May Start for 2-Year, $21-Million Key Bridge Rehab
• January 29, 2015

A two-year rehabilitation of Key Bridge is set to begin in May, the D.C. Department of Transportation announced. Corrosive deterioration of the underside of the concrete deck has prompted this round of repairs to the oldest existing bridge across the Potomac River.

Most of the work will occur under the bridge. Other improvements include: new streetlights, strengthened guardrails and painting. According to DDOT, drivers should expect non-rush hour, single-lane closures and pedestrians should expect temporary sidewalk closings. The federal government will pay 90 percent of the cost.

The arched structure is termed “structurally deficient” and has been the backdrop for two speeches by President Barack Obama on the nation’s deteriorating infrastructure. It is named for Georgetowner Francis Scott Key, who wrote “The Star-Spangled Banner” and whose home, now demolished, was on M Street.

Phil Mayhew (1934-2015)
•

A good neighbor, classic Georgetown gentleman and friend of The Georgetowner, Philip Mayhew died of cancer Jan. 9.

Born in San Francisco Dec. 1, 1934, Mayhew lived around the world: in the Philippines as a boy, Washington state, Pennsylvania and, then, as a foreign service officer with the State Department, in Laos, Congo, Jordan, Vietnam and Thailand.

A 1956 graduate of Princeton University, Mayhew served in the military and worked for the Washington Post briefly. He also worked with the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency and the Defense Department. The King of Thailand presented Mayhew with the Order of the White Elephant for his diplomatic service.

After faithfully representing the U.S., Mayhew returned to his Georgetown townhouse on 35th Street hill. He is one of the last of a generation of neighbors that included Emerson Duncan and Paul Hartstall. There, Mayhew personified the lesson of Voltaire’s “Candide”: after all your adventures, tend your own garden.

Neighbors on 35th Street and Prospect Street are planning a celebration of Mayhew’s life; time to be determined. Call The Georgetowner for details at 202-338-4833.

Tudor Place’s Buhler to Retire
•

Leslie Buhler has announced she will retire at the end of June after 15 years as executive director of Tudor Place.

Since 2000, Buhler has overseen an expansion and updating of the museum’s educational programs, bringing more visitors to Tudor Place from around the District and the suburbs. While mindful of the need for historic preservation, she has directed archaeological investigation on the property and made the house and lawn available for selected events. She also coordinated a master plan.

“I’ve experienced great professional and personal satisfaction in advancing one of the greatest house museums in the nation’s capital, bringing attention to the extraordinary collection and archive it holds, and engaging the public with wonderful historic and cultural resources unique to Tudor Place,” Buhler said.

A national historic landmark on five-and-a-half acres, on Q Street between 31st and 32nd Streets, Tudor Place was completed in 1816 by Thomas Peter and his wife Martha Custis Peter, a granddaughter of Martha Washington. It is noted for its architecture, garden and historic collections, including more than 200 items owned by Martha and George Washington. The estate had only been open to the public for 12 years when Buhler became executive editor.

Dumb Moves on Dumbarton
•

Major non-approved changes, including the stuccoing of exterior brick walls and removal of multi-paned windows, that were recently made to a historic 1898 colonial revival home once owned by Secretary of State John Dulles are quickly garnering the indignation and wrath of many in the Georgetown community for what seems to be a violation of the law, not to mention good taste. Tom Luebke, Secretary to U.S. Commission on Fine Arts and head of the Old Georgetown Board, a governmental body charged with reviewing all exterior alterations in the federal historic district, called the homeowner’s failure to obtain permits is one of the most egregious violations of process his organization has seen in a long time.

The Citizens Association of Georgetown’s president Pamla Moore echoed those concerns and expressed hope for a reversal of the changes stating, “CAG is very keen on the District government moving to enforce the laws regarding this unpermitted work in our historic district.” Councilmen Jack Evans when speaking of the house states, “Historic preservation is important to all of us in Georgetown. Frankly, I think the homeowner should take down the stucco and the additions and work through the ANC and Old Georgetown Board to make sure any changes are in keeping with the historic character of the neighborhood.” The home is located at 3107 Dumbarton St. NW.

Ellington School Project Gets More Money
•

Mayor Bowser freed up an additional $7.5 million to bail out the Duke Ellington School of the Arts modernization and expansion project.

Shortly after the start of construction, the D.C. Department of General Services (DGS) determined that the original $139-million dollar budget for the magnet school was not enough to complete the tasks planned. DGS and school officials then scrambled to find ways to dramatically cutback the plans and reduce costs.

