Monthly Archives: November 2023

Joey’s Barracks Row at 527 Eighth Street SE expects to open mid-December.

Family Dining Returns to Barracks Row – Joey’s Is Opening Soon

by Larry Janezich

John Boyle, who opened the popular Marty’s family dining on Barracks Row 20 years ago is bringing family dining back to the location in December. Six years after opening Marty’s, Boyle leased the space to CAVA which opened in 2009 and closed November 28, 2021.  Though successful on Barracks Row, CAVA did not renew their lease, having decided to change their business model and expand their new concepts to other locations. 

Boyle says CAVA was a great tenant and he tried to get a good operator to succeed them.  He said that he was uncomfortable with some people who were interested in operating a restaurant with entertainment who appeared to be interested in opening a club and decided to jump back into the restaurant business in his old location. 

He redesigned the layout to open up the space and give it a lighter, brighter, friendlier atmosphere.  Boyle says he doesn’t expect to have entertainment except for 1980’s background music and wants Joey’s to be a place “where people can eat, drink, meet their neighbors and friends and have a conversation without yelling.”  He hopes to open the second week of December.  As is the trend for Capitol Hill restaurants, the new design includes event spaces. 

Joey’s will be run by two managing partners:

Rob Gilson, ex Executive Chef at the U.S. Senate and graduate of Culinary Institute of America will oversee the kitchen and menu. 

Terry Cullen, who Boyle says is an old friend, will come to Joey’s from being the general manager at Tommy Joe’s Bar and Grill in Bethesda and manage the front of the house.

Boyle says the main focus of the menu will be ala carte family meals – “Everything on the menu will be on the diner’s table in 12 minutes.  I want neighbors to know that if they come here and sit down, the food comes out quickly.”  The moderately priced menu is strictly American cooking, including salads, soups, chili, wings, burgers, sandwiches, beef brisket, ribs, chicken breast, salmon filet, spaghetti & meatballs, grilled vegetarian shishkabob.  There’s a menu for kids with kid sized portions of hamburgers, hot dogs, and spaghetti and meatballs.  Gilman says he will weave in daily seasonal specials which could include rib eye, roast chicken, London broil, meatloaf, and fish and chips. 

Boyle says he will start with dinner and maybe do lunch later and says he “wants the place to be known to be consistent, fast, and good.”  “And with the best burger in the city,” added Gilson. 

Hours: 

• Friday, Saturday, Sunday:  noon until midnight, kitchen closes at 11pm.
• Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, 4pm until midnight, kitchen closes at 11pm. 
• Closed Monday

Asked about the name, Boyle says there is no actual Joey – he was searching for a name that was not already a trademark and hit upon Joey’s of Barracks Row.   

Here’s what you see when you enter.

The bar.

The light-filled first floor rear of the restaurant features a raised dining platform which can be turned into a podium platform for events.

The upstairs dining area overlooks 8th Street.

Dining al fresco just off the upstairs dining area – which can double as event space upon demand.

Brent Elementary School’s annual holiday sale starts this week.   Proceeds are used to provide critical resources to students at this public elementary school on Capitol Hill.

Fraser fir trees, greenery, Hanukkah items, and more are available for presale until Nov. 28 at www.brentholidaysale.org.  In addition to trees the outdoor, on-lot sale will include wreaths, garlands, poinsettias, winterberry, and Hanukkah items.  Customers will also have the popular option to have their trees delivered and an option for in-home setup.

Brent is partnering with Everyone Home DC https://everyonehomedc.org/ – a local nonprofit group working to ensure everyone has access to a safe, affordable, and comfortable home – via its “Donate a Tree” program to provide trees, ornaments and lights to approximately 40 families in need this holiday season. Donation trees may be purchased online here:  https://bit.ly/47QUV3j

This year’s on-lot sale will be open at 301 North Carolina Avenue SE on the following days and times:

• Thursday, November 30th – 4pm – 7pm
• Friday, December 1st – 4pm – 7pm
• Saturday, December 2nd – 9am – 5pm
• Sunday, December 3rd – 9am – 5pm

For more information, please email brentholidaystore@gmail.com

Not ready for prime time yet – but soon:  This year’s U.S. Capitol’s Christmas tree is a 63-foot Norway spruce.  The tree will be lit on Tuesday, November 28, during a ceremony on the West Front Lawn beginning at 5pm.  It will then be lit from dusk until 11 pm each evening through January 1, 2024.

