ‘Let us sleep so we can dream!’ ”

U.S. Park Police spokesman, Sgt. David Schlosser said that Occupy D.C. protestors on McPherson Square and Freedom Plaza had been made aware of camping regulations but gave no hard schedule for arresting any die-hards violating the deadline.

On Monday, no arrests had been made as of 3 p.m. The so-called showdown seemed to have mellowed and been deferred. U.S. Civil War Major General James Birdseye McPherson, whose equestrian statue was covered with a blue tarp and who died with his boots on in 1864, might not have been so agreeable.
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Longtime Residents Make Georgetown History Come Alive
• January 25, 2012

The Citizens Association of Georgetown put its Oral History Project on display, Jan. 18, at the City Tavern Club. Part of CAG’s effort to document the “living history” of Georgetown, seven residents with their lively recollections made the town’s past come alive in the listeners’ minds. Introduced by the project’s Annie Lou Berman, speakers took those in the City Tavern’s packed ballroom back to their days of youth and discovery, painting a picture of a town before the big changes of half a century ago with their joyful, humorous stories.

Interior designer Frank Randolph recalled the dogwood festivals at Hardy School and his time at Western (now Duke Ellington) High School and sitting in a soda shop, across the street where he lives today.

Barry Deutschman, owner of Morgan’s Pharmacy, which opened 100 years ago, told of mixing prescriptions by hand and a store which also sold “newspapers, tobacco and magazines — none of that exists now.” Yes, chef Julia Childs did run into Morgan’s one time and ask for a pack of Tums. He has not retired.

Catherine Bowman, leader and historian of the black community, matter-of-factly talked of the days of segregation, when blacks lived at the east side of P Street and Poplar Place and went to Rose Park but were not allowed in Volta Park.

Georges Jacob, co-founder of the French Market, noted that his shop introduced the finer French cuts of meat and other foods to neighbors and embassies, as it strengthened Georgetown’s love of all things French.

Margaret Oppenheimer, who with her husband Franz raised three sons on O Street, remembered leaving New York for the calmer days of D.C.

Don Shannon, 40-year Los Angeles Times foreign correspondent, recalled there were six service stations in Georgetown and gravel works down at the waterfront just after World War II and how President John Kennedy’s father Joe Kennedy described the homes as “dog houses” because of their size.

Kay Evans, widow of columnist Roland Evans, spoke of the Kennedy years and fondly of her arrival in D.C. with a girlfriend to meet cute, young men.

The City Tavern Preservation Foundation, which recently marked its 50th anniversary of the purchase of the historic City Tavern by the City Tavern Association, hosted the CAG meeting and reception.

If you care to continue the conversations, become a CAG Oral History interviewer. A training session is planned for Feb. 15, 6 p.m. in the CAG office at 1365 Wisconsin Ave., N.W. (Enter via the black external staircase on O Street.) The session is for both new interviewers to learn the ropes and for seasoned interviewers to share their experiences. Training will last 90 minutes with the Oral History Project’s coordinator, Annie Lou Berman. Contact the CAG office at 337-7313 or cagmail@cagtown.org.
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The Decline and Fall of Georgetown Park
• January 23, 2012

In September 1981, the Shops at Georgetown Park opened to much fanfare: 100 stores (including 128 condominiums), such as Abercrombie & Fitch, Garfinckel’s, Ann Taylor, Scan Furniture, Conran’s, Davisons of Bermuda, Mark Cross and Godiva Chocolatier. With such memories, any longtime local walking through the 30-year-old place in 2012 is saddened by its fall.

Today, none of those stores remains. Indeed, few remain in the 317,000-square-foot shopping complex at 3222 M St., N.W. Leases have expired, and others are set to expire Jan. 31. Consumers’ reaction to the now-disliked concept of an enclosed urban shopping mall are to blame, just as are a few of Georgetown Park’s business decisions through the years. A slow economy seems a minor factor here, but a legal fight between developers Herb Miller, whose Western Development Corp. created Georgetown Park, and Anthony Lanier of Eastbanc over the property do not help, either.

Not even angels could save it. A la Charlie’s, the Georgetown Angels — owners Heidi Kallett of the Dandelion Patch, Stephanie Fornash Kennedy of Fornash Designs and Kassie Rempel of Simply Soles — held events and launched promotions to gain exposure for the shopping center. They will be soon gone, too, as the mall is emptied to be prepared for renovation.

The new landlord of the property, Vornado Realty Trust is vague about its bigger plans, because it is still finalizing new arrangements. A Bloomingdale’s store coming? Heard about that often, but do not know. Hmm, how about a Target? Perhaps, New York’s hip food shop Eataly showing up here? Mere speculation.

Advisory neighborhood commissioner Bill Starrels, whose district includes the shopping complex, sums it up: “We are all hoping that these persons from New York will not just restore Georgetown Park but also bring it into the 21st century.”

“They took something wonderful and destroyed it,” says Alex Shirazi, vice president of Rush Hour Printing & Graphics, a Georgetown Park tenant, whose lease extends through March. A sales rep visiting him Jan. 12 said she was shaken by the sound of the fall of a panel onto the canal-level tiled floor, according to Shirazi. Janitors quickly cleaned up any mess. No one was hurt; no one else was there.

Also, on the canal level, the D.C. Department of Motor Vehicles still operates its Georgetown branch, but it has put out a request to lease new space elsewhere. With entrances on M Street, J. Crew, Sisley and Intermix have locked their back doors to the mall, even as the original Clyde’s Restaurant leaves open its back entrance to the M Street level. In a bit of irony or carelessness, Georgetown Park’s website incorrectly lists many stores as they existed a year ago or more and are now gone.

Meanwhile, life goes on as usual in Georgetown Park’s condos. And for all its collapsed empire of retail, a kind of renaissance — indeed, a redesign and reconstruction — is anticipated for the Shops at Georgetown Park. The neighborhood’s merchant space remains a gold mine.
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