Here’s the scene at As You Are on Sunday afternoon, as attendees listen to Free DC organizer Alex Dodds.
Here’s a detail of Dodds rallying the crowd.
A Free DC volunteer makes signs for the campaign.
Sunday afternoon, Free DC held its first Ward 6 meeting on Barracks Row’s at As You Are. Event organizer Alex Dodds said that the purpose of the gathering to kick off the Home Rule effort was a and introduction and a “celebration with our Ward Six team.” More than a hundred supporters crowded into the second story of As You Are to express solidarity, interact, and to cheer approval as they listened to Dodds assert DC’s right to self-determination.
Asked for comment, Dodds said “Free DC is a new campaign to protect home rule and win dignity for people in communities of the District. Free DC is organizing in all eight wards, mobilizing people to protect ourselves from this administration and this congress.” The movement, she said, “started two years ago during the overturning of the Revised Criminal Code – Congress disapproved of a DC law for the first time in over 30 years, and no matter how you felt about that legislation, we felt very strongly that it was the right and responsibility of the people of the DC to decide the laws here. So a lot of the organizers who are involved now first started organizing two years ago when that happened. “
As for next steps, Dodds said, “For anyone interested in joining our effort you can come to one of our campaign organizing meetings – we provide an overview of our strategy and how to get involved. They happen every other week alternating in person and on line.” The next Ward Six meeting is Tuesday, March 11th from 6:00pm – 8:00pm in North East Library.
Free DC is a special non-profit project of Community Change, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, and Community Change Action, a 501(c)(4) tax-exempt organization. It’s co-founders are Alex Dodds, founder and lead strategist for the public relations and campaign firm Worthy Studio; Nee Nee Taylor, Executive Director of Harriet’s Wildest Dreams; Kelsey Adams, co- director of DC Vote; and Keya Chattergee, member, Evergreen Advisory and Governing Boards and Executive Director of US Climate Action Network.
French Bakery Update – a source tells CHC that the progress on the opening of the long-awaited St. Georges Boulangerie across from Eastern Market is bogged down in the city’s interminable and increasingly stringent permitting process. The owner must be anxious to open, but timing is uncertain.
Razom for Ukraine appears to have set up camp at 603 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE. Razom is a U.S. based 501(c)(3) which seeks to help build a secure, prosperous, and democratic Ukraine. In 2023, Forbes Ukraine declared Razom one of the top 10 nonprofit organizations in Ukraine. (Wiki) Charity Navigator gives Razom a four star rating. Here’s a link for more info and to donate: https://www.razomforukraine.org/
DC’s first Mushroom Church is open on Barracks Row. An Instagram post for the “Entheogenic* Temple” says it wants to “bring the Divine to all people through our Sacred Sacrament the Mushroom. Mushrooms are only available for purchase for members of our Church through verified membership on location or through a Member Portal.”
*Entheogens are psychoactive substances, including psychedelic drugs (such as magic mushrooms) used throughout history in sacred contexts. (Wiki)
The Church is located in the space formerly occupied by Metropolitan Wellness Center and then by Mr. Nice Guys, over the former and future Popeyes on Barracks Row at 409 8th Street, SE.
Here’s a capture from the Mushroom Church’s Instagram page illustrating one of their products. On March 15, 2021, DC’s Initiative 81 went into effect, which did not legalize psychedelic mushrooms, but made policing and prosecution for use of them a low priority. Some groups seek a religious exemption from the DEA for use of psychedelics but there’s an application process – not just declaring yourself a church. The IRA as well may be curious about the legal status of an organization declaring itself a church.
Razom for Ukraine appears to have set up camp at 603 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE. Razom is a U.S. based 501(c)(3) which seeks to help build a secure, prosperous, and democratic Ukraine. In 2023, Forbes Ukraine declared Razom one of the top 10 nonprofit organizations in Ukraine. (Wiki) Charity Navigator gives Razom a four star rating. Here’s a link for more info and to donate: https://www.razomforukraine.org/
ABCA continues the crackdown on the illegal weed gifting shops, issuing a Notice of Closure to The U Smoke Shop at 607a Pennsylvania Avenue, SE.
