Hill East Changes — The District Source shares this Hill Rag article that explains the increasing density caused by new developments. [District Source]
Fireworks on Capitol Hill — Where on the Hill can you enjoy 4th of July celebrations? We’ve got it right here. [Hill Now]
Hunger Games — Meet the competitors vying for space in Union Market. [DCist]
Jacqueline Dupree Returns — More cranes spotted in Southwest, a pizza eatery finally gets its permit, and more Virginia Avenue Roads Closures. [JD Land]
Foo Fighters — Officials say that nothing has changed in planning the Foo Fighters’ July 4th concert at RFK Stadium, despite lead singer Dave Grohl’s recent injury. That said, the band has yet to release a statement updating their status. [WTOP]
Ben’s H Street — As Hill Now first reported on Thursday, Ben’s Chili Bowl’s H Street location will open this Wednesday, July 8. [Hill Now]
The Week Ahead — The ANC6B Executive Committee will meet at 7 p.m. at the Hill Center on Tuesday, and Larry Janezich has updates on the Boys & Girls Club and RFK Stadium. [Capitol Hill Corner]
Bridging the Anacostia — An analysis of the potential 11th Street bridge’s impact on neighboring communities. [Greater Greater Washington]
Times Change — Hill East ANC Commissioner Denise Rucker Krepp has written an op-ed calling for the Confederate flag to come down in South Carolina and across the country. Denise has an interesting ancestral connection to the Old South — her great-great-great grandfather helped create the Confederate States of America in the 19th century. [Hill is Home]
Click — An electric video of lighting striking a construction crane in Navy Yard.
[PopVille]
Changes on Penn. Avenue –– A single-family home in the Capitol Hill Historic District will be converted to a five-unit apartment after developers changed the design to gain neighborhood support. [District Source]
Should Be Easy, Right? — “The group behind the proposed underground visitor center at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, after a decade-plus of review and a staggering number of design revisions, is mere weeks away from earning final approval for its project. Now, all it has to do is raise $88 million.” [Washington Business Journal]
Not Again — Over the course of a week, three 8th Street SE eateries within the same block have been temporarily closed by the D.C. Department of Health due to a “heavy infestation of vermin.” [Hill Now]
The other Eastern Market — Larry Janezich has a photo essay on the RFK Farmers Market, which is open 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Saturday at RFK Stadium Parking Lot 6. [Capitol Hill Corner]
Betsy — The owner of the Belga Cafe on 8th Street has opened another eatery on Barracks Row. The owner says it’s a “unique and secluded rooftop garden experience.” [PopVille]
Independence Day — What to know before going out to the July 4th celebration on the National Mall. [WTOP]
Photo via Twitter/Nationals
Josh Lyman Returns — Bradley Whitford is embracing his destiny. The actor most known for his role on the West Wing is coming back to D.C. and will introduce the performers at the big July 4th concert on the National Mall. [WTOP]
Neighborhood Considerations — The Hill East ANC recently took a look at the possible benefits offered by new developers in the area. [Capitol Hill Corner]
Art Nouveau — This breakdown of new public art spaces highlights a new mural at the Fridge near Barracks Row. [Washington City Paper]
Southwest Yoga — A look at M Street Yoga on the Waterfront. Drop-in classes are $17 and first-time customers can buy a 30 day pass for $30. [The Hill is Home]
RNC Trouble — A staffer at the Republican National Committee who lives in Capitol Hill has left his job after allegations that he sexually assaulted two women. [Hill Now]
The Week Ahead — The Hill East Task Force will meet with Councilman Charles Allen on Thursday, and the Capitol Hillbillies will perform at Eastern Market on Sunday. [Capitol Corner]
Find My Phone — iPhone snatching on the Metro is up this month, police say. Several recent incidents include one theft at the Eastern Market Metro station. [Hill Now]
Library of Congress on Mobile — “People who are blind, visually impaired or have a physical disability may now download talking books to their Android phone or tablet, if they are registered with the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) in the Library of Congress.” [Capitol Community News]
Photo via Flickr/Mike Licht
Semper Fi — Local chef Rob Weland will open a new restaurant, Garrison, on Barracks Row. The eatery will be seasonal American cuisine with a focus on vegetables. [Washington Post]
Homeward Bound — The story of a lost dog who, thanks to Capitol Hill residents, found its owner. [The Hill is Home]
Local Writer Passes Away — Roberta Weiner, a long-time contributor to Capital Community News publications, died at the George Washington University Hospital shortly after midnight last night. [Capital Community News]
Brick House — The renewed Capper Community Center near the Waterfront Metro has gotten a facelift via a new brick exterior. [JD Land]
Photo via Facebook/11th Street Bridge Park
Pound the Hill, the coffee shop and eatery on 621 Pennsylvania Avenue SE, will close on Sunday. The owners sent out a touching email to their list just minutes ago.
