CAPITOL HILL CORNER

The Week Ahead…& Some Photos from the Past Week

by Larry Janezich

Posted Sunday, March 8, 2026

Last Saturday’s open house on the future of H Street.  The DC Office of Planning has launched a new H Street Land Use and Market Study covering 3rd to 15th Streets NE. This study will help shape what gets built, what kind of businesses we support, how public spaces are designed, and how to strengthen H Street’s identity for the long term.  Here’s a photo of participants in the meeting on Saturday afternoon.  For more on the study, go here:  https://engage.dc.gov/w68032

Here’s what some participants want to see on H Street, NE.  movie theater, local bike shop closer to Eastern High, Outdoor-focused business (beer garden), art gallery/creative spaces, music venues, children/family oriented businesses, hardware store, home goods/gardening store, offices/medical.

CM Charles Allen interacts with ANC6A and C Commissioners who were at the open house, from left:  Commissioners Jay Adelstein (6C), Roberta Shapiro (6A), and Stephen Kolb (6A).

Update on renovation of SE Library.  The renovation is expected to be complete by June.  The Library will reopen a couple of months after that.  Here are two photos – a view of the Historic Entrance restoration in progress and a view of the Historic Entrance from inside the Library.  (Photo:  DCPL)

Installation of wood bookshelves on the main floor is complete.  (Photo:  DCPL)

Wood and plaster restoration, staining and finishing on the main floor are complete.  (Photo:  DCPL)

For more, Commissioner David Sobelsohn’s ANC6B SE Library Task Force will hear a verbal update regarding the final stages of renovations of the Library on Monday evening at 6:30pm.  For info on how to attend or join the meeting on line, see below. 

A banner of the façade of the SE Library trumpets Women in Construction Week, March 1 – 7.   

Whiting and Turner Construction takes a moment to celebrate Women in Construction.  (Photo:  DCPL)

The Week Ahead…

Highlights:

• Tuesday – ANC7D – DC Office of Planning: RFK Master Plan Presentation
• Wednesday – ANC6C – CM Charles Allen presentation re budget

Monday, March 9

ANC6B Southeast Library Task Force will hold a hybrid meeting at 6:30pm. 

Meeting location will be 700 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE; Second Floor, Conference Room #1 (entry adjacent to Trader Joe’s).

• For info on how to join the virtual meeting, go here:  https://anc6b.org/  

Agenda: 

• Update regarding the final stages of renovations
• Discussion of how to keep the Arthur Capper interim library open until the Southeast branch opens
• Input from nearby neighbors if there are lingering renovation issues.

Tuesday, March 10

ANC6B will hold a hybrid meeting at 7:00pm.

Meeting location will be at 700 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE.

• For info on how to join the virtual meeting, go here:  https://anc6b.org/   

Agenda:  TBA

ANC 7D will hold a virtual meeting at 7:00pm.

For info on how to join the meeting, go here:  https://7d0761.wixsite.com/anc7d-1

Among items on the draft agenda:

DC Office of Planning – RFK Master Plan Presentation

Elected District Government Official Updates

• Letisha Vinson, Office of Ward 7 Councilmember Wendell Felder
• Amber Wright, Mayor’s Office of Community Relations & Services (MOCRS)
• Eboni-Rose Thompson, State Board of Education (SBOE), Ward 7 Representative
• Kisha Anderson, District Department of Transportation (DDOT), Ward 7 Community Engagement Specialist

Community Matters

• DC Responsible Rat Management Presentation, Max Broad, DC Voters for Animals Education Fund
• Events DC (invited)

Commissioner SMD Reports

Commission Business Items

• ANC 7D Committees

Other Commission Business

• Proposed Motion: ANC 7D send a letter to DMPED, WMATA, DDOT, the DC Office of Planning, the Washington Commanders the D.C. Council Committee on Transportation and Environment and the National Capital Planning Commission urging immediate inter-agency coordination and calibration on transportation planning to support development of the RFK Campus.
• Proposed Motion: ANC 7D send a letter to the Navy Museum Development Foundation urging consideration of an RFK Campus location for the Museum of the United States Navy.
• Proposed Motion: ANC 7D send a letter to the Department of Public Works requesting posting of “No Parking Anytime” signs in the east-west alley behind The Bell Apartments on the 1700 Block of East Capitol Street, SE.
• Proposed Motion: ANC 7D send a letter to the Mayor’s Office of Special Events of the District Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency (HSEMA) expressing support for the 45^th Capitol Classic running races on May 17, 2026.
• Proposed Motion: ANC 7D send a letter to DDOT requesting agency engagement and action to re-grade a portion of the alley system in Square 1069 (bounded by A St NE; 15th St NE; Constitution Ave NE; and 16th St, NE) to remediate water drainage.
• Proposed Motion: ANC 7D send a letter to DDOT requesting installation of an automated traffic signal at the intersection of 16th Street, NE and East Capitol Street, NE.

