The Argonaut Launches Its Own Blog

I was checking the came from info for this site when I noticed that I had a visitor from http://argonautonhstreet.blogspot.com/. Apparently, the Argonaut has launched its own blog. You can visit the Argonaut's blog for info on special events, changes to the menu & any other official Argonaut related news.
The Argonaut is located at 1433 H St. NE
The phone number is 202-397-1416

H Street Co-op Meeting Tomorrow

From the listservs:

Members of the H Street Community Market invite you toa forum on our efforts to form a cooperative grocerystore in the H Street neighborhood.
WHERE: Sherwood Recreation Center (10th and G, NE)
WHEN: Wed, August 31, 7:30pm
We'll talk about our vision for bringing high quality,healthy food to the neighborhood at a reasonable costand discuss our short and long term goals.Together, we can build a healthy H Street community!
See you on the 31st!
Check us out at:http://www.hstcommunitymarket.org

Former Baseball Museum Site Preps For Condos

The building pictured above (12th & K), which once stood on a site intended to hold the Negro League Legends Hall of Fame, was demolished this weekend. Also demolished were some nearby & surrounding structures. As previously mentioned, the Hall of fame is no longer to be built on this site. Instead, the site will hold...condos. They are reportedly planning to build 18 units of, what I can only assume will be, luxury condos.

Photos from the TIC Community Garden Club Project

Here are few shots from the garden club's treebox planting the weekend before last.

Prepping the bed on Montello.

Neighbors turned out to help despite the high temperatures.

The digging was hard, but it was a fun time.


Planting decorative grasses on Montello.

We used the last of the plants to replace flowers that had been stolen from a local church.

A glance at the club's past efforts on Montello.

1005 H Street

Farmers Market Tomorrow

Every Saturday from 8:30-12:30
600 block of H Street NE
Farm Fresh (producer only) farmers market
Fruits, veggies, breads, cheeses, pies, and more.

Post Article on Englert on H Street

Here's a link to an article talking about Joe Englert & his plans on H Street.

Voice of the Hill on Area Listservs

Check out this recent article on Hill area listservs.

1300 block of Morse

This is a photo from much eaarlier in in the year (note the lack of green).

DCPS Beautification Day Saturday

Just a reminder that the DC Public Schools Beautification Day is this Saturday. I believe that ANC Commissioner Marc Borbely is coordinating efforts for wards 5 & 6. You can reigister by following the link above. Hey, I don't know how the other schools are doing, but I understand that Trinidad's own Webb Elementary (more info here & here) only has 3 volunteers for the clean-up. Surely some more people could give up a Saturday morning (8am-1pm) for this good cause.

1400 Maryland Ave

The following is from a listserv (please note that not only is this car lot occupying public space, but it also has [or at least had as recently as a couple of weeks ago] razor wire [some of it no more than about four feet off the ground], not just abutting, but actually occupying this same public space [illegal in DC]):

Neighbors,

Carlink, the used car lot at 1400 Maryland Ave. NE, is applying for a public space permit so it can legally use public space outside its property to park up to 14 cars and keep a chain-link fence around the lot. The permit would allow the business to extend 22.5 feet beyond its property line on 14th Street, and 32.75 feet beyond its property line on Maryland Avenue.

(Carlink is already using the space for this purpose but recently found out, in trying to start a car rental business on the property, that it has been occupying public space and therefore needs a public space permit.)

The District Department of Transportation has asked the ANC whether it has any objections to the application, and the ANC 6A Economic Development & Zoning Committee will be considering this application on Tuesday, Aug. 30. at 7 p.m., in the community room at Capitol Hill Towers, 900 G St. NE. I've invited the business's owner to attend. This discussion is 4th on the agenda; it most likely won't take place before 7:30, because there are two presentations scheduled before -- one on NCRC's plans for the firehouse at 1341 Maryland Ave. NE.

