One of the oldest LGBT bars in D.C. has hit the market.
Phase 1 (525 8th St. SE), which had catered to the District’s lesbians since 1970, shut its doors “until further notice” in February, according to a post on its Facebook page. Now, a “For Sale or Lease” banner hangs outside, local blog Capitol Hill Corner reported today.
“I’m not open right now — I’m taking a break,” co-owner Allen Carroll told Capitol Hill Corner. “I don’t know what I want to do. I’ve been open 46 years. I’ve got it up for sale or lease.”
This bar isn’t the only business geared toward the LGBT community to close on Capitol Hill in the past few years.
Remington’s (637-639 Pennsylvania Ave. SE), a gay bar, shut down in 2014 after operating for 30 years. The buildings that used to house Remington’s now consist of a Sprint outlet and a 7-Eleven store.
Phase 1’s closing was “truly a disappointing loss both to the local lesbian community and to Barracks Row,” executive director Martin Smith of Barracks Row Main Street told Capitol Hill Corner. “Phase 1 was one of the oldest businesses on 8th Street.”
Phase 1’s Dupont Circle outpost also closed last year.
Photo via Flickr/notionscapital
Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen honored Capitol Hill lobbyist E. Linwood “Tip” Tipton by renaming an alleyway after him.
On June 8, the alleyway behind 7th St., 8th St., A St. and E. Capitol St. NE was officially named Tip’s Way. Tipton’s wife, Connie, his sons and his friends were in attendance for the special honor.
According to his Washington Post obituary, Tipton died in 2013 at the age of 78. He was a dairy lobbyist and long-time civic activist who played a major role in the Hill area.
Tipton was also pivotal in securing federal funding from Congress for the improvement of the Eastern Market Metro Plaza, according to Hill Rag.
In 2008, Tipton became chairman of Barracks Row Main Street (BRMS), a partnership charted by the National Trust that has played a critical part in revitalization of Barracks Row.
According to Laura Marks, chief of staff for Allen’s office, Tipton also worked with the city to improve the quality of life in different neighborhoods. He was a pioneer in the re-bricking of the alley behind his and his neighbors’ homes, now known as Tip’s Way.
He left behind a lasting legacy that will now be remembered daily as commuters travel along Tip’s Way.
“Tip was a great neighbor and advocate for his community. There was no issue too small for his attention,” Allen said in a statement to Hill Now. “After he passed away, his family requested and began the process to have that alley renamed in honor of Tip. I was very proud to work with them to introduce and pass the legislation, and celebrate with his friends and family to officially unveil the new signs marking Tip’s Way.”
Photo via Twitter / Charles Allen
(Updated at 5:45 p.m.) A 28-year-old man has died from injuries he sustained in an assault near the Marine Barracks this month, authorities announced yesterday.
Shamel Lancaster of Southeast D.C. was pronounced dead May 12, four days after police found him unconscious and suffering from head trauma on the 900 block of 8th Street SE about 3 a.m. The block connects upper and lower Barracks Row under the Southeast Freeway.
The D.C. medical examiner on Monday determined Lancaster’s death was a homicide, caused by blunt force trauma to the head on May 8.
Police released a video of “persons of interests” sought in connection with the crime. But the video is no longer available on YouTube.
Police spokeswoman Aquita Brown said authorities no longer need the public’s help in the case as they work to finish their investigation.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether police have made contact with the people in the video. But they haven’t made any arrests.
The National Park Service has added the former headquarters of a lesbian feminist group near Barracks Row to its National Register of Historic Places. NPS made the decision on Tuesday, according to The Washington Post.
The house, located at 219 11th St. SE, held a separatist collective of lesbian feminists called the “Furies” between 1971 and 1973, according to NPS. The Furies printed a monthly magazine and other publications that helped shape lesbian feminist ideology nationally and globally.
The home was also made the first lesbian-related historic landmark in D.C. in January.
Mark Meinke, a local LGBT history advocate, told Hill Now in January that he was confident the former Furies headquarters would make it onto the National Register.
“The National Park Service in 2014 launched an LGBTQ heritage initiative and they’re hoping to recognize a lot of queer sites,” he said. “The Barracks Row area was an early gay and lesbian neighborhood, so there are a lot of sites around there that would be interesting to nominate,” Meinke added.
