Rent Me: 1911 Ninth Street

Yesterday, I came across this Craigslist Posting advertising that the retail space in 1911 Ninth Street is for lease. 1911 Ninth formerly housed the wildly popular Lettie Gooch Boutique, which moved to a nearby space on U Street last year. Below is the full text of the listing, as well as a few of the listing's photographs:

$3200 / 1000ft² - U ST. 9TH/ONE BLOCK TO METRO (1911 9TH ST. NW WASH. DC 20001)

Great ground level store front or office space with good visibility and high traffic in great Shaw u street area.
High ceiling and exposed bricks with Hardwood floor and Central Air.
Previously was occupied by a apparel /boutique.
There is a basement and parking in the back.
Ready to move in.
To see Call 703/625-5032

I hope that a really neat and unique retail store (like a home goods/gift store or a nice consignment shop) or a cool gallery (like Transformer from P Street) opens in this spot. What do you think would work well there?

A Piece of My Heart in Historic Theater

The American Century Theater is bringing A Piece of My Heart, a celebration of women who served and sacrificed in the Vietnam War, to Washington D.C. this November 6th - 21st. They are performing at the historic theater space of the Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church, 900 Massachusetts Avenue, Northwest.

About the play:

Shirley Lauro’s celebration of women who served and sacrificed in Vietnam has received an overwhelming emotional response from audiences of all ages and backgrounds, and the ensemble work by 7-member cast has garnered glowing reviews from critics and audiences.

For tickets and show times, click here.


A Piece of My Heart
Vernon Place United Methodist Church
900 Massachusetts Avenue, Northwest
November 6th - 21st

Spirito di Vino Art Reception Tomorrow Night

"Spirito di Vino" is a series of bi-weekly receptions showcasing the works of young upcoming artists in the Washington metro area. Tomorrow night (Wednesday, November 4) is its second program. It will begin at 6:00 PM at La Carbonara Lounge (above La Carbonara Restaurant at 1826 Ninth Street,NW) and will feature the works of Washington-based Ethiopian artist Solomon Asfaw.

Spirito di Vino
Wednesday, November 4
La Carbonara Lounge
1826 Ninth Street, Northwest

Promo Video on Shaw

Check out this video entitled "Live in DC: Shaw". It's a great, fun and informative promotional video created by Long and Foster realtor Phil Di Ruggiero about why one should live in Shaw.

A Great Day Planting Tulips

Frank Asher of Old City Green and I extend a warm thanks to all who helped make yesterday's tulip bulb planting happen -- from the volunteers who got muddy and misted on in the gray Halloween morning, to the financial sponsors (Douglas Development, EFN Lounge, Independence Bank, Inle Development, Old City Green,Shiloh Baptist Church, The Nine), to the neighborhood businesses like Azi's Cafe (which provided delicious cider) and Chatman's D'vine Bakery (which provided awesome, fresh made muffins, sweet potato pie and bread), to the well-wishers passing by, it was a fun and productive day of community. In all, we planted roughly 800 tulips, supplemented the soil with nutrients, and mulched 32 tree boxes on Ninth Street between N and Rhode Island Avenue. About fifteen volunteers -- including Shaw business owners, residents and church parishioners -- came together to work on the project.

A great thanks is also due Shaw Main Streets and Alex Padro. The tulip project was facilitated through and in furtherance of the ongoing work of Shaw Main Streets, which, in 2007, brought us the iron tree box guards and loriope that line Ninth Street. Among other things, Alex helped raise money for Saturday's event, helped recruit volunteers, and provided general guidance on its execution.

Hopefully these tulips will bloom for many springs to come, and next fall we can turn our attention to another handful of blocks to receive bulbs!

Grab Bag of Good Press

Were my mind not on roughly 800 tulips that will soon call Ninth Street home, I would surely be devoting more time to the following juicy news items:

1. DDOT announces funding for the Carter G. Woodson Memorial Park - My second blog post ever pertained to the stalled triangle park redevelopment at 9th and Q Streets and Rhode Island Avenue. Finally, after several years of anxiously waiting the new green space, the park project has received funding to proceed. The Department of Parks and Recreation is working on a design now (this is not their park design and is not likely what the park will ultimately look like). Rumor is that we should have a new park at this notable intersection next year!