Here are some photos of the U.S. Botanic Garden on Saturday afternoon.  The Botanic Garden unveiled their holiday season decorations on Thanksgiving Day – the “Landmarks of DC” exhibit inside and the model train exhibit outside.   The Landmark models are made from many different plant parts.  Each piece is a unique plant-based masterpiece – architectural details are fashioned from hundreds of dried plant materials. 

The Week Ahead…& Some Photos from the Past Week

by Larry Janezich

Posted November 26, 2023

Monday, November 27

ANC6A’s Community Outreach 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:

Public Schools’ Principal Presentations

• Eastern High School: Steve Miller
• Stuart Hobson Middle School: Eric Fraser
• Committee Questions
• Community Input/Ques

Tuesday, November 28

ANC6A’s Alcoholic Beverage Licensing 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 of the draft agenda:  TBA

ANC6B’s Executive Committee will hold a virtual meeting to discuss the agenda for the meeting of the full Committee on December 12

For info on how to join the meeting, go here:  https://bit.ly/3GdM1Bl

Wednesday, November 29

Eastern Market Community Advisory Committee will hold both an in person meeting and a virtual meeting at 7:00pm in the North Hall of Eastern Market.

For info on how to join the meeting virtually, go here:  TBA

Among items on the draft agenda:  TBA

Pickpockets Target Eastern Market Shoppers

by Larry Janezich

Posted November 23

Over the last five days three patrons of Eastern Market have reported being the victims of pickpockets.  The latest incident occurred Wednesday, November 22.  The victim was robbed around 1:15pm and by the time they got home the thieves had charged over $5000 to four credit cards.  The credit card companies deleted the charges and cancelled the cards and the victim filed a police report.

Pickpocketing has become a recurring problem at the Market.  Last weekend, a source told Capitol Hill Corner that two victims reported being robbed by pickpockets to Market management and that police believe the thieves are professionals rather than opportunists.

On November 11 – Veteran’s Day – the NYT featured Eastern Market as one of its destinations in a Travel Section piece on 36 Hours in DC.  Pickpockets need crowds – and with destination status come the crowds that attract pickpockets.  The Eastern Market Community Advisory Committee (EMCAC) has been pressing the city for more security personnel at the market and has established a public safety committee which has been discussing security protocols and needed public safety measures.  EMCAC will meet next Wednesday at 7:00pm in the North Hall of the Market and the recent criminal activity will likely be part of the discussion.

Meanwhile, Market customers are advised to be aware of the threat and to protect all of their valuables when shopping at the Market. 

Here’s an architect’s rendering of the design for the renovated Southeast Library.

SE Library Will Close January 4 for Two-Year Renovation

by Larry Janezich

Posted November 20, 2023

DC Public Library announced today that the last day of service for SE Library at 403 7^th Street, SE, will be Thursday January 4, 2024.

A community meeting on Thursday, December 14, featuring DC Library officials and the construction team of Whiting-Turner will provide an opportunity for neighbors to learn what to expect during the construction period scheduled to last at least two years.  The meeting will be at SE Library from 6:30pm until 8:00pm.

The Interim Library for the Southeast Library during the modernization is the Northeast Library, located at 330 7th Street, NE.

The Interim Library Express Location will be at the Arthur Capper Community Center, 1000 5th Street, SE.  The opening date for the Arthur Capper location and operating hours will be announced at the December 14 Community Meeting. The following services will be available at this location:

• Holds Pick-Up
• Item Return
• Wi-Fi Access
• Public Computers for Children, Teens and Adults (Desktops and Laptops)
• Printing and Copying

Please note that there will be no browse-able collections housed at this location.