Everyone who lives near 14th & Maryland and has thoughts on this should come to this meeting next week to let the committee know whether you think the city should or should not allow Carlink to use this public space as part of its lot -- and why or why not. If you absolutely can't come to the meeting, please share your thoughts with me (borbely@anc6a06.us; 202-544-2447) and Committee Chair Cody Rice (rice6A03@verizon.net; 202-544-3734).
best

- Marc

-------------------------------------------
Marc Borbely
Commissioner, ANC 6A-06
536 13th St. NE
Washington, DC 20002

Phone: 202-544-2447
E-mail: borbely@anc6a06.us
Website: http://anc6a06.us

2%-3%-5%

Just Across Bladensburg.

Cameras around H Street

This topic has made a few recent appearances on the area listservs. Stemming largely from the unsetting discovery of a burning corpse in an alley behind Linden Place earlier this year, the topic has been gaining support from some residents frustrated by persistent problem behavior in the alleys. Surveillance cameras are almost always a controversial topic. A good number of people get pretty uncomfortable with the idea of the electronic eye being too all seeing. Others feel such cameras are necessary both to deter crime & to catch criminals when crimes are committed. Either way, it looks like alley cameras may be here soon. One good thing to remember is that cameras themselves probably are not sufficient to completely deter criminals, they are more of a help in after the fact investigations.

Check out this recent Baltimore City Paper article on Cameras in Baltimore.

Outside the Argonaut

1400 block of H Street.
Posted in honor of all the recent comments the site keeps getting about this place.
4pm-2am Tuesday thru Thurs
4pm-3am Friday and Saturday
4pm-? Sundays
closed mondays in August (will be open 7 day/week Sept. 1)

Rebuilding Place on Wholesale Food District

Here's a nice post from Rebuilding Place in the Urban Space on the wholesale foods district north of Florida Ave. Although, I'm pretty sure that at Best Restaurant Equipment has a wholesale only sign posted. The retail vs wholesale confusion could be eliminated if more of the businesses would clearly post infomation regarding to whom they will sell.

Art Event at Phish Tea

From the listservs:

Next Thursday, September 1st from 6-8pm,
Please join Phish Tea Cafe and Afrika Midnight Asha Abney at Phish Tea Cafe, 1335 H St NE Washington,
DC for the Closing Reception/Gathering of Afrika Midnight Asha Abney's second solo art show.
Further information call 202-396-2345 or 202-455-3373
Thank you for your support. See you next Thursday, September 1st.
Cordially,Afrika Midnight Asha Abney

Visual ArtistVisit Afrika Midnight Asha Abney's page at:http://aashawarrior.artistportfolio.net/index.php?secret=140&artist_id=4513

14th & H

TIC Community Garden Club Holds 2nd Planting

Yesterday the Trinidad Ivy City Community Garden Club held its second major planting event. During the event volunteers planted several scattered treeboxes along Morse and Montello (including one at a Montello church that had had its own flowers ripped from the ground by theives. A number of people turned out for the event, and thankfully so since yesterday's high temperatures added to the challenge. Swing by the intersection to check out the club's work. Pictures to follow.

Late Night Gas

Florida Ave

I wanted to point out these two articles on a plan to replace a park near Sursum Corda with housing. The plan was not popular with area residents, who did not want to see one of their few green spaces lost. It just shows what an involved and vocal community can do. Here are two related posts from In Shaw:

#1
#2

Football returns to Gallaudet

Here's an interesting article from the Post on the return of football to Gallaudet University.

Hours for the Argonaut

An employee of Joe Englert kindly supplied these hours (in the comments) for the Argonaut:

4pm-2am Tuesday thru Thurs
4pm-3am Friday and Saturday
closed mondays in August (will be open 7 day/week Sept. 1)

If you haven't been yet, you should definitely go. I haven't tried the food, but the atmosphere is laid back & cool, & the beer is cheap. I'm just happy to have a place nearby that my friends will agree to check out on a Saturday night (as opposed to treking to Adams Morgan, Dupont, or U Street).