The mayor requested that $7,556,800 of the original $49-million planned budget for the Garrison School modernization effort be reallocated to Ellington and that the Garrison work be delayed. It is expected that final signoffs on the bailout/carve-out will be completed soon.

Park Service to Hold Feb. 4 Meeting on Boathouses
• January 28, 2015

The National Park Service will hold a public meeting on Potomac River boating facilities from 6 to 8 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 4, at Palisades Public Library, 4901 V St. NW.

According to the NPS, it “is developing an implementation plan for nonmotorized boating facilities and related park improvements in the western section of Georgetown Waterfront Park. As part of the 1987 Plan for the Georgetown Waterfront Park and the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park that established a zone for boathouse facilities, the plan has not yet been implemented. The need for such facilities was confirmed in the 2013 Feasibility Study for a Nonmotorized Boathouse Zone.”

The proposed project area extends from 34th Street NW approximately a quarter-mile upriver from Key Bridge. The project area encompasses both public and private land, including portions of the C&O Canal Park, Rock Creek Park and several privately owned parcels (the Potomac Boat Club, several private residences and a small parcel accessible from the shoreline only).

There is a 30-day public scoping period during which the NPS is soliciting public comments on the proposal. The park service invites all interested in this development plan to attend the meeting.

Telling Georgetown’s Story, Person by Person
•

“I grew up in a small town,” said developer Richard Levy, one of those recently interviewed for the oral history project of the Citizens Association of Georgetown. He meant both Georgetown and Washington, D.C., he said. It was a sentiment echoed by those at the table and by many in the audience.

The facts may be the same, but the feelings are more vivid. That is why Georgetowners of all stripes crowded the grand room of the City Tavern Jan. 13 for the third live presentation of the CAG project, coordinated by committee chair Cathy Farrell.

Five prominent residents, current and former, were there to tell their story about growing up, living or working in D.C.’s oldest and most famous neighborhood: Anne Emmet, Philip Levy, Richard Levy, Elizabeth Stevens and Gary Tischler. Emmet, an artist, was ready with some insight into old social traditions. Sons of real estate pioneer Sam Levy, Philip and Richard Levy recalled growing up on M Street above the family store. Stevens, with her husband George Stevens, Jr., founding director of the Kennedy Center Honors, raised three children on Avon Lane.

With a nod to the old and new, Stevens began the talk, saying that it is “so lovely to live here,” recalling the elegant specialty shops, such as one run by Dorcas Hardin, along with Neam’s Market and the French Market. She also recalled Menehan’s Hardware Store on M Street. She noted that with Jackie Kennedy the town had gotten real style. Nevertheless, she said that Georgetown “hasn’t changed that much.”

Richard Levy, who learned more Georgetown history while doing research for his West Heating Plant condo project, reminded the crowd that the town once had 12 gas stations and at least two car dealerships. The parking lot behind the Old Stone House was a used car lot, he recalled. He also pointed out that Georgetown has had a vibrant group of Jewish merchants. Living in a house once occupied by John F. Kennedy, he cited the Kennedy era as Georgetown’s second rebirth. (The brothers also mentioned the Biograph Theater and Key Theater, run by their other brother David, now decreased. The CVS on M is where the Biograph was; the Key, Restoration Hardware.)

Owner of Bridge Street Books on Pennsylvania Avenue, Philip Levy remembered watching football at his father’s store and the cops walking the beat. For him, this “small town” was full of country western music (the Shamrock on M Street) and was the bluegrass capital of the world (after Nashville). He listed the Bayou, the Cellar Door and Shadows, where Ri Ra is now. He later noted the importance of Blues Alley.

Emmet began by mentioning that her mother bought the family’s P Street house in 1950 for $50,000. As her mother become bedridden, Emmet’s neighbors pitched in. To sighs from some in the audience, she mentioned Dorothy Stead’s dress shop. She remembers when Volta Park was a “junk heap” and she was not allowed to go there. She and her girlfriends got to meet the King of Jordan. Then, at a different time, they went with the boys to Wisconsin and M, carrying paint cans and brushes. They held the wet brushes against the turning cars – and never got caught. (The audience howled.) She said the town has changed a lot.

