Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Washington Post Reports October Groundbreaking for Convention Center Hotel
On Sunday, the Washington Post reported that construction of the $550 million convention center hotel is on track to begin in October. The hotel is designed to enliven Ninth Street with a hip, urban convention district, with street-level retail, white-cloth restaurants and a bar.
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4 comments:
I should note that the article largely ignores the renewal efforts that have gone on in Shaw for years, like our many new and notable businesses (e.g., Vegetate, EFN Lounge, Azi's Cafe, Long View Gallery, Maruka, Wagtime, Shakti, and so on and so forth), the many blocks that have been transformed by individual row home renovations, and the big and small condominium projects.
Also of note, the hotel will connect with the convention center via a tunnel that will go under Ninth Street. I don't think that the tunnel will detract from the Hotel's general impact on patron foot traffic on Ninth Street, but will rather allow for safe flow of the hords of convention-goers to the convention center (instead of having the massess all attempting to cross Ninth at the same time, usually during rush hour).
the tunnel is actually already built according to the powers that be...
I'll be glad when we have hotelS there instead of the current poo factory.
good to know the tunnel's already there!
I really (REALLY) hope that the two smaller hotels in the 900 block of L Street/1100 block of 9th are built soon too -- those boarded up buildings along L and along 9th are particular eyesores and blight. I almost (almost) think their construction is more important to the neighborhood than the mega-hotel.
I think if Marriott has anything to say about it (and they will), the boarded up buildings on lower 9th will start to transform once building of the Marriott Marquis is underway. And as they own the property I'm sure they'll move those projects right along.
Can you imagine them opening a 4-star, flagship hotel next to boarded up buildings with nothing happening??? I doubt that would happen.
Fortunately we're talking about a successful, multi-national corporation leading this development, and not the city gov't or some other bunch of yokels.
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