Site of the former Harris Teeter at 1350 Potomac Avenue, SE
Harris Teeter Will Terminate Lease on Potomac Ave Space
by Larry Janezich
Posted January 15, 2026
The main obstacle to leasing the former Harris Teeter at 1350 Potomac Avenue SE is that the company has continued to hold their lease on the unoccupied space. That’s about to change according to an announcement in an email from Danna Robinson, Director, Corporate Affairs and Customer Relations for Harris Teeter. Robinson announced today that the company has “a fully executed termination agreement for this location. Negotiations required to reach this agreement took time, but they were necessary to ensure an appropriate resolution.”
Asked to comment on the announcement, ANC6B09 Commissioner Karen Hughes – in whose single member district the site lies – said, “I hope another grocery goes into the space as a matter of food equity. The Potomac Avenue transit plaza is an important hub for Ward 7, which has very few grocery stores. I’m also looking forward to more competition in the neighborhood, as prices at the Safeway are quite high. Streets Market is already opening at 15th and Penn, and having another food vendor in the Harris Teeter space would be huge progress for food access on the east side of the city.”
Also weighing in on the announcement was Marc Levinson who is a board member on the Jenkins Row Unit Owners Association and also president of the building’s REA Board which governs shared property rights.
The commercial properties on the ground level of the building are owned by EDENS Properties who was Harris Teeters’ landlord. Levinson said, “Harris Teeter moved out of the store four years ago this month but continued to maintain the lease on the property and did not allow EDENS to show the property until last year.
I know the building has shown the space to a number of potential tenants, but no takers yet. Any new tenant will need to re-fit the interior space to suit their needs. So I’m sure we’re still looking at 1-plus years till something moves in, but that’s much better than having to run out the lease. I still don’t know a date at which the lease is going to be terminated. This…letter did not specify that…people should not be expecting a new grocer to come into that space next week. It’s going to take a lot more time than that for any new tenant to move into the space.”
The new HQ of GraceWay Baptist Church at 228 7th Street, SE
Politically Active Church Buys $5.5 million Building at Eastern Market
by Larry Janezich
Posted January 11, 2026
(A previous version of this post stated that the purchase price was $8 million. Although the listed price was $8 million, the actual sales price was $5.5 million.)
GraceWay Baptist Church has purchased the 25,000 square foot former Health Home Care and Hospice Association building at 228 7th Street, SE, across from Eastern Market. The church was established by Pastor Brad Wells in DC in 2016.
GraceWay has been meeting at Hill Center for some 10 years while searching for its own building. Last year, the church’s website says it raised $2 million toward a down payment on a church near Dupont Circle at 1611 16th Street, NW, which was ultimately was sold to Union City Church.
GraceWay then turned its attention to the 7th Street building. The church’s fundraising website refers to having obtained a loan for the purchase of 228 7th Street in November 2025 and closing on the sale in December 2025. The reported purchase price was $5.5 million.
The church is candid about its connection to political power. From the church’s mission statement: “GraceWay has a vision of reaching Washington, D.C., for Christ. Not only do we want to reach out to the leaders in government, but we also want to connect with staffers, lobbyists, and interns on all levels of government.”
While personally avoiding political endorsements, Wells has praised U.S. House Speaker Johnson on X and has platformed X posts of members of Congress who have praised administration cabinet appointments.
The church emphasizes voting as a religious duty, and has gathered for a Saturday night prayer service in front of the Supreme Court for a decade.
According to a Bloomberg News article of May 9, 2025, Pastor Wells appears outside the US House of Representatives “nearly every day” the House is in session, sponsored by an unnamed member of Congress. His purpose, the article says, is to be available for prayer and spiritual guidance.
After graduating high school, Wells joined his parents in Papua New Guinea, where they served as missionaries. He subsequently graduated from the Treasure Valley Baptist Bible Institute in Meridian, Idaho, with a Bachelor of Divinity in Theology before returning to Papua New Guinea. After 16 years of service abroad, Wells felt called to DC to minister to officials and residents. GraceWay held its first service in its new headquarters on Sunday, January 4, on the building’s lower (basement) level. The first floor of 228 Seventh Street, SE is home to the MedStar Urgent Care Center which is reported to be in the middle of a 20 year lease. GraceWay’s plan – according to the church’s fundraising website – is to create a 250 seat auditorium on the building’s second floor and to reconfigure the third floor into classrooms and offices.
Vince Morris, Candidate for DC Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives
DC Delegate Norton Challenger Emerges from Ward Six
by Larry Janezich
Posted December 18, 2025
Ward Six resident Vince Morris says he is uniquely qualified to succeed DC’s Congressional Delegate Eleanor Holms Norton. He says he is the only candidate to have worked on key Congressional Committees – both the House Rules and the Senate Appropriations Committees. He was appointed to serve on DC Sports Entertainment Commission by Mayor Adrian Fenty and the DC Public Library Board of Trustees by Mayor Vincent Gray. More local volunteer work in the city included president of the PTA, the LSAT, and Friends of NE Library – the latter for the past 16 years.