Wednesday, March 11

ANC6C will hold a virtual meeting at 7:00pm.

• For info on how to join the meeting, go here: https://anc6c.org/hot-topics/

Among items on the draft agenda: 

Council Member Charles Allen – D.C. budget summary

FOIA Update – Commissioner Andrew Hayes

Consent agenda – TBA

Transportation and Public Space Committee

• DDOT, NOI.  No parking zone, 70. ft. addition to west side of 1st Street NE for trash removal and deliveries to the Union Station loading dock.

Alcohol and Cannabis Licensing Committee

• Viet Pho Restaurant, 333 H Street NE, Class C restaurant, new application
• The Little Grand, 808 7th Street NE, Class C tavern, application for streatery

Thursday, March 12

ANC6A will hold a virtual meeting at 7:00pm.

• For info on how to join the meeting, go here:  https://anc6a.org/community-calendar/

Among items o the draft agenda: 

Community Presentations

• H Street Study – Emma Estes and Vincent Ubiera, Office of Planning

Consent Agenda

Alcohol Beverage and Cannabis

• Recommendation: ANC6A take no action with regards to the application for a substantial change to a Retailer’s Class “C” Restaurant to change hours of operation and alcoholic beverage sales, service, and consumption, and hours of live entertainment, for AG Restaurant and Lounge, 816 H Street NE

Transportation and Public Space (TPS)

• Recommendation: ANC 6A send a letter to the Office of Planning team in charge of the H Street Corridor Study that includes a reference to our past letters regarding the H Street corridor, recommendations for the OP study, and asks that they reflect on the 2004 H Street study and actions taken or not taken with respect to improvements along the H Street Corridor.
• Recommendation: ANC 6A send a letter of support for the Capitol Hill Classic
• Recommendation: ANC 6A appoint Malcolm Laskowski (6A05) to the ANC 6ATransportation and Public Space (TPS) Committee.

New Business

• Suggested Motion: ANC6A send a letter of support to DC Water to conduct night work tied to the small diameter water line replacement project on Tennessee Avenue NE between East Capitol Street and 15th Street NE as well as 15th Street between E and G Streets NE. The night work is requested at the following locations to minimize disruption to schools and is estimated to be conducted during the following phases:
• Phase 1: This phase is in its final stage, and no night work is anticipated at this location.
• Phase 2: Begins at the intersection of Constitution and Tennessee Avenues and continues to Corbin Place NE. Night work is currently anticipated during the last week of April 2026.
• Phase 3: Extends from Corbin Place to E Street NE. Night work is anticipated during the last week of August 2026.
• Phase 4: Begins at E Street NE and continues slightly past the intersection of Tennessee Avenue and 15th Street NE, including F St NE. Night work is anticipated during the first week of January 2027.
• Phase 5: Begins just north of E Street NE and continues along 15th Street NE to G Street NE, including G Street NE. Night work is anticipated during the first week of April 2027.

Please note that the dates listed above are tentative and may change depending on field conditions and constru2ction progress.

Single Member District reports

Community Comments

ANC6D Alcohol Beverage Committee will hold a virtual meeting at 7:00pm

• For info on how to join the meeting, go here:  https://www.anc6d.org/abc-committee/

Agenda:  TBA

***

Capitol Hill Corner would also like you to know about:

Go here to see a list of upcoming events for this week and to sign up to join FreeDC:  https://freedcproject.org/

Folger Salon with Debbie Finkelstein, Yunah Kae, and Austin Raetz

Thu, Mar 12, 2026 at 4:30pm

Shakespeare and popular television.  Comedy and racial formation.

Venue:  Great Hall – Tickets:  Free; no ticket required

Book Sale – NE Library

Saturday, March 14

Friends of NE and SE Library will hold a book sale from 10am to 3:00pm at NE Library

Congressional Cemetery – New Daily Operating Hours

Beginning March 23, Historic Congressional Cemetery will implement new daily visiting hours. The grounds will now be open to general visitors from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM each day.

