Bonhams Offers Appraisals, Auction Highlights, April 27, 28
• April 19, 2013

As if the last week in April were not busy enough, Bonhams will exhibit auction items and offer free appraisals during its the Spring Exhibition Weekend, April 27 and 28, at the Four Seasons Hotel in Georgetown.

Coinciding with the annual White House Correspondents Dinner weekend and other receptions, Bonhams will present major highlights from its spring auctions in London and New York, letting attendees preview some of the items coming up for auction worldwide this year.

Fine paintings on offer by such luminaries as Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot, Mel Ramos and Eastman Johnson will grace the walls of the event space, complemented by displays of fine jewelry, rare books and decorative arts, including fine Chinese snuff bottles.

Attendees will also have the opportunity to bring their own treasures for a complimentary evaluation by Bonhams international roster of specialists.

Bonhams has a track record of achieving top results with auction items sourced in the Washington area. Notable local discoveries include a James Carol Beckwith painting found in Virginia and sold at Bonhams New York for $236,000 as well as a “Shanbodong” jade figure of Pindola by Yang Yuxuan from the Qing Dynasty found in Washington, D.C., and sold at Bonhams Hong Kong for $495,200. A world-record was achieved at Bonhams London for a Vasili Dmitrievich Polenov painting from Virginia, which sold for $6,366,450.

The exhibition is free and open to the public from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday, April 27; noon to 5 p.m., Sunday, April 28. Also, available vintage motorcars will be on display in the entryway of the Four Seasons, including a 1923 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost. Complimentary appraisals are available on April 27 by appointment. Contact Martin Gammon, Vice President of Business Development and Museum Services at Bonhams, at 202-333-1696. 

Jack’s Boathouse Will Close, Owner Says
• April 10, 2013

“At some point, you can’t fight the Feds,” said Jack’s Boathouse owner Paul Simkin. “We [Jack’s Boathouse] will not be there. We know when we’ve been beaten.”

Simkin responded to the Georgetowner, concerning the March 28 United States Court for the District of Columbia decision to dismiss Jack’s Boathouse case in which it claimed that the National Park Service did not have jurisdiction over the land where the boathouse sits. Jack’s Boathouse has been fighting its removal from the Potomac River shore at 3500 K St., NW, since December. The decision seriously damaged Simkin’s legal challenge to the NPS eviction.

Nevertheless, Simkin seemed at peace with his own decision to withdraw from the fight and praised the new boat rental company that will work at the old Jack’s site. He also claimed a certain moral victory.

“Our objective was to stay there and keep working for another 70 years,” Simkin said. “If that were not possible, we intended to keep out the big corporate operators as well as a big collegiate boathouse. Neither will come to pass because of our fight, our supporters and the visibility of the assorted shenanigans.”

On March 4, the NPS awarded B&G Outdoor Recreation of Boston the contract to operate on the site of Jack’s Boathouse.

“For me, the next best solution is that the new folks coming have a philosophy like ours,” Simkin said. “If the boathouse space cannot be under our leadership, I cannot think of a better fit for Georgetown than B&G. They are good people and love the water, and we ask our supporters and customers to support them. B&G has assured me that it will hire all of Jack’s former employees. And that makes me rest easier.”

Jack’s Boathouse has been renting canoe and kayaks since 1945 when it was opened by Jack Baxter, a former police officer.

“You win some,” Simkin said. “You lose some. In the end, we believe we have come out ahead.”

7-Eleven Designs for Wisconsin & O Store Criticized
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Oh, thank heaven for . . . on second thought, go to . . . or, at least, design school, say critics of the proposed look of the 7-Eleven retail store slated for the vacant store at Wisconsin Avenue and O Street. It will occupy the space which housed Doc Dalinsky’s Pharmacy, a Georgetown history lesson in itself. O Street businessman and architect Robert Bell was one of the harshest critics of the 7-Eleven designs, when they were discussed at the Georgetown-Burleith Advisory Neighborhood Commission meeting April 1.