Dear Extended Pound The Hill Family,
You’ve been amazing. You’ve woken up with us in the morning with a Nutella latte or a cappuccino, shared your weekends with us over a croissant breakfast sandwich, hosted your birthday happy hours and dinners with us over a few bottles of wine. You’ve come to us from the ages of 3 days old, to over 100 years old. You’ve shared your stories with us, let us share ours with you, even helped us make new stories together. Day in and day out, you’ve given our staff a reason to sincerely smile each morning and to look forward to getting up each day; we can only hope we’ve done the same for you.
So why am I speaking in the past tense and why am I getting all sentimental? Well, my friends, Pound The Hill, at least as we’ve all known it, is coming to an end this weekend. This Sunday evening, June 21st, after over 4 years on the Hill, Pound will be closing.
The very, very good news is that our little space will live on! In fact, as of Monday 6/22, Pound will be owned and operated by Bourbon Coffee. They will operate in the near future with the business as-is, but will transition the brand, space, menu and coffee soon. The absolute best and most important part to me? They’ll be keeping our staff on board! See a short note from them below:
We feature directly traded Rwandan coffee and have operated our first location in Foggy Bottom for the last 6 years. We will be working closely with the staff and are excited to get moving! More info is available at www.bourboncoffee.com.
So that means there are a mere 4 days left to experience Pound The Hill as you’ve known it; the good, the bad and the delicious. While we certainly hope you’ll continue to support the location in the future under Bourbon, we’d absolutely love to see you one last time before Pound The Hill is no more! Tell your friends, grab your coworkers, leash up the dog…come on down in the next 4 days!
The mixed emotions we feel at Pound The Hill are overwhelming and you can’t read any longer on your iPhone. So let’s just wrap it up with this; THANK YOU for being fantastic customers!!
Sincerely,
Karl & Frank of Pound The HillTL;DR Pound is closing, Boubon Coffee is coming, come see us in the next 4 days!
Hopscotch Bridge — “The redevelopment of Union Station — inside, outside and above — cannot get underway until the District tackles its one major job, the reconstruction of the H Street Bridge.” [WTOP]
Banana Cafe Re-Opens — The Barracks Row restaurant re-opened yesterday after being closed for a “heavy infestation of vermin,” according to the D.C. Department of Health. [Hill Now]
Capitol Hill Residential — Developers are looking to build a major residential project on the 1300 block of E Street, SE, on the site currently occupied by Bowie Trash and Signature Auto by the Safeway. [Capitol Hill Corner]
North Capitol Redevelopment — Republic Properties Corp. is close to signing its first two tenants at its shiny new development on 660 N. Capitol St. NW. The developer is in final negotiations with the National Association of Counties and the National League of Cities. [Washington Business Journal]
(Updated at 5:00 p.m.) A male cyclist has been hit by a vehicle and is now in serious condition, according to D.C. Fire and EMS.
Veronica Corley, 31, says she witnessed the accident. She was sitting on her front porch when she saw the crash at about 3 p.m. She says she saw the cyclist traveling on 3rd Street NE, when a woman driving an Acura MDX crashed into him.
“When she hit him, he flew into the air and flipped twice.”
After the accident, Corley and several others rushed to help the man, who was coherent.
Emergency response units arrived on the scene at 3:36 p.m. and transported the victim to the nearest hospital.
While the District waits to find out when Ben’s Chili Bowl will open their new location on H Street NE, Hill Now has discovered one ironclad fact: The owners want the new location to have a spunky, colorful bear statue.
According to the agenda of the Transportation and Public Space Committee of ANC 6A, Ben’s Chili Bowl has filed an “application for the placement of a statue in public space.” One well-placed source tells Hill Now that the statue will be a bear similar to the panda at the original Ben’s Chili Bowl on U Street NW.