This change is part of ongoing efforts to improve safety and security across the cemetery landscape and reflects common operational practices at historic sites like ours. Visitors should plan their time on the grounds so that they are not arriving until the 7:00 AM opening time and exiting by the 7:00 PM closing time.

Members of the K9 Corps will continue to have after-hours access using a gate code that will be provided at orientation. The cemetery will also continue hosting evening programs and special events for registered attendees.

For more details about the new hours and what they mean for visitors, please read the full announcement on our website:  https://bit.ly/3NmWjGm

National Gallery of Art – Spark Awe – On Going

Finding Awe all around

Awe is the feeling of being in the presence of something vast or profound that leads you to see the world in a different way. Awe can bring us to tears, give us chills, and uplift us.

Inspired by our beloved Finding Awe program, we’re launching more ways to cultivate awe every day. Learn strategies to nurture curiosity and wonder. https://bit.ly/47gZPZC

by Larry Janezich

Posted March 1, 2026

The Week Ahead…

Here’s an early morning photo on Sunday, the day Michael Berman’s Diverse Markets Management brought the Flea Market at Eastern Market back to 7^th Street, SE, following the annual January/February hiatus. 

CIVIC on 8^th on Saturday afternoon.  CIVIC has not yet launched their cocktail bar evening hours yet.  ANC6B’s ABC Committee will discuss the status of a Settlement Agreement regarding use of the outdoor patio on the E Street side on Tuesday evening.  Co-owner Rhonda Foxx says, “We’re marking one month at CIVIC on 8th and continuing to grow as a place for thoughtfully made beverages—designed to move with your day…”

Big Things for Big Rooms at the Hirshhorn – Dec 20, 2025–Jul 04, 2027. 

Big Things for Big Rooms traces the development of immersive, large-scale artworks since the late 1960s. This presentation of 10 artworks – five on view for the first time at the Museum – is drawn largely from the Hirshhorn collection. 

From the exhibit:  Sam Gilliam, Light Depth, 1969.

For more, go here:  https://hirshhorn.si.edu/exhibitions/big-things-for-big-rooms/

Here’s Triple Candies’ monthly two-part installation in the former Li’l Pub at 655 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE. 

Triple Candies’ wall text says, “Making this exhibition, we cut out and reconfigured images from this book:  National Gallery of Art Collections.”  Triple Candies is a research-oriented curatorial agency run by art historian co-founders Shelly Bancroft and Peter Nesbett.

The Week  Ahead…& Some Photos from the Past Week

by Larry Janezich

Posted March 1, 2026

The Week Ahead…

Monday, March 2

ANC6B Parks and Public Spaces Task Force will hold and in-person meeting at 7:00pm.  

The meeting location will be 700 Pennsylvania Ave SE; Second Floor, Conference Room 1 (entry adjacent to Trader Joe’s).

Among items on the agenda:

• Discussion of additional issues presented by the Eastern Market Community Advisory Committee (EMCAC) related to the most recent version of the Rumsey Aquatic Center Plan as part of our general plan to comment on the plan introduced at the most recent community meeting.
• Discussion of the proposed “monitor a park” plan we have been considering to improve maintenance of the parks.

Tuesday, March 3

ANC6B Transportation Committee will hold a virtual meeting at 7:00pm*

*Note: This meeting date has been adjusted to Tuesday to avoid conflicts with holidays, religious days, or other events.

• For info on how to join the meeting, go here: https://anc6b.org/

Agenda:

• Shirley Chisholm Elementary School Safe Route to School Action Plan (Notice of Intent)

ANC6B ABC Committee will hold a hybrid meeting at 7:00pm

Join Information: This meeting will be a hybrid meeting – location will be 700 Pennsylvania Ave SE; Second Floor, Conference Room 1 (entry adjacent to Trader Joe’s).

• For info on how to join the meeting, go here: https://anc6b.org/

Agenda: 

Protests/Other Updates

• Presentation from Little Engine
• CIVIC on Eighth – Update on negotiations and ABCA schedule
• Letter to ABCA about consistency of ABCA communications
• Letter to DC Council supporting B26-0522, re: medical cannabis regulations & child serving institutions
• Barracks Row Roundtable Discussion

MPD 1D Citizens Advisory Council (CAC) will hold a virtual meeting, 6:00 – 7:15pm.