He worked for DC Mayor Tony Williams as spokesperson and Communications Director. Over a decade of working for Congress he served as either spokesperson or communication director for members, including Senator Bernie Sanders, Representative Barbara Mikulski, and Senators Jay Rockefeller and John Kerry.
Prior to working in government, Morris was a newspaper reporter for 15 years – many of them covering Congress. Since leaving government Morris has been in public affairs and media relations.
This is his first run for political office. Asked why, Morris said that he had needed to balance his work load with his role of being a father to three kids and wanting to be present for them – that he had always been wary of time committed to activities that would pull him away from them. He says, “Now I have bandwidth because all my children are grown up – they’re all in college or out of college and I have time to really devote to something like this.”
So, why is he running? He says it’s frustration with our representation in Congress… he has respect for what Eleanor Holmes Norton accomplished early in her career, but he’s been disappointed because of missed opportunities: “We’ve allowed our relationship with other members of Congress and with the Congress generally to decline and wither and I’ve watched that happen in real time… our relationship now is worse than it’s ever been, so clearly what has been happening in the past is not working and I have ideas for how it can get better. It it would start with developing relationships and ntroducing members of Congress to the community and just educating people on what this city stands for… As the only candidate who has worked both for the District government and for Congress … I really feel like I bring to the table a close understanding of how the process works … so I know how things get done.”
Morris adds that listening to the way the other candidates talk about this campaign, “I know my approach is going to be very different. It’s going to be about building bridges – building relationships and then nurturing those relationships so that when we do have someone else in the White House and when the makeup of the Congress changes we will have more allies who will stand by the city and we can work towards statehood.”
Morris’ first hurdle will be collecting 2,000 signatures on a nominating petition to get on the primary ballot. He says, “We can’t start collecting signatures till January 26th – that’s when the petitions become available … I will be all out on 4th week in January. I’m fortunate in that because I’ve lived on Capitol Hill here in Ward 6 since 2000 and have been very active in the community through volunteer work and I easily know 2000 people right here in Ward 6 but I’m going to – of course – work around the city to get petitions signed by residents from all 8 wards.”
Looking forward to the social media battle, and asked if he has a thick skin, Morris says, “I do have a thick skin. One of the things that you gain when you work in the news businesses, you get used to editors telling you what you wrote is terrible … I have worked I worked in Congress for members of the leadership and you very quickly get adjusted to subsuming your ego for their needs…if you take things personally you don’t survive very long on the hill … I think I can handle anything that everyone says and I actually would love the opportunity to talk to people and have them ask tough questions.”
Morris says, “I look forward to that process and I think that’s really how you separate the wheat from the chaff – the other thing I’ll say on that you know, I was a Division One football player and if you’re an athlete at a very high level you get very used to not having an ego because it’s all about the team and you have to sacrifice for the greater good of your teammates and I feel like a big part of my personality was shaped by that experience. It’s also a bonding experience but the main thing is it’s a reminder that the team can’t succeed if one person is doing their own thing and so you need to work together towards a common goal. That’s been my philosophy for a lot of things in life and I would apply some of those same lessons to this challenge.”
During the interview for this article, CHC asked Morris about how he thought DC had changed under President Trump. He answered and later elaborated on the answer in a video posted to his campaign site on Facebook – see here: https://bit.ly/4j8jyzs
Photo Essay: Wreaths Across America at Congressional Cemetery Honors Veterans
by Larry Janezich
Posted December 15, 2025
It was cold Saturday morning, but some 200 community members turned out to pay tribute to the 1700 plus veterans – some dating to the Revolutionary War – interred at Congressional Cemetery. The volunteers also served to place wreaths purchased by the community through donations to Wreaths Across America on the graves of veterans whose remains are buried here.
The Presentation of Colors by members of the DC National Guard.
SGT Vicky Golding (vocalist) sings The National Anthem.
Mark Hudson, Executive Director of Congressional Cemetery, reminded those attending that at its core, Congressional Cemetery is a historic and active burial ground “and all of our efforts support the mission to preserve and protect these hallowed grounds while we respectfully celebrate the lives of those whose remains lie in eternal rest here.”
Hudson’s remarks were followed by Colonel Vincent A. Cummings, Command Chaplain for DC National Guard who stood in as keynote speaker for DC National Guard Commander Brigadier General Leland Blanchard II. In his remarks, he said, “Our support of Wreaths Across American reinforces the unique role the National Guard plays in our community. We’re part of the society we serve and those relationships build trust, strengthen connections, and ensure we remain ready and always there for the people of DC….
Congressional Cemetery’s Program Director A.J. Orlokoff called each service to step forward and place a commutative wreath to those assembled.
Volunteers receive wreaths to place on graves.
A member of the National Guard speaks the name and salutes the memory of a veteran after placing the wreath.
Wreaths Across America is a nonprofit founded to continue and expand the annual wreath laying at Arlington as well as at thousands of veterans’ cemeteries and across the country and abroad.