“The concerns of myself and the merchants whom I have talked to on this block and on Wisconsin Avenue are both architectural and functional,” Bell told the Georgetowner after the Old Georgetown Board met last week, when it voted against 7-Eleven designs and ordered the store to have unobstructed windows.
 
“Many of the context architectural issues were addressed at the Old Georgetown Board,” Bell said. “Window design is critical to a vital Georgetown. OGB member Steve Muse was very succinct about the “dead space” created by many businesses on Wisconsin. He pointed out that the street should be a shopping street where the urban goal is to encourage ‘window shopping’ where the pleasures of walking in a historic district are enriched with shopping and eating.  The design by 7-Eleven eliminates that pleasure on a large section of the building by blanking off the windows and introduces a door design from a strip shopping center.  Most of the most onerous elements were rejected by the OGB which requested that 7-Eleven redesign the interior to place people instead of machines at the first and second floor windows.  We want the principles of eyes on the street from  ‘The Life and Death of American Cities’ by Jane Jacobs to be applied by 7-Eleven and all stores in Georgetown.   Every window in Georgetown is gift to the vitality of the community. Proper design inside and out is crucial to making this a great town.”   
 
Bell offered more design criticism for the town and its shopkeepers: “I was disappointed that the Old Georgetown Board and ANC approved back-lit aluminum signage.  Imagine if every building — the ones across the street and up and down Wisconsin Avenue — adopted this standard. It would completely change the character of Georgetown.  This type of signage is anathema to historical areas and their character.  The ANC and OGB should change their policy regarding this signage.  As an owner of buildings on O street, I have gone to a good deal of effort to integrate signage in the shop windows, Why would the board allow this degrading of the texture of existing brick buildings on this street while they would never think of doing the same for the other buildings on O Street?  The signs should be integrated in the windows.”

Cherry Blossom Festival Begins March 23
• March 13, 2013

The National Cherry Blossom Festival’s opens March 23 at the Warner Theatre and will feature American pop singer Andy Grammer, jazz pianist Chihiro Yamanaka, and violinist Nanae Iwata. Free online registration is required in advance. Taste of Japan returns, after a two-year hiatus, in April at the Carnegie Library. The city’s Japanese restaurants will help celebrate the gift of cherry blossom trees to D.C. from Japan from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The event is only open to the first 350 people who purchase tickets. Tickets are $100 per person; $150 per person for an exclusive preview hour starting at 6 p.m. Proceeds will go to the festival, a nonprofit. The parade takes place April 13 from 10 a.m. to noon. Grammy award-winning artist Mya and Elliott Yamin of American Idol will be joined by the University of Maryland’s GYMKANA, seen on America’s Got Talent; the Washington Wizards Girls; D.C. Rollergirls; eight marching bands from across the country; the Youth Choir and All-Star Tap Team. Although free along the parade route, prime grandstand seating is available for $20 through Ticketmaster or by calling 800-745-3000.

ANC Report: It’s All About Traffic
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The March 4 meeting of the Georgetown-Burleith Advisory Neighborhood Commission was standing room only, its biggest of several agenda items a discussion of the traffic changes on Wisconsin Avenue in Glover Park. These changes have gone beyond mere “traffic calming” to produce cars waiting in one lane for longer than planned through the neighborhood north of Georgetown.

Along with the commissioners at the table were Councilmembers Jack Evans (Ward 2) and Mary Cheh (Ward 3) along Terry Bellamy, director of D.C. Department of Transportation. Evans repeatedly said he wants two lanes going north on Wisconsin Avenue and got applause from the crowd, when he said the revisions needed to come sooner than one year. Cheh plans a May 1 roundtable on the traffic issue. Bellamy brought his DDOT team to the meeting and said it could make some changes and added that 37th Street and Tunlaw Road was the next traffic project to tackle.

Others used the phrase “terrible idea” to describe the changes. Commissioner Tom Birch said he disliked the “needless left turn” lanes, commission Bill Starrels said he did not go to Whole Foods in Glover Park but rather one in Foggy Bottom and commissioner Ed Solomon expressed concern about the traffic’s “ripple effects” through Burleith. Calling Georgetown “traffic-challenged,” Joe Sternlieb, CEO of the Georgetown Business Improvement District, said he was worried that fewer people might come to town.