(The 1^st District has a new agenda format for the CAC meetings and is posting a wealth of new information on its website.) 

• For that and for info on how to join the meeting, go here:  https://1dcac.com/

Agenda:

• 1^st District Outreach Community Report
• Intro Captain Michael Hamelin, Lt. Marija Giannakoulias
• USADC Community Outreach – Chris Wade
• CSOSA Report – Michael Bonds
• 1^st District Commander Christopher Dorsey
• 1^st District Crime Statistics and State of 1^st District Police operations
• State of Sectors 1 – III Crime, Safety, Business and Commercial Concerns
• State of Specific Patrol Service Areas (PSAs) Crime, Safety, Business and Community concerns
• 1^st District Chief of Detectives – Lt. Ebony Boyd:  Cases of interest – wanted/apprehended individuals.
• ANC, residents, and businesses additional questions

Thursday, March 4

ANC6B Planning and Zoning Committee will hold a virtual meeting at 7:00pm.

Agenda:

• Wingstop, 406 8th Street, SE, Application for Zoning Adjustment, Settlement Agreement.
• Improving by-right “gentle density” guidelines under the Comp Plan

                                                                ***

Capitol Hill Corner would also like you to know about:

Go here to see a list of upcoming events for this week and to sign up to join FreeDC:  https://freedcproject.org/

Hill Center Event

A Nation at Peace with Itself: The Enduring Legacy of John Lewis

A Conversation Featuring John Lewis’s Longtime Director of Communications, Brenda Jones, Playwright, Psalmayene 24, and Historian, George Derek Musgrove

Wednesday, March 4 – 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm – $12.00

Presented in partnership with Mosaic Theatre Company and their production of Young John Lewis: Prodigy of Protest by Mosaic’s Playwright in-in-Residence, Psalmayene 24

Get tickets here:  https://bit.ly/4u2gnyc

Learn More Here: https://mosaictheater.org/young-john-lewis

Join us for a conversation honoring the legacy of former Congressman and Civil Rights icon, John Lewis. Psalmayene 24’s new musical, Young John Lewis, honors the legendary “Conscience of Congress.”

Brenda Jones is the former Senior Presidential Speechwriter for President Joseph Biden, the first African American woman to ever hold that title. Before her appointment to the White House, she was an award-winning political communicator, speechwriter and author who worked in the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, DC for nearly 16 years. She was the primary speechwriter and lead communications strategist for the late Rep. John Lewis. In 2015, she was named “One of the 20 Most Powerful Women Staffers on Capitol Hill” by National Journal magazine. In 2012, she won an NAACP Image Award for her book collaboration with Lewis called Across That Bridge: Life Lessons and a Vision for Change, which hit The New York Times Bestseller list in 2020. She is also a first-place winner of the Theodore C. Sorenson Speechwriting Awards and the co-author of a four-book series on political women called Queens of the Resistance about the lives of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Chairwoman Maxine Waters, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Live! At the Library: An Evening with Norah O’Donnell

Thursday, March 5 – 6:00pm-8:30pm – Doors Open: 5:30pm – Free but registration required

Join broadcast journalist Norah O’Donnell as she explores the overlooked women who shaped American history in “We the Women: The Hidden Heroes Who Shaped America,” her new book chronicling female pioneers from 1776 to the present.

Register here:  https://bit.ly/3OJvhJC

“We the Women: The Hidden Heroes Who Shaped America” is prominent broadcast journalist Norah O’Donnell’s new book, a kaleidoscopic portrait of unsung American women from 1776 to now who have shaped America, though they may not have received the credit they deserve. O’Donnell’s career has been marked by covering women’s stories and she is a natural choice to now tell their stories in print. She includes the stories of such women as the Forten family women, who were considered the “Black Founders” of Philadelphia, to the first women serving in the armed forces even before suffrage had passed. Join us as O’Donnell is in conversation with Dana Bash about these untold stories.

Live! At the Library: A Conversation with Robert Pinsky

Thursday, March 5 – 6:30pm – 7:30pm – Free but registration required

Join former U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky as he returns to the Library for an engaging conversation on his poetry and criticism with Substack book columnist Ron Charles—followed by a book signing!

Go here to register:  https://bit.ly/4bdJ57U

Former three-time U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky returns to the Library for a discussion of his poetry and criticism with Ron Charles, who writes about books on Substack. A book signing will follow.