Tischler, known as the longest-serving and most prolific writer for The Georgetowner, said he began writing for the newspaper, which just celebrated its 60th anniversary, in 1980. He wrote immediately about Sen. Ted Kennedy and then about burlesque dancer Blaze Starr (not in the same story or breath, we assure you). He has written 2,000 articles about the town and its people and called the place “steadfast” and “classy.” He gave a quick list of notables for him – “George Stevens, Ed Shorey, Don Shannon, Virginia Allen, Chris Murray” – and worried about missing more. He did give a tip of the hat to author Kitty Kelley, who, he said, “is famous doesn’t act like it.” He also said, “The best view of Georgetown is from the Kennedy Center and the best view of the Kennedy Center is from Georgetown,” and that he hoped to write 2,000 more stories.

If you want to interview or be interviewed for the oral history project, contact the Citizens Association of Georgetown by emailing CAGmail@CAGtown.org or calling 202-337-7313.

2 Sexual Assaults Near the C&O Canal in July
• January 16, 2015

Woman Sexually Assaulted on Capital Crescent Trail, July 25

A female jogger was sexually assaulted along the Capital Crescent Trail July 25 around 9:15 p.m. U.S. Park Police responded (including EMTs and a helicopter) to the crime and are still investigating. According to Park Police, “The victim in this case was jogging on the trail and the suspect approached the victim from behind, and then placed the victim in a choke hold. The victim lost consciousness and awoke with her pants down and the suspect fondling her. The victim screamed and the suspect then fled on foot toward Fletcher’s Boat House.” The attack took place on the trail close to the 9.5 mile marker — “north of Three Sisters [Islands] in the area of Water Street, NW,” police reported.

Park Police described the suspect as a black male with medium complexion, 5 feet 8 inches to 11 inches in height, “approximately 180 to 200 pounds; muscular/fit build; dreadlocks, three to four inches long; light scruffy beard; wearing a white shirt, possibly a tank top or cut off sleeves, and wearing long jersey type black shorts; no weapons used.”

The police seek the public’s assistance: “If you come in contact with any individuals that match the above descriptions, please take the appropriate action, document the contact thoroughly, and notify Detective Glenn Luppino, 202-610-8750; reference case #12-36735. U.S. Park Police Tip Line: 202-610-8737.”

Assault at 31st and the Canal, July 7
The United States Park Police, Criminal Investigation Branch, reported another sexual assault near the canal. This time, it was in town near businesses and homes. This is from the USPP: “Investigating a sexual assault that occurred Saturday, July 7 at approximately 1 a.m. in the Georgetown waterfront area. The victim was approached by the suspect in the area of M Street and 31st Street, NW. The suspect offered to assist the victim in locating her friends. The suspect led the victim onto the C&O Canal towpath just off of 31st Street and pushed the victim down into the bushes and sexually assaulted the victim. The victim was able to get away from the suspect. The suspect was last seen near the C&O Canal at 31st Street, NW.”

The park police described the suspect as follows: white male, with a heavy Australian accent; late 20s, approximately 5 feet-nine inches; slightly overweight; short dark hair, scruffy beard; wearing a polo shirt with white and blue horizontal stripes; wearing shorts, unknown color.

Again, the park police seek the public’s assistance: “If you come in contact with an individual matching the above description or image, please contact the U.S. Park Police Communications Section at 202-610-7505, or the U.S. Park Police Tip Line 202-610-8737, reference case #12-33695. “ [gallery ids="100930,129767" nav="thumbs"]

No Pot Paraphernalia Law Closes Capitol Hemp
•

Capitol Hemp, the tiny earth-friendly store which opened just over two years ago in the basement of 519 H St., will close its doors on Sept. 12 after getting a six-week extension from Aug. 1 so that pending issues between the city and the owner’s lawyers could be resolved. The store sells everything from soap and lotion to art and clothing, all made from industrial hemp. The retailer’s Adams Morgan store will close next month as well. The agreement came after an October raid when the Metropolitan Police confiscated water pipes, claiming they broke paraphernalia laws.

DDOT: Bids for Advertising on Capital Bikeshare Map Panels are Open
•

Feel like getting creative in advertising? Think Capital Bikeshare. The city issued an invitation for bids on advertising at 128 Capital Bikeshare station map panels in the District. The successful bidder will have the ability to advertise a message on a space 38 inches wide and 56 -3/4 inches tall, in prime activity centers with significant levels of pedestrian, car, bike and transit traffic, 365 days a year, 7 days a week.

In addition to the expected financial return to the city, the District will also evaluate the successful bidder’s ability to maintain the brand identity and equity of Capital Bikeshare and consideration of neighborhood characteristics in the selection of advertisements for display. The Invitation for Bids is posted online at ddot.dc.gov.