The Week Ahead…
Highlight: Multiple representatives of the federal and local criminal justice system (maybe including Acting US Attorney for DC Edward Martin) will appear at Tuesday’s MPD’s 1st District Community Advisory Committee meeting – see below).
Monday, March 3
ANC6B Transportation Committee Meeting will hold a virtual meeting at 7:00pm.
Capitol Hill Corner would also like you to know about:
Tuesday, March 4
Folger Theater presents A Room in the Castle. On Stage through April 6. Tickets: $20 – $84.
How does a woman survive the court of Denmark? How does anyone? A Room in the Castle finds Ophelia, her handmaid, and Queen Gertrude on the other end of a wild prince’s antics and realizing just how dangerous life in this castle has become.
About The Tower: A bold, feminist debut novel, reimagining Mary, Queen of Scots’s darkest hour, when she was held hostage in a remote Scottish castle with a handful of loyal women while plotting a daring escape to reclaim her country and her freedom.
Congressional Cemetery Death Café. 6:00pm – 7:30pm.
Historic Congressional Cemetery Chapel 1801 E Street, Southeast.
Death Cafe is a global movement to encourage discussion about the often-taboo subject of death. These are intimate informal gatherings where we discuss death while eating cake and drinking tea to remind us of comfort and sweetness even in difficult times.
Empire Racquet at 419 8th Street, Barracks Row, opened Friday, February 28.
Here’s a shot of the new court.
Now Open: Empire Racquet on Barracks Row
by Larry Janezich
Posted March 1, 2025
Empire Racquet – Pickle Ball and Gym –opened Friday, February at 419 8th Street, in the former Capitol Hill Tandoor and Grill.
Saturday afternoon, owner Bryn Bryant said over 60 people have signed up for classes in the day and a half they’ve been open. Empire Racquet offers pee-wee tennis, cricket for adults, pickle ball for kids and adults and a full service tennis shop. The gym also offers classes in body sculpt and boot camp.
Bryant says he will be fully up and running by Monday. The space will include a lounge for parents and Wi-Fi. Signage is on the way and Empire Racquet has filed a permit for a logo on the front of the building. The gym will be open all day, seven days a week.
Bryant comes from NYC where he ran tennis clubs for 15 years.
Mirrors for Princes: “How To Be A Power Player – Tudor Edition” at the Folger Library
by Larry Janezich
Posted February 24, 2025
Just inside the entrance to the exhibit entrance one is struck by the deep purple color scheme – reminding us that wearing the color in Elizabethan England was a privilege reserved for members of the nobility ranked earl or above. An Earl is third in the British peerage system, below a Duke and A Marquess.
Washington is filled with people who are attracted to power and who strive to capture the attention of its brokers. This is a reality of governance that is reflected in the practices of power players throughout history. According to Heather Wolfe, Folger’s Curator of Manuscripts, the term “Mirror for Princes” is a metaphor which would have been known and commonly understood in the Elizabethan era and refers to a literary genre of political writings – playbooks – which offered instruction or rules on how to join, maintain, or advance one’s position at court. They were “mirrors;” if the reader saw him or herself in the text – which might describe the consequences of an action or behavior in terms of success or failure in governance or court – they could modify their behavior accordingly.
This new Folger exhibit opened last Friday. It consists of more than 60 objects from the Library’s collection and focuses on 13 of the rules gleaned from several Renaissance playbooks including Machiavelli’s The Prince, and Castiglione’s The Book of the Courtier. Wolfe said that the number is arbitrary, limited by the number of display cases in the Stuart and Mimi Rose Gallery.
Modern names have been given to the rules to make the period more accessible and each reflects a skill you needed to thrive and survive in Queen Elizabeth I’s court. Like Washington today, the court is the place to do business and power players follow rules without thinking about them.
The 13 cases are each labeled with a rule and hold playbooks, the texts of which illustrate the rule displayed.
Here are some of them:
Study the Play Books (e.g. Bend the rules to get what you want, i.e., “the end justifies the means,” and “it is wiser to be feared than loved”) Pictured is a 1584 copy of The Prince.
Get on the Gift List (e.g. Not to receive, but to give to the queen on gift day – the 12 foot gift list of 1579 pictured here details who gave and what was given, including jewelry, clothing, books, gloves and delicacies.)