Robert Pinsky was born in Long Branch, New Jersey, in 1940. His poetry collections include “Sadness and Happiness” (1975), “The Figured Wheel: New and Collected Poems 1966-1996” (1996), “At the Foundling Hospital” (2016) and “Proverbs of Limbo” (2024). In addition to editing five anthologies, Pinsky has published several books of prose, translations of Dante and Czesław Miłosz, and the computerized novel “Mindwheel” (1985).

Capitol Hill Arts Workshop – Annual Meeting

Saturday, March 7 – 10:00am-11:00am – RSVP below

Black Box Theater, 545 7th Street, SE

Find out everything about the CHAW Universe you could possibly want to know: finances, programs, partnerships – all the things that make CHAW the community anchor that it has become.  Share your insights and hopes for the future of CHAW. You’ll hear from CHAW board members, executive director, director of education and special guest Liz Brown, CHAW’s new gallery manager as she shares her gallery vision for the future.   Light refreshments will be served.

Please use the RSVP button above to let us know if you are coming and if there is anything in particular you’d like to hear about. amy@char.org

Upcoming Series:  Congressional Cemetery Event

STORY CIRCLES

• Saturday, March 7th at 1pm
• Saturday, March 21st at 1pm
• Sunday, March 29th at 3pm
• Saturday, April 4th at 1pm
• Sunday, April 19th at 1pm

Story What?  A Recorded History Project

Story Circles bring people together in small, facilitated groups to share stories and memories shaped by their experiences at the cemetery. Together, our stories build a record of community care, connection, and collective memory, revealing what makes this place meaningful to you, to us, to DC. No preparation is required. No RSVP required.   Recording the stories you share will be Dr. Michelle LaFrance, associate professor of writing and rhetoric in the Department of English at George Mason University.

For more, go here:  https://bit.ly/4rCrIDy

French Bakery at Eastern Market Expects March Opening

by Larry Janezich

Posted February 28, 2026

Saint-Georges Boulangerie across from Eastern Market visible at the far right.

The bakery’s pastry chef Slama Abdenour said he expects Saint-Georges will open in about three weeks.  He says he thinks the final permits to be approved next week.  The café will need a couple of weeks after that to get up and running, with a a soft opening on a Friday in March with a grand opening the following week. 

Here’s the view from the north entrance to the restaurant on C Street.

And here’s the view from the 7th Street side, looking at the north entrance.

Part of the decor, and as they say, very French.

CHC reported the coming of the bakery in the space formerly occupied by Radici at 303 7th Street, SE, in June of 2024.  The café will be the first U.S. venture for the team of restaurateurs who own five restaurants in Paris.

440 New Jersey Avenue, SE

Spotify Settles in on New Jersey Avenue SE

by Larry Janezich

Posted February 23, 2026

Spotify is setting up shop on NJ Ave in a former residential town house at 440 New Jersey Avenue, a block from the House Office Buildings, but without ANC6B’s hoped-for “Settlement Agreement” governing their business operations. 

The conventional wisdom is that Spotify will use the space for the company’s congressional lobbying efforts, like other corporate owners of residential buildings on New Jersey Avenue.

When the company purchased the property last year, they proceeded with plans to renovate the property and applied for Historic Preservation Office (HPO) approval since the property is in the Capitol Hill Historic District.  HPO referred the application to ANC6B which is charged with advising the Preservation Board whether the community supports, opposes, or has no opinion on the application. 

ANC6B found no fault with the proposed renovations as such, but has long opposed the use of residences for corporate business purposes – prohibited by city regulation which are not enforced – so decided to condition their support of the application on Spotify’s acceptance of a “Settlement Agreement” like those attached to businesses and developments seeking approval for Historic Preservation or Zoning applications. 

ANC6B, along with ANC6C (their counterpart north of East Capitol Street), strongly oppose the use of residences for corporate business.  But the Mayor’s Office has explicitly directed the Department of Buildings not to enforce the ban. 

In an effort to bring a measure of regulation to Spotify’s plans, the ANC appointed Commissioner Tyler Wolanin – in whose single member district the property lies – to pursue a Settlement Agreement with Spotify.  In response, Spotify’s lawyers replied with a proposed non-binding “Memorandum of Understanding” covering some of the points addressed in the proposed Settlement Agreement.  In addition, Spotify modified their proposed renovation so that they could receive approval at the HPO staff level, which meant that they no longer needed review by ANC6B. 

