DC Metrocentric

Things are coming along nicely at the corner of 14th and T Street NW where the new restaurant Policy is planned to open later this year. The restoration of the gorgeous exterior is being done by MCN with the interior and exterior design by CORE architects, and it looks good!

CORE Architects are the same folks behind Mie-N-Yu and Sweetgreen in Georgetown. Policy is planned to be a restaurant/lounge type property that will fit nicely into the neighborhood and also plans to serve Wasabi Sushi.

We just love this building and it is great to see that the restoration is going so well and bringing out the original architecture touches that vanished over the years. We spoke to MCN and the building is still on track to be finished by the end of the year. [Photo: DCMetrocentric]

It’s now been just over a year since the District lost its historic Eastern Market in SE to a late night fire. Luckily this market will not suffer the fate of many others in DC and is being fully restored to it’s original 1873 design. In the mean time the temporary tents have been working well for the vendors and residents!

Photographer Erin M was on the scene the day of the fire, and revisited the market a year later to document how things are progressing.

You can see that the building is all boarded up now, but the boards have beautiful paintings on them depicting the city and it’s residents. The good news is that the market hall restoration (dispite a cost of $30 million) is still on track for the grand reopening next year!

Another comparison shot of the main entrance after the jump…

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We have known for a while that foodie favorite Ray’s The Steaks was moving to bigger digs right up Wilson Blvd in Arlington. Now we have photographic evidence that great steaks will soon be available in the Courthouse neighborhood.

We know it’s hard to read but the sign in the window of this prime corner restaurant space reads “Now Hiring, Waiters, Sous Chef, Cooks… Please Apply at Ray’s the Steaks 1725 Wilson Blvd”

With the new Mediterranean restaurant Me Juna next door, and the restaurant by the folks behind Georgia Browns going into the Courthouse Plaza East being built across the street… is Courthouse turning into a dining destination?

Follow the jump for an exclusive first look at what the new Ray’s dining room will look like inside…

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If you like the restaurant/gallery/coffee house Busboys and Poets as much as we do, you may be excited to learn that plans are in the works to bring a few more location to the area. We got word last week that the new locations are being planned for the Art District in Hyattsville and for a location at 5th and K street.

And we not only have the new BB&P’s to get excited about, but also an entirely new restaurant by the same folks called Eatonville which will be located in The Flats at Union Row, right by the DC location of Busboys and Poets.

So where does the name Eatonville come from you may ask? Well it’s the childhood home of Zora Neale Hurston who for the uninitiated is the Howard grad best known for her book “Their Eyes Were Watching God” (which you probably read in high school and forgot about)! We look forward to soon not having to travel as far to get our BB&P fix!

Expect Eatonville to be opening late summer/early fall of this year! 

After putting out a request for proposal on the Fifth and Eye Street lot in Mount Vernon Triangle, the District received seven submissions at the deadline last week from some of the areas top developers.

The District received proposals from Buccini/Pollin Group; Clark Realty Capital (which recently won the Poplar Point bid); Donohoe Development Co and Holland Development Group; JBG Cos.; MVT Associates, LLC; NDC-Jarvis; and Potomac Investment Properties, Inc. The various proposals for the site include proposals for everything from boutique and high-end hotels, restaurants, and fitness clubs, to cafes and coffee shops.

The one proposal that interested us the most was the one from Holland Development Group. The plan calls for a London based Jazz club and a hotel by Sol Melia. The Boisdale Jazz club is a group with several successful clubs in the UK and would fit right into the neighborhood. Interesting though is the choice of a hotel chain which mostly has experience running tropical properties.

The DC Planning and Economic Development office is planning to have each proposal presented to the community within the next two months. We will keep you posted. [FlickrPhoto: Everyskyline]

As winter makes way for spring, we are going to be able to enjoy more evenings like this with such great light for all you shutterbugs out there… and everyone knows that nothing goes better with nice weather than ice cream! Well have no fear Bethesda, you’re lucky to be getting an outpost of Georgetown’s tasty Dolcezza gelato shop which has secured space on Bethesda Lane and will be opening this month.

Pictured is the age old Bethesda Cafe captured in this lovely ethereal purple hued shot. [FlickrPhoto: loricwilson]

We have always thought that the WMATA bus yard in Ballston was a bad use of such prime land.

Well the folks at Shooshan Company apparently had the same thought and are currently in the entitlement process and the pre-development phase of building on the land

The project has already begun the Arlington County site plan review process and construction activities should begin in the winter of 2009. RTKL Architecture firm is doing the design which will feature a signature residential address, class-A office space, and a state-of-the-art secure facility.

The design pays lip-service to LEED principles and sustainable project elements so we shall see how that is incorporated into the plans. We are excited because this project will bring some much needed street facing retail and restaurants to the area which is generally devoid of anyone at night. Though with the new Noodles and Company going in down the street, who knows!

Grocery stores in general are not known for their distinctive architecture. However when Harris Teeter decided to build their first store in the District, they went for restoration of a beautiful Art Deco building in NW rather than new construction.

The Adams Morgan store is being built in what was a run-down art deco-style building called the Citadel which had been used as a roller-skating rink in the past.

Douglas Development Corp. bought the dome-topped building nine years ago and has done extensive restoration. We can’t wait to see how it looks on the inside! The neighborhood has had a few other options for groceries, but it’s always nice to have a few more. Plus competition has lead other area stores to step up their game and improve their stores as well!