Hang on to Your Head. (e.g. The traitor list – Thomas Cromwell, Robert Devereaux and Walter Raleigh – featuring execution records)
Die a Noble Death. (e.g. A celebrity funeral. To help relieve the repetition of the static display of texts and objects, the exhibit continues in an adjacent room with a screen that depicts scrolling images of a series of 32 large detailed engravings of the funeral of Sir Philip Sidney, considered the ideal Renaissance man, who died in battle at 31 and whose procession featured hundreds of mourners.)
Wolfe says, “I hope visitors see the parallels between Tudor England and today. Cancel culture, brand management, nepotism, power dressing, and the idea of ‘fake it ’til you make it’ were all a part of life for people seeking a position in the queen’s inner circle. When I was selecting items for the exhibition, I was continually struck by the similarities between the self-help books for managers and leaders today and the how-to books for aspiring power players from the 16th century.”
The mirror forming the “O” in the word describing the theme of the exhibit is inscribed with a quote from Richard II: “O flattering glass, like to my followers in prosperity, thou dost beguile me.” A close look at the mirror reveals it does not return a true reflection, perhaps speaking to a deeper truth than the one perceived by the observer. Asked to comment on this presumed artistic license, Wolfe remarked that the slight distortion of the mirror’s reflection was not intentional.
Capitol Hill Arts Workshop Annual Meeting. Saturday, the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop (CHAW) held its Annual Meeting. CHAW Executive Director Amy Moore is asking stakeholders and funders to step up and contribute to make up an expected shortfall in funding.
Rewild – Plants Workshops Design – at 232 7th Street, SE. Here’s a shot of the inside.
And here’s the reverse, looking across the street at Eastern Market.
The Ward 6 Public Schools Parent Organization is holding a Middle School Principals Panel Discussion on Monday, March 3, 7:00pm. Here’s a link to register for the event: bit.ly/W6PSPO25MSPrincipals (copy and paste)
Market Lunch in Eastern Market, today, circa 11:45am.
The Week Ahead…
Monday, February 24
ANC6B Public Safety Committee will hold a virtual meeting at 6:30pm.
Survey: Community input on the future of the Rumsey Aquatic Center. Deadline for submitting is Friday, February 28. Go here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Rumsey
The space formerly occupied by Lavagna at 539 8th Sreet on Barracks Row has a new tenant who has opened a Smoke Shop and applied for a Medical Cannabis license. Next door: that’s the Miracle Theater owned by National Community Church.
Here a capture of the Smoke Shop’s interior.
Last January, the owners of Café 8 on Barracks Row appeared before ANC6B to inform the Commission Of their intention to limit admission to the café and hookah bar to those 30 and older after 8:30pm. This is in part a response to complaints from the neighborhood about noisy early morning departures from the restaurant. Café 8 has been assured by city agencies of their right to impose the regulation. In passing, the owners offered that pending the expansion of the restaurant to the first floors of the adjacent buildings purchased by Café 8, the second story of one of the buildings would be leased to the proprietor of a retail outlet selling hookahs (also called Shisha) and hookah paraphernalia.
That new retail space is now in operation.
Here are some images from the interior.
The meaning of Triple Candie’s February installation in the window space of the former Li’l Pub on the 600 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, is a little less puzzling than that of the typical exhibit. The background is a detail from The Raft of the Medusa by Théodore Géricault. And the overlay is a commentary on the situation.
Gericault’s painting has become an icon of French Romanticism. It depicts the aftermath of the wreck of the French naval frigate Méduse, which ran aground off the coast of today’s Mauritania on July 2, 1816. On July 5,1816, at least 150 people were set adrift on a hurriedly constructed raft. All but 15 died in the 13 days before their rescue. The event became an international scandal, in part because its cause was widely attributed to the incompetence of the French captain. (Wiki)
The Week Ahead…
Monday, February 17
Presidents Day Holiday.Trash and Recycling WILL BE PICKEDUp owing to anticipated mid-week snow storm. Compost Pickup with slide one day.