ANC6B’s Planning and Zoning Committee met February 5 to consider how to proceed in the face of Spotify’s proposed MOU, given the ANC’s loss of leverage because the HPO application was now moot. The committee voted to oppose a motion by Committee Chair Vince Marino to recommend that the ANC enter the MOU into the HPO’s case record along with a statement that the ANC does not object to the project.  The committee then voted to recommend that the ANC send a letter to CM Charles Allen, the DC Department of Buildings, the Historic Preservation Review Board, and candidates for mayor, informing them of ANC6B’s consistent opinion that the city is inadequately enforcing the separation of residential uses and commercial uses, in particular by allowing lobbying shops to set up in residential areas near the Capitol building.  A subcommittee was named to write the letter after the motion receives approval from the full ANC.  This language was sent as a recommendation to the full ANC.   

ANC6B met to consider the Committee recommendation on February 10.  Commissioner Wolanin proposed an amendment to the proposal for a letter to city officials by adding another resolution stating that ANC6B approves Spotify’s promises in the MOU which included agreeing to abide by DC regulations concerning noise, trash, yard maintenance, maintaining a continual presence in the house as a point of contact for the neighborhood, and other issues.  The resolution also stated that the ANC does not endorse the use of the property, which is in a residentially-zoned area, for nonresidential purposes, and states that the ANC believes that the company’s promise to have the home occupied by a full-time caretaker is intended to evade zoning regulations, and does not adhere to the intended use of the house’s zoning category. 

It was the consensus of the Committee that the original committee language recommending that a letter be sent to city officials and mayoral candidates pointing to the lack of enforcement of regulations on use of residential buildings be postponed and considered at the next ANC meeting in March. 

With that understanding, the motion to approve the Wolanin  resolution was agreed to by unanimous consent.  The resolution will be posted on the ANC website.   

Wolnan said, in a written statement, “I think that this resolution is a useful step for the neighborhood. We have a lot of corporations and PACs who buy houses near the Capitol for lobbying purposes, and usually the ANC doesn’t have a chance for any input. Now, for the first time, neighbors have an agreement to point to any time they have trouble with the company’s use of the house, whether that trouble comes next year or ten years down the line.”

That being said, it is noteworthy that the agreement is unenforceable and depends on the good will of Spotify. 

In recent years, numerous residential neighbors have complained about their corporate neighbors, pointing to events which were widely assumed to be fundraisers bringing traffic and parking issues, and next day cleanups which left piles of trash on the block outside of the normal trash pickup hours.  In September of 2023, during an effort to pressure the city to enforce regulations against corporations’ business use of residences led by then ANC6B01 Commissioner Frank Avery, residents listed 22 residential properties near the US Capitol owned by corporations.  See here:  https://bit.ly/40kHCq2 

At first that effort made headway, with the strong support of CM Charles Allen, and the new Director of Buildings Brian Hanlon seemed committed to enforcing the law.  That came to a sudden halt when Hanlon told ANC6B Commissioners that he had been instructed by the City Administrator to cease enforcement actions against use of residences for commercial purposes. See here:  https://bit.ly/4s2xiif

The Week Ahead… & Some Photos from Last Week

by Larry Janezich

Posted February 22, 2026

Last Monday, to mark the celebration of Presidents’ Day, the Library of Congress opened the floor of the Main Reading Room to the public – anyone who had a timed entry ticket to the building.  Here’s the view just inside the main entrance. 

View to the right.

And the view to the left.

The central structure in the Reading Room is known as the central desk, which sits directly under the 160-foot, domed ceiling.  The mahogany structure allowed the librarians to monitor the reading room, the card catalog, and access to book conveyor systems.  Prior to today’s digitalized card catalogue, a reader looked up a book’s location in the stacks in the card catalogue which surrounded the central desk, submitted a blue request slip to a librarian at the central desk who sent it by pneumatic tube to the level below which returned the book to the desk via conveyer belt, from which it was delivered to the seat where the researcher was working. 

Here’s a view of the dome.

And, zooming in, a mural of twelve seated figures, male and female, are arranged against a wall of mosaic patterning. They represent countries, or epochs, which in 1897, when the building was constructed, were thought to have contributed the most to the evolution of western civilization.

The top of the dome features a painting – Human Understanding – by Edwin Blashfield.  The female figure is in the act of lifting the veil of ignorance and looking forward to intellectual progress. 