Isn’t the Harris Teeter sign’s art deco lettering cool?

[FlickrPoto:MrTinDC]

When we heard that the long empty corner space on the same block as Clarendon Ballroom and Liberty Tavern in Arlington was applying for a restaurant license we were excited. The name on the permits in the window playfully said the tenet was “A Restaurant” but now we finally have the scoop through Don Rockwell.

The restaurant/lounge is going to be named Eventide and plans to only serve dinner and cocktails. The building is a beautiful old space in a great location but the development group has apparently been having a tough time with the construction and the opening date is now looking like May/June 2008. 

Now we know the one question on everyone’s mind… will there be a rooftop bar? The answer is yes…sorta, we’ll let David Pressley the Managing Partner explain,

“The rooftop will feature table seating and will be a food-first floor. We certainly want cocktail-only guests to sit at the tables, but will not be playing host to an “SRO” rooftop scene…that’s what the Clarendon Ballroom’s roof is for. (The Ballroom owners are partners at Eventide as well. I might as well be straightforward and divulge that info now.) There will be a small bar on the roof for late night cocktails after dinner, but the roof will be managed so that it stays as comfortable as possible for all and remains a mostly-seated area.”

Sounds great to us! Any locally owned restaurant in Clarendon, that’s not another chain like the Cheesecake Factory is a good thing (OK we admit we like the CF, but you know what we mean!)

Still havn’t made New Years eve plans? Have no fear, there are still plenty of choices out there, but if you are looking for a place with history and great ambiance, you may want to try the Old Ebbitt Grill. 

Washington’s oldest and most historic saloon, the Old Ebbitt Grill was founded in 1856. Its present location at 675 15th Street, N.W. is in a beautiful Beaux-Arts style building and its interior evokes the classic Victorian style.

There are still tickets available and the night includes live music by Express, open bar, heavy hors d’oeuvres, champagne toast at midnight, live Times Square broadcast, balloon drop and dancing.

If you are all about atmosphere, The Old Ebbitt grill might be a great way to enjoy the new year! [Flickr Photo:DBKing]

Ok, we know we’ve been on a bit of a firehouse kick lately. But you know when you get something stuck in your head, and then it just starts appearing everywhere?

This beautiful abandoned building at 1626 North Capitol St NW was once the DC Engine Company #12 Firehouse. It was built in 1896 by Snowden Ashford who designed many of the police stations and firehouses of the time.

The building itself has a nice nuevo-Spanish feel but has long been boarded up since the station was decommissioned in the 80s.

We are happy to report that those boards may be coming down soon, as the building has been slated to be turned into a restaurant. We think this would be a nice use of the space, and will continue to allow the community to benefit from the building.

Though the plans for the space have been around for a while, it looks like things are starting to move and that the owners have secured the permits they need to begin work! We will be sure to keep you posted.

In a city full of classic federal buildings covered in marble columns, there really are not that many examples of truly post modern original architecture. One wonderful departure from the rectangle building is the Museum of The American Indian.

Nestled right in between the National Air and Space Museum and the U.S. Botanic Garden, the National Museum of the American Indian—the 18th Smithsonian museum—filled the last empty space on the National Mall.

Though the Museum doesn’t have that much in terms of exhibits, the food court is beyond amazing! We love the flowing lines of the building, and how the sandstone is used in cantilevers over the surrounding landscaped outdoor elements. If we were to compile a list of the areas best architectural buildings, this one would always make the cut! 

The development around the Eisenhower Metro Station has been fairly sporadic over the last few years. Much of the buildings going up on the East side of the station are just spill over from the projects in the Carlyle area. 

However, even amide the sea of parking lots that is the west side of the station, is a nice movie theater, a Teds Montana Grill, a Bread and Chocolate (which is a DCMetrocentric favorite) and now soon to be… a California Tortilla! We have the proof in the building permit (see picture below).

We have often enjoyed the Courthouse and the Rockville locations when we are in need of a really good burrito, and of course chips and queso. Now there’s one more location to add to the DC areas growing list. The chain plans to expand much more rapidly over the next year and has already opened chains at the two area airports! So now all you people in the Alexandria Area have a new place to get your burrito fix (trust us, it’s way better than Chipotle).

No it’s not an optical illusion, and your eyes are not deceiving you, the building pictured below is sinking! When we were in Old Town Alexandria this past week we noticed the tilt of this building which is home to one of the many Starbucks on King Street.

Though the building looks perfectly safe, all the years of flooding from the Potomac look to have taken it’s toll on this 100 year old building, and that second story window on the left was definitely not hung with a level! We love it when buildings like this, that may have seemed beyond repair only 10 years ago, are preserved! Guess it’s the crookedness that gives it character!

As you can see, construction is progressing well at the site of the Courthouse Plaza East on Clarendon Blvd. The project will eventually feature a hotel and multiple restaurants and the proposed design will include a new pedestrian entry plaza from Clarendon Boulevard, improving the access and visibility of the existing street level retail.

Now that the build-out has begun in earnest, the details about the future tenets are now starting to become clear. The hotel will be a Marriott Residence Inn and will feature upgraded exterior materials and an elegant, urban interior design.

As for the restaurant, Georgia Brown’s one of the most successful restaurants in the Washington area, will act as an anchor for this new restaurant pavilion on Clarendon Boulevard. We can’t wait to have another (closer) location to enjoy the upscale southern cooking Georgia Browns is famous for!