Arches

5th & K.

Shooting on H

Evidently there was a road rage fueled shooting on H Street yesterday. I don't know exactly what time the shooting occurred, but I think it must have been between 2 and 2:30 as the entire 1100 block was blocked off when an X-2 I was on reached that point.

TIC Community Garden Club Event Sunday

The Trinidad Ivy City Community Garden Club will host a treebox planting this Sunday. We will be planting a couple of tree boxes on Montello (1200 block) & a few more around the corner on Morse (1100 block). The group is planning to meet at 8am outside 1220 Morse NE. Latecomers are welcome (but we may be around the corner on Morse). Interested parties should should call 202-397-7470 and ask for Thalia (feel free to just show up if you forget to call. It would also be great if people could bring tools/gloves/trashbags. We will have some tools/gloves/trashbags, but a few more couldn't hurt. In particular, pick-axes & trowels would be useful. Here are the vitals again-

Where: 1220 Montello (1200 block of Montello, or 1100 block of Morse if you're late).
When: Sunday 8am-until we finish
What: a treebox planting party

H Street Farmers Market Saturday

Every Saturday from 8:30am-12:30pm
600 block of H Street
Fresh fruits, veggies, breads, cheeses, flowers & more.

Hillscape on ANC Power

Check out this bit on the rise of the ANCs. We have certainly seen lots of action from the local ANCs, including (but not limited to): the lifting of rush hour parking restrictions on H Street, the push to ban singles on H Street & the actions against Blimpie's & Cluck-U-Chicken.

Broken Windows & Boards

Across Bladensburg.

H Street Community Market Meeting

From the listservs:

Members of the H Street Community Market invite you toa forum on our efforts to form a cooperative grocerystore in the H Street neighborhood.WHERE: Sherwood Recreation Center (10th and G, NE)WHEN: Wed, August 31, 7:30pmWe'll talk about our vision for bringing high quality,healthy food to the neighborhood at a reasonable costand discuss our short and long term goals.Together, we can build a healthy H Street community!See you on the 31st!Check us out at:http://www.hstcommunitymarket.org

H Street Martini Lounge Gets Ready

Here's a shot of the new H Street Martini Lounge paint job. Here is a link to their website (they've added the menu).

No Baseball Museum for 12th Street

Plans have changed for the northern portion of the 900 block of 12th Street. The space, which was originally slated for the Negro League Legends Hall of Fame, is now going to condos (reportedly 18 units). The construction will require the demolition of a few current buildings. One of the buildings to be demolished (pictured above)reportedly housed a dance club in the 1970s. During the same period a funeral home occupied the structure one or two doors down.

Mural

Montello & Mount Olivet.

No Loitering

Levis, just off Bladensburg.

Brother Bey's Place Shutting Down?

I noticed last week that they were cleaning out the inside of Da Place (vitamins, books, some health food items -400 block of H Street) & had more than the usual selection of furniture sitting out front. Are they closing/relocating/renovating? Anyone know?

Blimpie's Forced to Close Over Lost C of O

Apparently, Blimpie's (8th & H) has been forced to close its doors. Blimpie's had lost its Certificate of Occupany when the ANC successfully argued that DCRA had issued the Certificate erroniously, and that Blimpie's is, infact, a fast food restaurant. According to the comment (see the link above) Blimpie's will be closed for at least 6 months to a year while they try to get a special exemption from the Zoning Board.

Blair Shelter

600 block of I Street.

City Paper on Joe Englert on H Street

This week's City Paper features an article on Joe Englert and his H Street movements. No real new info, basically just rehashing posts from the ANC6A listserv & quoting from the applications. Patrick Stewart (from the Atlas) is quoted as is a local resident named Jackie.