Weekly Story Time will be held at 700 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, (in partnership with Barracks Row Main Street). 

The goals for $33 million transformation of the historic Carnegie library include:

• Expanded space for children, teens and adults
• More space for books, computers and seating
• Preservation and restoration of the building’s historic elements
• Universally accessible entrance (as well as maintaining the original historic entrance)
• Restoring the exterior landscape
• Environmentally sustainable design
• Improved sight lines
• More meeting, collaboration, and study space

For more info, go here:  https://www.dclibrary.org/news/southeast-library-modernization-project

ICYMI, here are some images from last weekend’s 150th Anniversary of Eastern Market Celebration.  Tommy Wells, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Policy and Legislative Affairs, recalled the fire which damaged the Market on April 30, 2007 – shortly after he was elected Ward 6 Councilmember – and the reconstruction of the Market thereafter.  He said he had been awakened by MPD First District Commander Diane Grooms telling him that Eastern Market was on fire and that it was pretty serious.  He recounted going to the market and watching as the flames engulfed the roof and the subsequent support of the community and the city which worked together to support the vendors and rebuild the Market.

This one is one of the members of a cycling group called The Wheelmen demonstrating the tricky mount of a penny-farthing bicycle – so named because of the image of a much larger British penny next to the much smaller farthing.  It was popular in the 19^th Century but became obsolete in the 1880’s with the development of modern bicycles. 

Inside the North Hall, world-renowned silhouette artist, Lauren Muney, founder of Silhouettes by Hand, demonstrates her artistry with a pair of scissors and a piece of paper. 

One of the tours of the market – this one by Capitol Hill author and historian Robert Pohl (center) – ended up in the rarely publically accessible Market Master’s Office high on the east side of the market. 

The Market Master’s office affords a view not only of 7^th Street outside the market…

…but also an overview of the Market’s interior. 

Here’s Triple Candies’ November exhibit in the space in front of the former Li’l Pub at 655 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE.  Triple Candie is a research-oriented curatorial agency run by art historian co-founders Shelly Bancroft and Peter Nesbett.  Their purpose is to create alternative exhibition methods making that the object of critical focus rather than what is displayed (which for the most part does not include original artworks).

The Week Ahead…& Some Photos from the Past Week

by Larry Janezich

Posted November 19

Monday, November 22

ANC6A Transportation & Public Space Committee will hold a virtual meeting at 7:00pm.

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

Agenda:  Not available at press time

ANC6D Transportation Committee will hold a virtual meeting at 7:00pm.

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

Agenda:  Not available at press time.

by Larry Janezich

Posted November 19, 2023

A moment before the tree was lit. Kathy Didden and the Capitol Hill BID Men and Women in Blue.

CM Charles Allen and media celebrities Tom Sherwood and Kojo Nnamdi, Masters of Ceremony. 

Noting the size and enthusiasm of the crowd which numbered in the hundreds, CM Allen said the gathering represented the “beating heart of the community.”

MPD 1st District Commander Hall was on hand, keeping an eye on things.

The holiday tree in the aftermath of the ceremony which also included performances by Joyous Voices, The Capitol Hill Arts Workshop’s Suzuki Strings, and the Washington Youth Choir.

CM Allen Intros Bill to Fine Developers Up to $100,000 for Unauthorized Demolition of Historic Homes

By Larry Janezich

Posted November 14, 2023

In the past five years, two historic townhomes* in ANC6B Commissioner Jerry Sroufe’s Single Member District have been demolished by developers who exceeded the scope of their building permits – with minimal consequences.  The one pictured above at 326 A Street, SE, was demolished in 2019.  A second demolition earlier this year at 639 A Street, SE, prompted Sroufe to seek a legislative remedy to prevent future demolitions.  Tuesday night, at its monthly meeting, ANC6B voted to send a letter to CM Charles Allen urging stricter enforcement of Historic Preservation regulations and stronger penalties for unauthorized demolition.