For more on The Main Reading Room, go here:  https://bit.ly/4aKnra5

The Week Ahead…

Monday, February 23

ANC6B February 2026 Public Safety Committee will hold a hybrid meeting at 6:30pm. 

Meeting location will be 700 Pennsylvania Ave SE; Second Floor, Conference Room 1 (entry adjacent to Trader Joe’s).

• For info on how to join the virtual meeting, go here:  https://anc6b.org/

Agenda:  TBA

ANC6B Parks & Public Spaces Taskforce Meeting (In Person Only)

Meeting location will be 700 Pennsylvania Ave SE; Second Floor(entry adjacent to Trader Joe’s).

Agenda:  TBA

Tuesday, February 24

ANC6A Alcohol Beverage and Cannabis Committee will hold a virtual meeting at 7:00pm.

• For info on how to join the meeting, go here:  https://anc6a.org/community-calendar/

Among items on the draft agenda:

Alcohol Applications

• Discussion of a substantial change request to a Retailer’s Class “C” Restaurant to change hours of operation and alcoholic beverage sales, service, and consumption, and hours of live entertainment, for AG Restaurant and Lounge, 816 H Street NE.

ANC6B will hold virtual Executive Committee Meeting.

• For info on how to join the meeting, go here:  https://anc6b.org/

Agenda: 

• The standard business of the Executive Committee is adoption of upcoming meeting agendas and setting the agenda for the next meeting of the full ANC.

***

Capitol Hill Corner would also like you to know about:

Go here to see a list of upcoming events for this week and to sign up to join FreeDC:  https://freedcproject.org/

Wednesday, February 25

Hill Center Event 

Screening of Documentary Film, “The Last Battlefront: Quest for the Vote in DC”

This one-hour documentary is the first historical film on the right for self-government in Washington, D.C. told through the lives and voices of its citizens.

7:00 – 9:00pm.  $12. 

Get tickets here:  https://bit.ly/4saaSMl

Sunday, March 29

Hill Center Event

Stone Room Concerts @ Hill Center Featuring Eastern-European Jewish Folk Music with Seth Kibel & The Kleztet

5:00 – 7:00 pm.  $23

Get tickets Here  https://bit.ly/4rpyQ68

ONGOING

National Gallery of Art

Mary Cassatt: An American in Paris.  West Building. 

Now through August 30, 2026.

Mary Cassatt’s art and life reflect an independent spirit that defied expectations for women in her time.  Explore three galleries in the National Gallery’s impressionist collection to look closely at how she worked. Some 40 paintings, drawings, and prints—largely drawn from our rich holdings of her work—show an artist shaped by tradition yet radically modern.

Admission is always free and passes are not required.

UPCOMING:

Folger Theater

Tuesday, Mar 10 – Sunday, Apr 12

As You Like It

by William Shakespeare

Envisioned by Artistic Director Karen Ann Daniels

Directed by Timothy Douglas

TICKETS: Starting at $20

Get tickets here:  https://bit.ly/4kGKaIC 

Rosalind and her cousin Celia are forced to leave the court where they find respite and adventure in nature, inevitably succumbing to the madness of love and delightfully unpredictable circumstances.

This production offers a love note to DC, imbuing the Forest of Arden with the familiar vibes, culture, and characters that mark the District as a singular, resilient, and redemptive place of belonging.

Maru San from earlier this week at 327 7th Street, SE.

Photo inside taken from earlier this week.

Maru San at Eastern Market Opens with Peruvian Fish Rolls Friday Feb. 20

By Larry Janezich

Posted February 19, 2026

Award winning Chef Carlos Delgado’s Maru San Peruvian Fish Roll restaurant is bringing something new to the Eastern Market neighborhood.  Maru San offers carry out and walk-ins for the 25 stool counter like the traditional Japanese specialty sushi restaurants – the only seating.   A special reservation schedule limited to four at one 7:00pm seating promises an elegant tasting menu experience.  Delgado is also co-owner of the Michelin acclaimed Causa and the Amazonia – Peruvian restaurants in Blagdon Alley. 

Peruvian fish rolls – referred to as Nikkei rolls – are similar to sushi, but not the same, being a fusion of Japanese technique and Peruvian cuisine and are distinguished by the use of citrus-based sauces, spicy peppers, and warm, toppings. 