TSI Pending Field Installation. Latest Comment: DDOT has evaluated the traffic safety concerns regarding both pedestrian and vehicle safety at the intersection of 14th Street NE and Tennessee Avenue NE. Following a complete traffic investigation, DDOT has decided to install curb extension pavement markings to reduce the crossing distance for pedestrians and improve overall safety at this intersection’
Lincoln Park Traffic Safety. This has been discussed before by this committee. Committee Member Sussman attended ANC 6B’s Transportation and Public Space committee meeting to explore a joint letter to DDOT requesting a comprehensive traffic study.
New Business.
TSI Pending Field Installation. Latest Comment: DDOT has evaluated the Traffic Safety Input for the intersection of 13th and F Street NE regarding traffic and pedestrian safety concerns. DDOT completed traffic data collection and investigation for the subject location and determined that installing curb extensions will decrease pedestrians’ crossing distance and help manage traffic speed.
Thursday, February 20
ANC6D ABC Committee will hold a virtual meeting at 7:00pm.
The Polar Plunge is a way for the community to come out and show their support for the athletes of Special Olympics DC. There will be an above-ground swimming pool erected at the Yards Park, and participants will “take the plunge.”
Union Kitchen at 430 8th Street, SE, held its grand opening on Saturday, February 15. It’s open daily, from 7:30am until 9:00pm. Pictured here are Store Director Matt Behringer (right) and vendor Sable Howard, (aka Joe Java) who founded and owns Grace Filled Cup.
The store also offers specialty grocery items including beer, wine, and sake as well as housewares.
One of the specialty items on Union Kitchen’s shelves is Grace Filled Cup’s Brew Luxe, a Premium Ready-to-drink coffee in a pouch. For more, see here: https://gracefilledcup.square.site/
And here are some other offerings you won’t find just anywhere.
Ruth Ellen Wennersten of 408 A Street, NE, Washington, DC, died in Talmarindo, Costa Rica on February 2, 2025, of heart failure caused by pulmonary embolism. Ruth Ellen was 79 years old.
She is survived by her husband, Jack Wennersten, two sons, Stewart (wife Maria) and Matthew (wife Mala) and two grandchildren, Anthony and Sofia (aged 17 and 15), all of Northwest Washington.
Ruth Ellen and Jack Wennersten moved to Washington, DC, in 2001, after academic careers. Ruth Ellen taught history at the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore and accompanied her husband on extended teaching assignment in Heidelberg, Germany, Naples, Italy, Asmara, Ethiopia, and Cambridge, England. She also taught English as a second language at the Hong Kong School of Ballet and Tokiwa University in Mito, Japan.
Active in civic affairs for over twenty years, Ruth Ellen was a docent at the National Building Museum, a volunteer at Friends of the Southeast Public Library on Capitol Hill, an usher at the Shakespeare Theater, and an avid supporter of the Anacostia Watershed Society.
A keen bridge player, dedicated reader, and world traveler, Ruth Ellen circumnavigated the United States, visiting all 50 states, and every continent except Antarctica, with extended visits to India, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and England. While she did not suffer fools lightly, she enjoyed entertaining and discussing politics. She had the love and adoration of her husband and family.
Donations to her memory can be made to the National building Museum, Development Office, in Washington, DC, 401 F Street, NW, 20001.
A Remembrance Service followed by a reception is scheduled March 1, 2025 from 3:00pm – 6:00pm at the Hill Center on Capitol Hill in Washington, 921 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE.
Union Kitchen Distribution and Construction Manager Keith Chapman (left) and Union Kitchen Director for Union Markets, Matt Behringer.
Union Kitchen – Barracks Row – Opens Thursday
by Larry Janezich
Posted February 10, 2025
The long-awaited opening of Union Kitchen at 430 8th Street, SE, is scheduled for 7:30am on Thursday, February 13, according to Union Kitchen Store Director Matt Behringer who adds, “The first 100 customers will receive a free freshly baked cookie.”
The Union kitchen concept is modeled on the small NYC bodega – a combination café and grocery story. It will open daily from 7:30am until 9:00pm for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The store will also offer specialty grocery items including beer, wine, and sake as well as housewares. An application for a sidewalk café – which would open in the spring – is in the works.
The opening will also feature several vendors whose products – many of them local – are found on Union Kitchen shelves. They will be there to interact and to introduce their brands to the neighborhood.
Reflecting store’s strong neighborhood orientation, Behringer says the Order Here counter will feature a QR Code soliciting photos of pets and neighborhood life for posting in a gallery on Union Kitchen’s wall. Wiki says of the NYC bodegas, “they are renowned for their convivial culture and colorful character.”