It seems Allen had already gotten the message.

On Wednesday, Allen introduced legislation to protect historic homes from unauthorized destruction and demolition, enabled in part by existing fines with too low a maximum penalty to serve as a successful deterrent and with little ability for existing fines to allow for significant differences between small and severe violations.

The bill comes out of an examination of demolition records and fines for historic buildings, which made clear the existing fine structure was not deterring construction companies.  In reviewing violations and infractions, few contractors were required to pay more than $3,000 for violations – a small fine for a project costing hundreds of thousands of dollars. Notably, the fine is the same for something smaller, such as repointing, as it is for larger, near-full scale demolition.

The bill from Councilmember Allen proposes a stronger and more flexible fine system to allow the Office of Planning and the Historic Preservation Review Board to take decisive action. The Protecting Historic Homes Amendment Act of 2023 would create scaled, higher fines for significant violations of the Historic Landmark and Historic District Protection Act of 1978, the legislation that created the District’s current framework for historic preservation. The new bill provides that penalties assessed by the Historic Preservation Board must vary by degree of severity of the damage, up to $100,000 per violation.  Current violations are capped at a daily fine of $4,716 regardless of the severity of the infraction.

“Earlier this year a historic home in Ward 6 was nearly demolished when a construction project to add onto the home went way beyond the scope of the original permit.  It drew attention to the fact that existing fines just aren’t enough to truly deter that kind of activity in historic neighborhoods,” said Allen. “This legislation will give the District more flexibility to enforce against bad actors for significant violations of historic preservation law.  Right now, these companies can skirt the law and tear down history just by writing a small check to the city.  And even excellent enforcement can only go so far, if the ceiling on fines for the worst behavior is about the same as the price of a few new doors and windows.”

The ANC letter passed Tuesday night offered two recommendations for addressing the current fining and enforcement procedures:

1) A legislative hearing would provide an opportunity to seek full understanding of the process of assigning fees, moderating them, and collecting them.

2) OP should be required to provide data about penalty violations, and the resulting consequences of discovered violations, to the Council annually.

It was not clear whether Allen’s bill addressed these additional concerns or whether Allen agrees they are necessary. 

*“Embarrassed” Historic Preservation Board OK’s Rebuild of Illegal Demolition https://bit.ly/43cnQwV

*Demolition at 639 A ST SE – a “tragic and unfortunate development “– Gets Stop Work Order https://bit.ly/3nuZ6jk

*You Have to Watch Them Every Minute….  https://bit.ly/3lLBHtH

A residence near the US Capitol on New Jersey Avenue, SE, being marketed as office space.

ANCs Push City on Illegal Use of Housing by Lobbyists & Others

by Larry Janezich

Posted November 14, 2023

Tuesday night, ANC6B joined ANC6C in sending identical but separate letters to the Mayor and other city officials asking for city action on the long standing issue of illegal use of residential buildings close to the Capitol by lobbyists, non-profits, and political organizations. 

Last Wednesday, ANC6C Commissioner Joel Kelty called up a letter for consideration by ANC6C which voted 6-0-1 to send it to the Mayor and others.  (Commissioner Jay Adelstein abstained because he wanted the letter posted on the ANC website for a brief period of time for constituents to see it and provide helpful comments before it was sent.)

On Tuesday night, in ANC6B, Commissioner Frank Avery introduced the same proposal for consideration by ANC6B.  The Commission voted to support sending the letter by a vote of 8 – 1.  The letter reads in part:

“The proximity of our neighborhood to the US Capitol and congressional offices makes the Capitol Hill neighborhood an attractive location for lobbyists, political campaigns and other companies and organizations seeking to influence Congress to establish offices and to host corporate events. These office and event uses are commercial occupancies as defined by the Zoning Regulations and are fundamentally incompatible with the designated uses in the RF and RA residential zones that make up the majority of our neighborhood.