The original location received its rainbow-colored panda in 2004, when the D.C. Commission on the Arts backed a massive art project that scattered 150 whimsical panda statues throughout the city.
Named PandaMania!, the project was part of a push to promote the giant pandas at the National Zoo.
On U Street, the panda statue was never meant to become a long-term part of the Ben’s Chili Bowl experience. But our source tells us that their customers have embraced it over the years, with kids and adults alike taking pictures with the friendly beast.
Yesterday Hill Now reached out to J. Omar Mahmud, the ANC 6A commissioner whose name was attached to the agenda item, to check on the status of the Ben’s Chili Bowl statue application. We are still waiting to hear back.
Turnover — Ward 6 City Councilman Charles Allen told WAMU that the District would acquire the land necessary to build the future DC United stadium in Southwest, even if that means the city uses eminent domain. [WAMU]
Welcome Back — Van Ness Elementary in Navy Yard is hosting a “showcase” community meeting tonight at 200 I Street SE. This year will mark the first year the school is operational since 2006. [JD Land]
MPD Liaison — Larry Janezich explains the ANC6B outreach committee’s effort to engage with D.C. police on crime in the Hill East area. [Capitol Hill Corner]
Principal controversy — Payne Elementary School parents are demanding the reinstatement of their principal, who wasn’t reappointed for the 2015-2016 school year. [Hill Now]
New Barracks Row Eatery — Michael Babin’s Neighborhood Restaurant Group, which owns sixteen concept restaurants in the D.C. metro area, has applied for a restaurant liquor license for the space at 415 8th Street SE, the former site of Kraze Burger. [Capitol Hill Corner]
Southwest Luxury — Bernstein Management Corp has acquired Sky House East, a 266-unit luxury multi-family conversion of a former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency office tower, for $91 million. Bernstein purchased Sky House West just six months ago for the bargain price of $80 million. [Washington Business Journal]
C Street NE Transportation Issues — Tomorrow night DDOT will host a discussion at Mt. Moriah Baptist Church on East Capitol Street that will focus on safely incorporating bike lanes to C Street between 16th and 21st streets NE. [Hill Rag]
Union Station Changes — Visitors of the train station can plan to see more open space and naturally light after walking through the main entrance. Among other proposed changes are removal of the Center Cafe and stone planters in the station’s main hall. [Hill Now]
Crackdown — Later this morning, Mayor Muriel Bowser will announce a new drug enforcement strategy at Sasha Bruce Youthwork at 1022 Maryland Ave. NE. She will announce legislation that gives law enforcement enhanced authorities to crack down on the sale of synthetic drugs. [Office of the Mayor]
Animal Hospital — The Banfield Pet Hospital, located on 4th and Tingey streets SE in Navy Yard, is now open to the public. The center will host a grand opening “perhaps in late July,” according to Jacqueline Dupree. [JD Land]
Foo Fighters and Transportation Logistics! — Tonight at 6:30 p.m. at RFK, Events DC, WMATA, and other DC agency officials will meet with members of the Hill East community to discuss transportation logistics around the Foo Fighters’ July 4th show at the stadium. [The Hill is Home]
The Week Ahead — An overview of the week’s meetings for ANC 6A and ANC 6B, with a DC Streetcar update headlining. [Capitol Hill Corner]
Bon Anniversaire — The Pursuit Wine Bar on H Street NE is celebrating its first birthday with a week of drink specials. [Frozen Tropics]
11th Street Dispute Resolved — The D.C. Board of Zoning Adjustment [BZA] has intervened to settle a squabble between Hill East residents and a developer over the developer’s plan to block an exit from the back of their house. [Capitol Hill Corner]
Time for a New Jail? — The D.C. jail, located south of the Stadium-Armory Metro station in Hill East, is 40 years old. Prison advocates say the age is starting to show. [Washington Post]
Wild Wings — A new Buffalo Wild Wings is coming to Half Street SE between the Navy Yard Metro station and Nationals Park. [JD Land]
Thai on H — IMM Thai Food just had a soft launch at its location on 1360 H St. NE. They will serve a limited menu for the next few weeks before their offerings resemble the menu of their Annandale Restaurant. [District Cuisine]