Progress report on renovation of SE Library. Photos: DCPL
Structural steel has been added to the new underground addition.
Electrical rough-ins are underway on the main floor. Note the skylight space in the ceiling.
Here’s the almost the same view of the design plan rendering illustrating the completed new main level. Note the center skylight which will illuminate the floors below.
MPD 1D CAC Update: Last Tuesday night, the MPD First District Citizens Advisory Council (CAC) held its monthly virtual meeting featuring MPD 1D Commander Colin Hall (far left), Captain Adam Crist, and Captain Paul Hrebenak. The officials gave an update on crime in the First District. Some of the highlights:
Crime stats continue to decline in the First District and across the city.
Recent items which have been the target of robberies include Canada Goose and Moose Knuckle Coats.
MPD D1 has worked with ABCA to shut down two illegal cannabis shops on PA Avenue, SE, one on the 1100 block and one on the 1200 block. Two months ago MPD 1D officers assisted in the shuttering of two illegal cannabis shops on H Street.
MPD has made progress on cleaning up the corner of 8th and H Street, NE.
The area around 15th and Independence SE has been quiet after MPD made several arrests and took some violent people off the streets.
Commander Hall will lead a contingent of MPD 1D officials participating in the Polar Plunge in Yards Park on Saturday, February 22. (See below for additional info.)
ABCA Shuts down Illegal Weed Shop on PA Ave, SE. Here’s a photo of Friends Smoke Shop at 1223 PA Avenue, SE, one of the two illegal cannabis outlets closed recently by the Alcohol Beverage and Cannabis Administration. (At Friends Smoke Shop, Investigators recovered 1.4 lbs. of marijuana, 42 grams of THC vape cartridges, and 92 grams of mushroom infused products.) The other illegal weed shop on PA Avenue, SE which was closed recently is on the 1100 block. ABCA also closed two illegal shops on H Street SE last month.
Former Oehme va Sweden Building Sold. The grand old building on Barracks Row at 536 8th Street, SE, has been sold. The recent home of Oehme, van Sweden Landscape Architects and formerly a City Bank Building went up for sale in January of last year. Reportedly, the architectural firm found maintenance of the 1908 building too burdensome. No word on the new owner, but it’s likely the building will see continued service as office or commercial space.
The Week Ahead…
Tuesday, February 11
ANC6B will hold a hybrid meeting at 7:00pm.
Meeting location will be 700 Pennsylvania Ave SE; First Floor (entry adjacent to Trader Joe’s).
For info on how to join the virtual meeting, go here: https://anc6b.org/
Among items on the Consent Agenda
321 D Street, SE. Motion to support Zoning Adjustment Application for exceptions for rear addition.
4-5 Library Court, SE. Motion to Defer Historic Preservation Application to add second story additions to two existing alley dwellings.
Amendments to Standing Rules and Bylaws.
Appointment of Resident Members and Alternates to all Committees & Task Forces.
Appointment of Committee and Taskforce Chairs.
Community & Commission Announcements and Speak Out
External Updates:
MOCRS Representative.
Representative from Councilmember Charles Allen’s Office.
Metropolitan Police Department.
ANC 6B Input on Other Items of Concern
Alcoholic Beverage & Cannabis Committee
7th Street Love (Acqua al 2), 212 7th Street. – Motion to take no position on Restaurant Liquor License Application with Entertainment and Dancing Endorsement, pending receipt of a signed Settlement Agreement.
ANC6B Administrative Matters.
ANC7D will hold a virtual meeting at 7:00pm (new start time)
Chris Dyer, DC Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) Summer camp registration & spring programming
DC Government Updates
Eric Mullins, Mayor’s Office of Community Relations & Services (MOCRS)
Ward 7 Representative • Francis Campbell, Office of Ward 7 Councilmember Wendell Felder
Commissioner Single Member District Reports
Suggested Motion: ANC 7D to request FY2026 funding for DDOT to conduct a Kenilworth-focused road safety/design audit.
Suggested Motion: ANC 7D to send a letter to DC Government stakeholder agencies to request a feasibility study to install CCTV on I-295 pedestrian bridges to improve bridge user safety.