Here’s a link to their website:  https://www.marusandc.com/

Here’s a link to Eater Washington DC article posted February 5.  https://bit.ly/4aIQJpw

Location:  325 7^th Street, SE.

Hours of Operation: 

Monday 4 – 10P

Tuesday Closed

Wednesday Closed

Thursday – Sunday 4 – 10P

Little Engine Rotisserie Chicken Opens at Eastern Market on Tuesday, Feb 17

By Larry Janezich

February 16, 2026

Rob Sonderman’s Rotisserie and Wings restaurant – “Little Engine” – opens Tuesday, February 17, at 11:00am, across from Eastern Market, at 250 7^th Street, SE. 

Sonderman says, “So we try to serve something that is recognizable but taken to the next level as far as the flavor goes.”  He’s a veteran of opening restaurateur Steve Salis’s Catalogue Group’s Federalist Pig and Honeymoon Chicken, and struck out on his own last summer after ten years.

He’s a life-long resident of the Eastern Market neighborhood and this is his first venture in Southeast, for which, he partnered with Jeff Zients, owner of part of Call Your Mother on Barracks Row. 

Here are some photos from this weekend’s soft opening for family and friends. 

Little Engine was formerly the site of Eat Brgz. 

The “Little Engine” logo suggests “revving up” the chicken and wings offerings with high-quality flavors at a reasonable, family friendly price point. 

Here’s Sonderman, hands-on, in the kitchen.  He was formerly the pitmaster at Federalist Pig. 

The dining area decor announces that it’s family friendly. Especially with …

An impressive baseball card collection. 

Here’s the menu.  Little Chicken will be open daily, 11:00am – 9:00pm. 

Capitol Hill Art League announces opening and reception for “Landscapes” exhibit on Saturday,  February 14, 2026 running through Saturday, March 14, 2026 at Frame of Mine Gallery, 545 Eighth Street, S.E, on Barracks Row.

The members of the Art League have created views across geography, seasons and climes to bring us to places familiar and on our wish lists.

Come escape the wintry weather and step into another experience.

The show can be previewed on the Art League website at:  https://www.caphillartleague.org/

Proposed Design for Shirley Chisholm ES (formerly Tyler) – First Look

by Larry Janezich

Posted Monday, February 9, 2026

Thursday night, ANC6B’s Planning and Zoning Committee heard a presentation from STUDIOS Architecture of the concept design for the renovation of Shirley Chisholm Elementary School (formerly Tyler) at 10th and G Streets, SE. 

The school is being modernized and enlarged to meet additional programming and projected enrollment requirements.  The project will also maximize exterior programmable space and ensure the safety and security of students and staff.  The modernization will entail removing all of the interiors, stripping it down to the structure and façade, and providing all new building systems and new finishes.  

The school will vacate this summer into their swing space and demolition and new construction will start.  Completion is projected for July of 2028. 

Following the presentation, the committee voted unanimously to recommend that the full ANC6B support forwarding the designs to the Historic Preservation Committee for review. 

Here’s an overview of the project:

The school’s existing footprint with dates of expansions.

The proposed modernization’s footprint. 

The renovated main entrance at the corner of 10th and G Streets.  The canopy will be replaced and the entrance will feature an accessible pathway. 

Here’s the view of the existing building down G Street with a three story addition at the 11th Street end.

Here’s the view from 11th and G Streets looking southwest.  The image on the building shows a public art space reflecting community feedback about providing a way for Rep. Shirley Chisholm’s legacy to be brought into the school design.

This is a rendering of the south end of the building looking at the play space, the canopy element for community and theater programming space, and another public art feature depicting a place holder.

A view of the 10th Street side of the school looking northeast.  A secondary entrance at grade is in the middle at the bottom of the tower and will allow access to larger spaces that may be used more by the community for afterhours activities in the auditorium and gymnasium without giving access to the full building.

In 2025, members of the community, citing infrastructure issues with the school, voiced opposition to preserving the original 1949 building.  The Historic Preservation Review Board advised preservation of the structure despite that opposition and despite the building’s not having met the historical status of having been constructed before 1945. Owing to HPRB’s unexplained decision to advise preservation of the 1949 building, the ANC’s letter to HPRB supporting review of the design concepts stated that the ANC expects transparency and clarity going forward.   

Here’s a link to an article from last fall in The Hill Rag which provides more detail:  https://bit.ly/3O0JJww