Photo via Historic Preservation Review Board/ Mark Meinke
Pineapple and Pearls, Medium Rare and other area businesses are preparing to serve food and drink samples for the Taste of 8th festival next Saturday. Each sample will cost $5, but some locals have a chance to get them for free, as long as they’re willing to work for it.
Barracks Row Main Street, the group that puts on the annual food festival, are offering free tickets to volunteers who help with the festival. Those interested in volunteering can email the group to sign up.
Those who aren’t volunteering can purchase tickets online. A single taste costs $5 but hungry festivalgoers can buy 5 tickets for $20.
The festival will take place on Saturday, May 7 from 1-4 p.m. More than 16 Barracks Row-area eateries have already committed to the festival, including Sweet Lobby, Bayou Bakery and District Doughnut. The full list of participating businesses will be released on Barracks Row Main Street’s website.
Photo via Barracks Row Main Street
D.C. is gearing up to take down some rats on Barracks Row.
Mayor Muriel Bowser, Department of Public Works Director Christopher Shorter and Department of Health Director LaQuandra Nesbitt will meet with Barracks Row business owners on Thursday to discuss launching a pilot rat abatement program in the area, the city announced today in a press release.
The meeting will be held in conjunction with Bowser’s District-wide spring cleaning campaign. Other efforts in that campaign include tree planting, waste disposal and a campaign to repair or renovate 64 alleys throughout the District.
Barracks Row has long had a problem with rodents. At least three Barracks Row restaurants — including Capitol Hill Tandoor & Grill, Pizza Boli’s and Banana Cafe — were temporarily closed due to pest problems last year.
Barracks Row has a new second-run movie theater and performance space.
Miracle Theatre (535 8th St. SE) will screen its first film tonight, the theater tweeted yesterday.
Owned by the National Community Church, Miracle Theatre shows a variety of major movies that have left first-run movie theaters, like “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and “Kung Fu Panda 3.”
Join us as we embark on a "legendary adventure of awesomeness" with Kung Fu Panda 3 this weekend! https://t.co/qvgbvaWAeb
— Miracle Theatre (@TheMiracleDC) April 22, 2016
Check out the theater’s movie listings and buy tickets here.
Photo via Twitter / Miracle Theatre
A purveyor of women’s running, yoga and fitness clothing is set to arrive on Barracks Row this summer, a neighborhood group announced late last week.
Summit to Soul is slated to open in June at 727 8th St. SE, according to Barracks Row Main Street. The shop will replace Capitol Hill Sporting Goods & Apparel.
Billing itself as a “athleisure boutique,” Summit to Soul has “a curated collection of eco-friendly, responsibly-sourced athletic apparel and accessories for running through meadows, exploring forests, hiking mountains, and finding your om,” according to its website.
Photo via Barracks Row Main Street/Summit to Soul
EatBar’s triumphant return is at hand.
The Neighborhood Restaurant Group eatery originally located in Arlington will reopen at 415 8th St. SE tomorrow at 4 p.m., a manager and an employee with the restaurant told us earlier this morning.
“We’re doing some slow, quiet opening stuff over the next day or so,” said manager Peter Koll. “[The Washington Post’s] Tim Carman will be releasing more details later today.”
While we wait for that Post exclusive, the Capitol Hill Community Foundation appears to have more details about the new restaurant.
“EatBar will feature a meat-centric-but-vegetable friendly menu perfect for accompanying the many and varied wine, beer, and cocktail offerings,” the foundation wrote in a dinner invitation to email subscribers earlier today. “Upon opening, the 44-seat neighborhood bar and restaurant will open at 4 p.m. daily and pour an expansive and carefully curated selection of wine and beer from Wine Director, Brent Kroll and Beer Director, Greg Engert.”
Photo via Capitol Hill Community Foundation
(1/2) We will miss #CapitolHill and #BarracksRow a LOT @theHillisHome @JDLand @darsal @capitalcommnews we loved doing business in such a
— City Bikes (@CityBikesDC) March 23, 2016
(Corrected at 8:30 a.m. Friday) City Bikes is leaving Barracks Row.
The bike shop at 709 8th St. SE will close its doors on Sunday, an employee told us over the phone us this morning.
According to neighborhood blog The Hill is Home, the company’s general manager said the company was not able to renegotiate its lease for the space. The manager added that the company would like to return to Capitol Hill at some point in the future, according to The Hill is Home.