2nd Saturday H Street Crawl

From the listservs:


2nd Saturday H Street Crawl
August 13, 2005
Free tours will begin at 3:00pm with a matinee at H Street and continue to Pierce School (or vice/versa) and will end at Phish Tea). Come to Phish Tea from 5-9pm for an artist talk about Images of Life and to dine or drink.
Phish Tea (1335 H St NE: Tel. 202-396-2345, Email Address: phishteacafe@yahoo.com ,Websites: http://www.phishteacafe.com and http://groups.yahoo.group/phishteaevents) In the Lyme Lounge, Phish Tea presents Images of Life featuring the works of Afrika Midnight Asha Abney on view until September 3rd)
For further information about the 2nd Saturday H Street Crawl call 202-396-2345

White Boy

Behind Bladensburg, just off Oates.

The Argonaut to Open at 8pm Sunday

From the comments:

Argonaut is open this Sunday Aug 7th at 8 p.m.
Green will grow on you.
Patio will be there in 45 days.
Tell all your friends, even anonymous..........

So, that's it. The first of Joe Englert's H Street establishments is ready to open its doors. The Argonaut is located in the 1400 block of H Street (right over by the Starburst plaza).

Martini Lounge Gearing Up

Here is what was in front of the H Street Martini Lounge for a couple of days. I had heard yesterday that the design had been painted over, but I didn't see it until this morning. The building is being painted a tasteful gold color with black highlights. The Martini Lounge logo (as seen in the photo above will be painted on top of the new colors). Apparently, the painting in the shot above was just a mock-up. And, apparently they are still shooting for an opening in the next 2-3 weeks.

New Starburst Plaza Materials

From the comments:

kenny g said...
Great Streets has just put out 2 alternative designs for the Starburst plaza and a survey to solicit community input. Here is a pdf version of the alternatives . Here is the survey form.*
5:26 PM

*Here is a blank version of the survey form.

Here are images depicting the two alternatives
(please see the site http://starburstplaza.org/about for more information & larger versions of these images):


1#


2#

The H Street Farmers Market

Here is an article from the Post (via the ANC6A listserv) on the importance and attraction of farmers markets. The article's timing was perfect because I have been planning to post some nice photos of the H Street Farm Fresh Market (600 block of H Street NE). The H Street Market is special because, as a part of Farm Fresh Markets, all the vendors grow their own produce, raise their own meats, make their own cheeses (with local products), or bake their own bread with local products. You can ask the farmers exactly when something was picked & some farmers even bring in photos of their farms. Shopping at this farmers market is a far cry from shopping at the Safeway. This market is also special because it is our neighborhood market. Each Saturday morning the lure of the market attracts people from all over the neighborhood and brings life to what would otherwise be an empty parking lot. Currently the market is in full swing & there is a lot of produce available.

This past weekend one farm demonstrated hydroponic techniques for a local youth gardening group.

Farmers offer a variety of foods that extend far beyond the bountiful prouduce.

Pies (above) & breads (below) are among the non-produce offerings.

And who could forget the fresh cheeses?

The market offers a little something something for everyone & the prices are great.
Every Saturday 8:30-12:30pm
600 block of H Street NE

Since I wrote this I have come across some other articles of interest. Here is an article on Community gardens in low income areas (to learn about a local community garden group follow this link). Here is an article from the NY Times on a place that sells a wide variety of tomatoes (just like those available at the H Street market).

The Starburst Plaza & Accelerated Decision Making

Here is a link to a Rebuilding Place in the Urban Space short piece touching on the Starburst Plaza & the hazards in making quick decisions/major changes in any community.

Hill Rag ANC6A Update

Here is an update on the goings on in ANC6A. Included is discussion of the voluntary agreements for some of Joe Englert's establishments & (unrelated) a bit of a swipe at Commissioner Holden for alleged availability issues.

Hill Rag on H Street Grocery Store

Here is an article on the possible Harris Teeter site at 3rd & H.

The Cage

Just off Bladensburg & Oates.