Since at least 1985, residents of [ANC 6C/ANC 6B] have complained to the District government that residentially zoned properties in our ANC have been illegally converted to prohibited commercial uses. We again ask the Mayor to timely implement a coordinated, multi-agency approach to address existing illegal commercial uses and to develop systematic policies and procedures to prevent future conversions of residentially zoned properties to prohibited, non-residential uses.”

The letter requests immediate changes to address the non-residential use of residentially zoned properties and requests their immediate implementation…including revoking the certificate of occupancy for any unpermitted, non-residential use identified in a residential zone and ordering the immediate closure of any non-residential use that lacks the required certificate of occupancy.

Additional requests include:

• Evaluate properties being investigated for use violations, also for construction code deficiencies…
• Prevent the future conversion of existing residentially-zoned properties to non-residential uses…
• Modify the 311.dc.gov website and 311 mobile app to provide a trackable means for citizens to report zoning violations, including the illegal use of a residential property for a nonresidential use.
• Forward reports of properties that are misclassified as residential uses to the Office of Tax and Revenue for re-classification.
• Provide an online dashboard that allows citizens to search for zoning and tax classification complaints and to track their resolution.
• Verify all non-person permit applicants are entitled to do business in the District of Columbia…
• Require that all real estate sales transactions involving residentially-zoned property in the Capitol Hill Historic District and Capitol Interest Overlay Zone include a disclosure at settlement highlighting the allowable uses in the appropriate residential zone.
• Coordinate with OUC and DOB to re-classify properties being used for non-residential purposes to reflect their actual tax classification and reassess those properties to reflect their actual value based on their commercial use.
• Coordinate with DOB inspections to verify occupancy for residentially zoned properties.  Reclassify any residential properties found to be unoccupied as vacant and tax at the vacant property tax rate.

Copies of the letters were sent to Councilmember Charles Allen; Director Brian Hanlon, Department of Buildings; Director Sara Bardin, Office of Zoning; Kathleen Beeton, Acting Zoning Administrator Glen Lee, Chief Financial Officer; Director Heather McGaffin, Office of Unified Communications. 

The draft letter which was submitted for consideration by ANC6C included a list of 29 residentially zoned properties reported by constituents as being used for commercial purposes:  See link below. ANC6B has a similar list of 22 properties and did not attach it to its letter but the list has already been forwarded to CM Charles Allen and to Brian Hanlon, Director of the Department of Buildings.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1IBief7ir5EwNahtjvkTxY6CUc2Y7cq4mV1Ht5XvigNs/edit#gid=0

Jim Toole, 1937 – 2023 (photo: Capitol Hill Books)

Capitol Hill’s Legendary Bookseller Jim Toole Dies

By Larry Janezich

Posted November 12, 2023

Capitol Hill Books at 657 C Street, SE, on Sunday afternoon.

The shock of the death of Morton “Jim” Toole – legendary former owner of Capitol Hill Books – spread through the Capitol Hill book-loving community on Sunday.     

Toole collapsed on his way home after having dinner at Tunnicliff’s on Saturday night.  He was 86. 

Toole owned and operated Capitol Hill Books from 1995 until July of 2018 when he sold the business  to long time employees and friends of the store.  According to their website, the new owners vowed to preserve the fiercely independent spirit of the bookstore and ensure it maintains its place as a literary hub of the community.

Toole was a retired Navy rear admiral – a veteran of the Vietnam War – with a degree in history from UCLA and a Master’s from American University.  One of Toole’s long time friends noted that his death on Veteran’s Day was a fitting and poetic way to go.   

Toole’s wit and finely tuned curmudgeoness enlivened the structured disorganization that characterized the nationally known eclectic bookshop. 

Those qualities were evidenced by these 2014 photos of signage advising and admonishing patrons who browsed the three floors of used and rare books.

Capitol Hill Books was opened in 1991 by Bill Kerr, a graduate of Wayward Books – another beloved used bookstore located at 725 7^th Street, SE.  Wayward Books relocated to Maine in 1990.  Kerr – who worked at the Washington Post – opened his own store around the corner at 657 C Street, SE.