The Barracks Row location opened in 2011. City Bikes currently has locations in Adams Morgan and Chevy Chase, and is planning a third location in Tenleytown.
It looks as though the &pizza shop coming to Barracks Row might take a little while longer to open.
The forthcoming pizzeria at 405 8th St. SE ran into some “confusion” with the D.C. Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA), according to a letter uncovered by Washington Business Journal reporter Michael Neibauer.
“&pizza regrets the confusion and miscommunication that resulted in our beginning the construction without the requisite permits and not in accordance with the terms of the original BZA order,” reads the letter, which is addressed to BZA chair Marnique Heath. “We have moved past working with those associated with that decision and have paid the fines related to the infraction.
We contacted the pizza company for comment earlier this morning. &pizza CEO and co-Founder Michael Lastoria said the company “filed a minor modification with the BZA that’s more advantageous to our neighbors on Capitol Hill.
“With their full support, we expect to be back under construction shortly,” Lastoria added.
Barracks Row will have a new second-run movie theater and performance space by “early April,” according to Barracks Row Main Street.
Owned by the National Community Church, Miracle Theater (535 8th St. SE) plans to show a variety of major movies that have left first-run movie theaters.
Juliet Main, Miracle Theater’s general manager, told HillNow in September that the theater will focus on children’s programming.
“We’ll show mainstream movies,” Main said in September. “But to cater to the growing [number of] Capitol Hill families, we definitely plan to work in a good amount of children’s films and live performances.”
Several young men wanted in connection with a theft at a 7-Eleven on Barracks Row last month have appeared in surveillance footage.
The crime happened at the 7-Eleven at 429 8th St. SE about 1:45 p.m. on Feb. 19, police said.
Video police distributed today in connection with the theft shows nine young men entering the convenience store.
Thefts involving groups of young people aren’t new for the Barracks Row 7-Eleven.
In three separate incidents in September, groups of kids stole items from the store.
Crime Solvers of Washington, D.C., currently offers a reward of up to $1,000 to anyone who provides information that leads to the arrest and indictment of the person or persons responsible for a crime committed in the District of Columbia. Your assistance is appreciated by your community.
Anyone who can identify these individuals or who has knowledge of this incident should take no action but call police at 202-727-9099 or text your tip to the Department’s TEXT TIP LINE to 50411.
Locals now have the opportunity to reserve their seats for this year’s evening parades at the Marine Barracks.
Friday Evening Parade reservations for the 2016 parade season are available at https://t.co/BEOwQ0lhh6. https://t.co/O09Gm7HsR3
— Marine Barracks DC (@MBWDC) March 2, 2016
The parades by more than 200 Marines with the Silent Drill Platoon, Marine Corps Band, and Drum and Bugle Corps are scheduled to begin at 8:45 p.m. every Friday from May 6 to Aug. 26. The Marines parade for about 90 minutes.
Reservations for the free seats at the parades are available online.
The Marines typically start each evening with “Ode to Joy,” “God Bless the USA” or another pick from their repertoire. The Drum and Bugle Corps will perform next, followed by the Silent Drill Platoon and the Drum and Bugle Corps again. A senior ranking officer and his or her guest also is honored at each parade.
Photo via Marine Barracks/Cpl. Chi Nguyen
Police have arrested two men in connection with a shooting at a barber shop near Barracks Row last Friday and released the name and photo of the third suspect.
Yesterday, 21-year-old Terrance Atchinson, a Southeast resident was arrested. Earlier today, 27-year-old Barry Bloomfield of Southwest was also arrested.
Both men were charged with assault with a deadly weapon in connection with the shooting on Friday, which injured a man and his 21-month-old child.
The shooting happened at a barber shop at 1005 8th St. SE just before 1:45 p.m. Friday, Feb. 12. According to police, three masked men entered the barber shop and opened fire, striking a 24-year-old man in the leg and grazing the man’s infant son. Both victims were treated and released from the hospital over the weekend.
Today, police also released the name and photo of the third suspect in the shooting. The third suspects name is Anthony Chambers and police said he should be considered armed and dangerous.
Anybody with information about Anthony Chambers is asked to call the police at 202-727-9099 or text the text tip line by messaging 50411.