Flea Market in the Wholesale Food District

Here's a shot from that new market over by the wholesale food stuff. As you can see, they have a real mixture of items. The market operates every Saturday & Sunday. If you are in need of some tools there is a guy there who sells used ones (both basic tools like hammers & larger power tools).

Starburst Plaza II

This part II see part I below.

What happened after the presentations was a departure from the earlier part of the meeting. At this point 4 women who identified themselves as being from the 1400 block of Morse spoke up and pretty much objected to idea of a plaza all together. They said things along the line of (please excuse me if my quotes are slightly off, these are to the best of my recollection) "just pave it over," "we don't want it," no you can't speak," and "I don't have to listen to you." They essentially accused DDOT & PPS of coming into a neighborhood that the organizations knew nothing about and imposing this plaza plan. They stood and shouted their opinions in the most disruptive manner they could muster. They were joined (somewhat) by a gentleman who objected to the changes in traffic DDOT proposed. He suggested that DDOT should follow a plan allegedly (I don't know if her office actually proposed this) by Councilmember Abrose's office. That plan allegedly involved not so much a plaza, but more just a super low maintenance grassy area. Whoever proposed this plan, is (in my opinion) selling the area considerably short. There are (as was acknowledged by many parties) serious maintenance issues. After all, what group will step up to watch over and care for a fountain & any plants DDOT installs? We should not underestimate our neighborhood. After all, we are home to many concerned & engaged citizens, both old & new. Why reject an ambitious plan, when we should be stepping up to the plate? The unfortunate fact is that this particular audience either did not express a strong enough opinion against the naysayers (in favor of progress), or allowed itself to be intimidated/swayed by the loud words of eternal protestors who I do not think accurately reflect the opinions of most residents. In fact, when I shared my concerns with other residents of Trindad (some long term & one whose family has lived here for generations --I don't want to imply that length of residency should dictate authority, but only to show that this is NOT a battle of old versus new residents) they were familiar with these particular individuals & suggested that the women were constantly in opposition to change. This notion went along (in my mind) with (very neutral) in meeting references from Karina Ricks (Office of Planning --Great Streets Program Manager) regarding traffic on Morse (a complaint previously voiced by the women). I am acutely aware that many people have lived in this neighborhood for many years and that a good number of these people have fought long and hard to combact the various scourges that have afflicted (and to varying degrees continue to afflict) this community. I in no way wish to diminish those struggles or accomplishments. I will certainly acknowledge that there are times and places where it might be appropriate to stand up and outright reject certain plans that the District, or certain developers may attempt to foist upon us, but I firmly believe that this is NOT one of those times. We live in a community that many people believe that the city has long neglected. Now the city wants to spend millions to improve an intersection that is (I would argue) indisputably problematic in its current state. If we don't spend the money now it could (as was pointed out by DDOT) easily disappear. The money will get spent. Whether it gets spent here is up to us. Frankly, we'd be fools not to take this investment for all it's worth. I'm not the only one who thinks so . Both Anwar Saleem (head of H Street Main Street) & Reverend Bynum (a long time communty member & activist) spoke out in favor of developing the plaza & against resisting change simply out of fear. The scary fact is that DDOT seemed to back off (in response to the volatile speech of a few very vocal residents) on some of its proposals (the fountain, benches, & flowers) . We should not let this happen. So my point is that we should all go (get your friends, get your neighbors) to the next meeting in September. In addition, we should email any thoughts & comments on the proposed plaza to Karina Ricks at karina.ricks@dc.gov within the next two weeks. If we don't actively engage in the process, we don't have any right to complain when things don't go the way we want them to go. So how about we engage?

Starburst Plaza Meeting I

I'm going to post this in parts because it is just too long. This is part I. The following refers to the meeting held last Thursday night.

