Where are They Now: Revisiting a WaPo Guide from a Decade Ago

Fritz Hahn from the Washington Post tweeted link to a Going Out Gurus guide to H Street that he wrote a decade ago, and what's striking when you read it is that most of the places that he mentions are now closed, or have relocated. Here's a look at all of those places in order of appearance:

 

Horace and Dickie's: (809 12th St.) This fried fish place is still going strong, and may well outlive us all.

 

Showbar Presents the Palace of Wonders: (1210 H St.) Palace of Wonders opened in June of 2006, delighting patrons with burlesque and sideshow acts. In 2010 it merged with its next door neighbor the Red & the Black (1212 H Street) to form Red Palace, which closed on New Year's Day of 2013. The space is now home to Vendetta.

 

The Red & the Black: (1212 H St.) New Orleans flavored bar and live music spot that opened in June of 2006, and later combined with Palace of Wonders to create Red Palace, which closed in 2013. The space is now occupied by Vendetta.

H Street Martini Lounge: (1236 H St.) A cocktail bar that opened in October of 2005, and closed in early 2010.

 

Atlas Performing Arts Center: (1333 H St.) The Atlas opened in 2006, and is today home to a wide variety of arts oriented programing.

 

Phish Tea: (1335 H St.) This Caribbean restaurant opened in the spring of 2004, and was an early pioneer in terms of sit-down restaurants along the H Street Corridor. It closed in 2006, and the space is now home to the H Street Country Club.

 

Rock & Roll Hotel: (1353 H St.) This live music venue recently celebrated their 10th anniversary, and is decidedly still rocking.

 

R&B Coffee: (1359 H St.) R&B was short for Rhythm & Beans, and the coffee shop had a tiny recording studio tucked into an upstairs room. It opened in January of 2005, but closed its doors in 2006. Sova took over the space in 2007, but was itself later replaced by H Street Coffeehouse.

 

H Street Playhouse: (1365 H St.) This black box theater played an important role in the arts scene and redevelopment of H Street. It opened in 2002, and hosted an impressive line up of plays until its closing in 2013, when the theater moved across the river to become the Anacostia Playhouse.

The Majestic by Gwen: (1368 H St.) The Majestic was one of the older spots on H Street. It was a low-key spot serving Southern food, along with dancing and live jazz and blues music. I'm actually not entire sure when the Majestic closed, but it's been some time, and there was a period in which other projects seemed to operate out of the space.

 

Rose's Dream (Now Rose's DeJaVu): (Originally 1370 H St., now 1378 H St.) Rose's Dream started out as a small upstairs bar operated by the same family that ran the Caribbean carryout downstairs. It was always a friendly place that hosted go-go shows, and karaoke nights. They suffered a fire in 2009, but later reopened in a larger space down the street. The original Rose's Dream space is now home to Avery's.

 

The Ohio Restaurant: (1381 H St.) The Ohio was not exactly a new business when it drew a bit of attention for its food in 2006 after an Ethiopian-American family took over and shook the place up. The Ohio served some very tasty soul food, sometimes with a slight Ethiopian twist. A visit there was never dull, and it is likely the only restaurant I have ever frequently where the wine list consisted solely of Manischewitz. The jukebox was peerless, filled with a mix of artists like Sam 

Cooke, Bob Marley, and Billy Stewart. But the plates of meatloaf and the pig's foot platters were not to last. In late October of 2006 one of the owners, Betty Ayele, was shot to death in her car while stopped at a traffic light in Del Ray. Betty turned out to have a dark past, one that involved drug trafficking, and eventually testifying against the notorious Murder, Inc. group in D.C. They were a gang notorious for, among other things, knocking off witnesses, and brazen daytime executions. Her murder was never solved, and the Ohio closed down shortly after her death. 

The Argonaut: (1433 H St.) The first of the Joe Englert associated places to open on H Street, the Argo rolled out in the summer of 2005 as a tavern serving bar food and cheap pints. Over the years it evolved into a neighborhood staple that welcomed both the crowds that gathered for pub quiz and science night, and the tables filled with families with young children. In June of 2010 the Argo suffered a devastating fire, but the owners rebuilt, and the place seemed to operate with a renewed vigor.          

The Argonaut closed its doors, for possibly the last time, in late July of this year. The cause is said to be a dispute among owners. Its license is currently in safekeeping with ABRA.