I think it’s great that the D.C. Board for the Condemnation of Insanitary Buildings has taken action regarding a very visible holder of a large portfolio of decaying historic vacant buildings, Shiloh Baptist Church. To date, the following vacant Shiloh properties have received condemnation notices from the board: 1543 8th, 1600 8th, 1528 9th, 1532 9th, 1534 9th, and 1536 9th Street. Two of Shiloh’s vacant properties remain untouched by the orange notices: 1526 9th and 1533 9th Street.
Shiloh is not alone in holding onto properties blighting our neighborhood. On a short walk last night with the renewshaw.com mascot, I noted several properties that are surely condemnation-worthy but that remain un-marked. Michael Sendar’s properties at the corner of Rhode Island Avenue, 9th and Q Streets and the property at 1512 8th Street both lack their own bright orange condemnation stickers presently, and both look to be at least as offensive as the Shiloh properties (annoyingly, 1512 8th remains unsealed despite several complaints filed in April!). I am sure many others exist throughout the neighborhood, but these are just the ones most accessible to me. When will all of these properties come under scrutiny by the board?
On an unrelated note, my walk last night also took me up the 1400 block of Columbia Street (between 9th and 10th Streets). If you’ve never been down this block before, you must make your way over. It is incredibly quaint and beautiful; a really idyllic enclave in Shaw. In spite of the shade, there's a patch of sunflowers growing in one of the treeboxes; I look forward to checking them out in full bloom shortly.
4 comments:
I reported 1512 8th street and was told by Hubert Johnson that it was, indeed, condemned. Has anyone called re: the remaining 9th street?
On an unrelated note, does anyone know whether the shooter on 8th street last night was apprehended?
Anon - interesting that 1512 has indeed been condemned (despite the lack of an orange sign); thanks for doing more accurate reporting than me!! Maybe Sendar's and the remaining Shiloh properties have indeed been condemned but haven't received the signage? I'm skeptically hopeful.
Judging from banter on the Yahoo! Groups, I'm guessing the 8th Street shooter is still at large. OffSeventh seems to be covering that story closely and may be more up-to-date regarding the latest info...
Shiloh's pay-off for the condemnations was Historic Preservation waiving review of the cinderblock garage behind its property, allowing them to tear down the wretched structure for PARKING. Praise Jesus. Their outlay for the condemnations is enough cash to fix the roofs, get rid of the rats, seal up the windows. That's it.
The condemnation hearing for 1512 8th Street, NW is on Wednesday, June 27, 2007, at 11:00 AM. I will be there to support condemnation of this long vacant, often unsecured shell that kids in the neighborhood have called "the haunted house" since long before I moved to the block a decade ago.
--Alexander M. Padro, ANC 2C01
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