I'm hoping we all know what I mean when I say the Starburst intersection. But just in case this is not the case, I'll explain. The Starburst intersection is that messy meeting of streets where H Street, Florida, Benning, Maryland, 15th & Bladensburg all come together. On the corners you've got Hechinger Mall, Delta Towers (a retirement home), a liquor store, the Argonaut (the soon to open tavern by Joe Englert), that space next to the Ha Hu Grocery & the Pentacle (an apartment complex with a sizable elderly population). An earlier version of this post refered to the Pentacle as a retirement home. This is not the case. I just was doing a little cutting and pasting & mistakenly stuck the Delta Towers discription next to the Pentacle. DDOT, in partnership with the Project for Public Spaces, is creating a plaza by slightly altering the flow of traffic (click here for a map & all the details). They held two meetings a little over a month ago to solicit community input on the project. At the first evening meeting (two meetings = one daytime & one evening) the overall vibe was very positive & people seemed excited by the possibilities offered by the plaza. This time was different. This time, the vibe of the crowd was different. It was my impression that many of the people at this meeting had not attended the first meeting. I arrived about 10 minutes late & they were just beginning the powerpoint presentations about the plaza plans. The planners provided two different, but similar sets of plans (derived from community input at the first meetings) for the plaza. The first scenario, the Active Oasis, featured some flexible spaces that might be used performances and physical activities as well as a an area for board games. The second option offered offered up veered more towards quiet activities & relaxation. It would lose the spaces for physical activities & be less geared towards performances retain the board games & provide areas for reading or just chilling out. Both scenarios featured: art bollards (the attractive alternatives to Jersey barriers) to protect patrons in the event of an errant auto; raised planting beds (to offer beauty, a psychological barrier from the street, and a noise barrier from the traffic; art installation (both temporary & permanent); a wall or floor fountain (possibly a wall mural); a stand with a bus & area map; high branching trees (to reduce noise & provide shade w/out obscuring the view from outside the plaza); a special bus shelter providing protection from the elements; steps & a ramp (with the incline reduced) leading from the plaza to Hechinger Mall (the steps might be amphitheater steps to provide seating during performances). Public safety factors that played a role in developing these plans included (but were not limited to):

Crime
-plants (visibility)
-lighting (visibility)
-elevation (visibility)
-benches (special benches could be used to deter sleeping)
-activity level

Safety
-traffic light timing
-fewer streets to cross
-barriers for out of control cars

I really liked the first plan because I think that having a high level of activity is the surest way to reduce crime. I also think that more people will be crossing the plaza in the next several years after people move into the soon to be constructed Arboretum Place condos (old Sears site).

Go to part II.

1001 16th Street

H Street Martini Lounge News

This morning I kicked myself yet again for failing to have my camera with me. I walked past 1236 H Street (future home of the H Street Martini Lounge (brought to you by Clifton Humphries) & saw that they have painted "Martini Lounge" on the front in very attractive lettering. The sign looks very nice (you would hardly believe it's located across from Danny's & Autozone) & there are three spaces where, no doubt, lights will be placed to highlight the sign.

National Night Out Tuesday

Here is a link to 5th District activities. The activities for 504 (at the bottom) are mislabeled as being in 501 (the real 501 activities can be found at the top of the page). Click here for 1st District activities.

From Behind Bars

The window at Sanctuary (1355 H Street).

The Argonaut to Open Within a Week

Some time this week, or possibly as late as next Tuesday, The Argonaut (the first of Joe Englert's H Street establishments) will open its doors. The Argonaut, located in the 1400 block of H Street, occupies the space once home to the restaurant/tavern Ledbetter's.

A New Look at R&B Coffee

They were repainting the exterior of R&B this weekend (this shot is from Saturday morning). Sometime this week we'll see the installation of a nice new awning featuring the R&B logo.

Cluck-U-Chicken Open For Business

Cluck-U-Chicken (1100 block of H Street) received its Certificate of Occupancy & celebrated by opening its doors to the public on Friday.