Suggested Motion: Recommend ANC 7D approve a grant in the amount of $1,500 to DCwise1 for food handling/safety training.
Public Safety Committee Report
Discussion of setting an ANC 7D Special Meeting between February 12 and April 12 for the purpose of a 7D01 Election.
Suggested Motion: ANC 7D to post information requesting contracting occasional administrative support for the Commission.
Recommendation: ANC6A protest the license application of Dumpling Hot Pot Beyond, unless a Settlement Agreement is reached between the ANC and the license applicant prior to the protest deadline.
Recommendation: ANC6A protest the license application of Tigo’s unless a Settlement Agreement is reached between the ANC and the license applicant prior to the protest deadline.
Recommendation: ANC6A protest the license application of Dreamy DC unless a Settlement Agreement is reached between the ANC and the license applicant prior to the protest deadline and ABCA confirms applicant is within allowed distance from another licensed establishment.
Recommendation: ANC6A send a letter to the Chair of the City Council, with copies to all members of the Council and the Mayor, requesting the city council to pass legislation creating a provision for a moratorium zone for cannabis licenses equivalent to the provision for a moratorium zone for alcohol licenses.
Recommendation: ANC6A send a letter to DDOT in support of the planned street closures for the Capitol Hill Classic.
Recommendation: ANC6A send a letter to DDOT requesting all-way stops and other traffic calming along Tennessee Ave. from D/14th/E Streets.
Recommendation: ANC6A send a letter to DDOT requesting they extend the protected bike lane project at 14th and H Streets south through Maryland Ave and also examine ways to prioritize the B2 bus in this area.
Recommendation: ANC6A send a letter to DDOT requesting they expand the FY25Q2 prioritization of 11th and F Street NE to re-examine traffic calming along 11th Street NE from Florida Ave to East Capitol.
Recommendation: ANC6A send a letter to DDOT in support of the Maury color the curb project (and that the art have some connection to the color the curb from Hill Family Biking).
Recommendation: ANC6A send a letter to DDOT suggesting and requesting safety improvements to the 16th Street/C Street/North Carolina Ave NE corridor.
Recommendation: ANC6A send a letter to DDOT requesting they expand the FY25Q2 prioritization of 14th and Ames Place NE to calm traffic along 14th Street from North Carolina Ave to East Capitol.
Recommendation: (Mini-Mall Planned for H 1355-1359 H Street, NE) ANC6A send a letter of support for the Zoning Adjustment Application requesting Special Exceptions to convert to a retail and eating and drinking establishment and use an existing, semi-detached, mixed use building in the NMU-4/HA and MU-4 zones.
Recommendation: ANC6A to send a letter of support for a Zoning Adjustment Application requesting Special Exceptions from requirement to permit construction of a two-story plus cellar rear addition, to an existing, attached, two-story with cellar, principal dwelling unit in the RF-1 zone.
Recommendation: ANC6A to send a letter of support to the DOB and the BZA requesting a Time Extension, asking them to expedite requests associated with bringing the facility at 1022 Maryland Avenue NE into compliance with updated zoning regulations, given Sasha Bruce Youthwork’s commitment to working with the community liaison committee on any ongoing plans related to the building, particularly any external work.
Capitol Hill Corner would also like you to know about:
Hill Center Event – Tuesday, February 11. 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Our City. Our Music. Our Writers – In-person
$10.00
Two eminent, essential local writers on jazz are featured in the February 11 session of the series.
Georgetown University Professor Maurice Jackson has just published Rhythms of Resistance and Resilience: How Black Washingtonians Used Music and Sports in the Fight for Equality. He will also talk about DC Jazz: Stories of Jazz Music in Washington, DC., which he co-edited.
NEA Jazz Master Willard Jenkins will talk about Ain’t But a Few of Us. Black Music Writers Tell Their Story, noted by reviewers as superb, overdue, and vital reading for any jazz fan. Though performers and innovators in this genre are overwhelmingly African American, Black music writers and editors are woefully underrepresented.
The Polar Plunge is a way for the community to come out and show their support for the athletes of Special Olympics DC. There will be an above-ground swimming pool erected at the Yards Park, and participants will “take the plunge.”
CAPITOL HILL CORNER 