2. Bonstra Haresign ARCHITECTS is Designing Warrenton Group's New Headquarters at 1547 Seventh Street - In response to some discussion on the neighborhood Yahoo! Group, I did some internet searching and found that in August of this year, the Warrenton Group awarded to Bonstra Haresign ARCHITECTS a project to provide design services to assist the Warrenton Group with the renovation and modern addition to historic 1547 7th Street, NW. The architects state that "One of the few remaining Arts and Crafts style buildings in DC, 1547 7th Street formerly housed the developer's father's business and rental apartments. The renovated building will house Warrrenton's corporate offices and a corporate apartment."

3. United Negro College Fund May Be a Co-Tenant in Media Center One - The Business Journal reports on the probable identity of Radio One's co-tenant in its new headquarters on Seventh Street. This should help the awesome mixed use project break ground soon!

Reminder: Tulip Planting Saturday!

This Saturday morning (October 31, 2009), please join neighbors and friends to plant tulips in tree boxes on Ninth Street between N Street and Rhode Island Avenue. Meet at Old City Green at 9:00 a.m. for planting instructions, tree box assignments, bulbs, cider, coffee, and more. If you haven't already, please send me an email at slumhistorique at yahoo dot com so we can get a rough headcount of our volunteers.

We'd like to thank our sponsors for contributing to this event and making it happen. In particular, Shiloh Baptist Church, Inle Development, The Nine, EFN Lounge, Independence Bank, Douglas Development, Azi's Cafe, and Old City Green have all given generously, and for that we are most appreciative.

This project falls under the umbrella of the Shaw Main Streets Design Committee. The Design Committee has been enhancing our neighborhood for years and has many exciting projects in the pipeline currently. On Saturday, we'll also have information on how you can get involved in the exciting projects underway!


Shaw Treebox Tulip Planting
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Meet at Old City Green at 9:00 a.m.
If you plan to attend, email me at slumhistorique@yahoo.com

From SMS: Little Ethiopia Open House Tomorrow Night

From Shaw Main Streets comes a reminder of tomorrow night's (Thursday, October 29) open house on upper Ninth Street. Here are the details:

The annual Shaw Main Streets Open House on Upper Ninth Street will take place on Thursday, October 29, 2009, from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM. There is no cost to participate, and no reservations are necessary.

Stroll the 1900 block of 9th Street, NW, commonly known as Little Ethiopia, and enjoy samples of the food and beverages offered by the businesses there.

Get your passport stamped by at least four of the participating businesses in order to be eligible for a drawing for a prize from each business.

Participating businesses are:

Ambassador Restaurant, 1907 9th Street, NW
Asefu's Yegna Restaurant, 1920 9th Street, NW
Boston Wine & Sprits, 1905 9th Street, NW
Convention Floral, 1920 9th Street, NW
Etete Ethiopian Cuisine, 1942 9th Street, NW
La Carbonara Italian Restaurant, 1926 9th Street, NW
Little Ethiopia Restaurant, 1924 9th Street, NW
Nellie's Sports Bar, 900 U Street, NW
Salina Ethiopian Restaurant, 1936 9th Street, NW
Serv-U Liquors, 1935 9th Street, NW
Yetenbi Restaurant (formerly Chez Hareg), 1915 9th Street, NW

The drawing will be held at Little Ethiopia Restaurant, 1924 9th Street, NW, at 8:30 PM. Winners must be present. Contest rules can be found on the back of the Shaw Main Streets Open House Passport, available free of charge at all participating businesses on the day of the event.

For more information, call Shaw Main Streets at 202-265-SHAW or email shawmainstreets@aol.com.

Exciting!

Details on Gastropub Planned for Ninth and U

Prince of Petworth posts about the plans for the new gastropub to occupy the long vacant building at Ninth and U Streets as presented to ANC1b. It's VERY exciting to hear about what the folks behind Marvin desire to bring to this corner. Fingers crossed all goes well!