On the other hand, Glover Park commissioner Jackie Blumenthal said, “People are generally pleased.”

Book Hill Benefit, April 10
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The Friends of Book Hill Park plan a April 10 party at the 31st Street home of Cheryl and Mike Naeve to raise funds to complete the trident fence on the Reservoir Road section of the park.

“Our group was able to raise funds to restore the trident fence on the Wisconsin side of Book Hill Park,” said Julia Diaz-Asper, co-president of the board of Friends of Book Hill Park. “We also rescued the partial fence from the Georgetown Library’s basement and were able to restore it with the help of Outerbridge Horsey. We are missing the rest of the fence on the Reservoir Rd side of the park. Marston Luce referred us to a person who is able to reproduce the trident fence; the Trident logo was designed by a local artist. The trident motif was designed originally to represent the reservoir at the top of the hill behind the library.”

For more information, contact Julia Diaz-Asper at jasper@ttrsir.com or 202-333-0077.

Muth Trial Begins March 25
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Here is an update from Homicide Watch D.C. (“Mark every death. Remember every victim. Follow every case.”) on alleged killer of Viola Drath, Albrecht Muth:

Weakened by a months-long fast and in critical condition at United Medical Center, Albrecht Muth on March 6 attempted to win back his right to represent himself at his upcoming murder trial. Muth spoke with the court by phone, saying that, in fasting, he intends to possibly die before Easter, will subpoena Gen. David Petraeus and other high-ranking government officials for evidence he was an Iraqi brigadier general and that his wife, 91-year-old Viola Drath, was killed by an Iranian agent. “This marks the last time I will address myself in public,” Muth also told the court.

Muth’s claims, though, did little to sway Judge Russell Canan, who urged Muth to end a months-long hunger strike that has left attorneys at a loss on how to proceed with the trial scheduled to begin March 25. “You say you’re innocent of these charges,” Canan said to Muth. “I would hope you would have enough faith in the criminal justice system that you’d be vindicated.”??Muth said his fast is motivated by religious reasons; the angel Gabriel appeared to him and told him not to eat, he said. The fast “aims to bring me into one with Christ Jesus during this Lenten season,” Muth said.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Glenn Kirschner said doctors at United Medical Center suspect he may be drinking water when no one is watching. No plan is in place yet that would allow Muth to appear in court without jeopardizing his fragile health.

Frederick Douglass Statue Moved to U.S. Capitol
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The statue of abolitionist, orator and District resident Frederick Douglass moved from One Judiciary Square to the U.S. Capitol in the National Statuary Hall along with the sculptures of other famous Americans. All 50 states have statues of two luminaries apiece in the Capitol building, but because D.C. is not a state, the Douglass statue and one of architect Pierre L’Enfant were not admitted. As a compromise, legislation authored by Rep. Dan Lungren, backed by D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton and approved last year, allows D.C. to have one statue.

But Norton has vowed to “continue to fight to bring” the L’Enfant statue into the Capitol as well. After all, L’Enfant planned the city of Washington, the nation’s capital. His statue remains at One Judiciary Square.

Zipcar Expands
• March 12, 2013

Zipcar will expand its presence in 15 locations in eight D.C. neighborhoods in March, increasing its fleet by 44 cars. The car sharing company added seven cars in Colonial Parking Garages located at 1425 K Street and 1015 15th Street in Downtown on March 1.

Downtown Restaurant Openings Spring 2013
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Ramen noodle restaurant Daikaya at 705 6th Street NW opened Feb. 13. Jewish-Moroccan deli The Carving Room at 300 Massachusetts Avenue, also opened in Febraury. Equipped with a full kitchen, 55 seats, and a bar, happy hour runs from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. every day. The patio includes 40 seats, which will open in early Summer. Ebbitt Express at 675 15th St., NW, the carryout arm of Old Ebbitt Grill shut down last month. Open for nearly 20 years, the spot offered customers on-the-go breakfast and lunch. Old Ebbitt Grill now offers carry out.