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Update on Spotify’s Purchase of 440 New Jersey Avenue, SE
by Larry Janezich
Posted November 19, 2025
Last week, ANC6B discussed the Historic Preservation Application by the $137 billion Spotify Corporation (headquartered in Stockholm but operating in the US through one of its subsidiaries, Spotify USA). The company recently purchased the residence at 440 New Jersey Avenue, SE, along with the adjoining garage/carriage house at 435 1st St SE. The company plans to renovate the property.
According to ANC6B Planning and Zoning Committee Chair Vince Marino, “…the renovations themselves are minor and clearly designed to respect the property’s history, so no one on the ANC objects to them as such.”
Some members of the Committee, however, are concerned about Spotify’s claim that it does not need an exemption from zoning regulations for the residential property, because they fear Spotify will use the property for commercial purposes at the expense of the residential fabric of the neighborhood – as has happened with other residential properties on the block.
Marino says, “One may suspect that Spotify might succumb to the temptation to use the home as an employee hotel, or as a lobbying office. Spotify denies that it will. But that’s certainly what we seem to be seeing with many other Capitol Hill homes owned by corporations and advocacy groups. … We need to have a neighborhood-wide conversation about whether more areas should be upzoned for mixed use and/or higher density.
ANC6B went on to unanimously approve a proposal to designate ANC6B Commissioner Tyler Wolanin – in whose single member district 440 New Jersey is located – to attempt to reach a settlement agreement with Spotify.
Marino says, “We hope that such a settlement agreement would confirm that Spotify will indeed use 440 New Jersey Avenue SE as a residence rather than as a hotel or office. This would provide Spotify with the reassurance that we are not trying to evict them, and it would provide the neighbors with the reassurance that ANC6B is trying to contain the situation, one home at a time, while the BZA and the City Council work on a broader solution to the tight property market.”
The Week Ahead…& Some Day of the Dead Photos from the Past Week
By Larry Janezich
Posted November 2, 2025
The National Community Church (NCC) will launch $5M renovation of historic Navy Yard Car Barn – according to a story by Daniel Sernovits in the Washington Business Journal. NCC Pastor Mark Batterson plans on turning the “Capitol Turnaround” – formerly and informally named “The Blue Castle” at 8th and M Streets, SE, into an event space with a coffee shop. CHC talked to events staff who said that the 8th Street and M Street sides of the building will be renovated to provide event space. Another venture owned by NCC – “Ebenezers Coffeehouse” – will be located inside the main entrance at the corner of 8th and M Streets. The original Ebenezers, founded in 2006, is at 201 F Street, NE.
Here’s the space inside the main entrace at 8th and M Street, SE, which will be the future home of Ebenezers Coffee House.
Día de los Muertos at Congressional Cemetery. This day is a tradition that honors loved ones who have passed, celebrating the ongoing bond between the living and the dead. Millions in Mexico, Latin America, and beyond celebrate by creating colorful ofrendas (altars) to welcome spirits back to the earthly world.
Sunday, November 2, was the cemetery’s second celebration of Día de los Muertos, where the chapel in the center of the cemetery was transformed into a place of learning, remembrance, community gathering, and celebration of the “Day of the Dead.”
The ofrenda alter is traditionally set up in the home to honor decease loved ones and decorated with marigolds, photographs of the deceased, candles, and offerings like sugar skulls, favorite foods, drinks, mementos and religious symbols. Key elements often include references to the four elements: water, aid, earth and fire. The paper banners (papel picado) represent air.
Here’s a detail photo of the main altar.
Visitors decorate traditional sugar skulls and craft paper flowers.
A festival atmosphere dominates Dios de los Muertos as relatives and friends celebrate those who have gone before them and joyfully welcome their spiritual return.
This free community event is made possible by the Congressional Cemetery’s nonprofit, The Association for the Preservation of Historic Congressional Cemetery.
The Week Ahead…
Highlight: Tuesday: First District MPD Community Advisory Committee Meeting. Discussion: The Wharf and Navy Yard Juvenile Safety Concerns. See below.
Highlight: Thursday. Free John Philip Sousa Birthday Concert at Congressional Cemetery. See below under “Capitol Hill Cornor Would Also Like You to Know About:”
Monday, November 3
ANC6C ABC Committee is scheduled to hold a meeting at 7:00pm, but has not posted an agenda.
Presentation by DC Sentencing Commission on Homicide and Car Jacking Convictions
The Wharf and Navy Yard Juvenile Safety Concerns
3rd – 14th Streets NE Safety concerns
G-K Streets NE Safety Concerns
Burglaries, Carjacking/Stolen Autos and Homicide Reports
Policing 14th Place and 15th Street, NE
Policing North Capitol Street, NE/NW
ANC6B Alcoholic Beverage & Cannabis Committee will hold a hybrid meeting at 7:00pm.
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/
Among items on the draft agenda:
ABC Renewals
Hawk N’ Dove – 329 Pennsylvania Avenue SE. Renewal of Class “C” Tavern License with Cover Charge, Dancing, Entertainment, and Sidewalk Café Endorsements.
Dos Toros Taqueria – 215 Pennsylvania Avenue SE. Renewal of Class “C” Restaurant License with Sidewalk Café Endorsements.
Kaiju Ramen – 525 8th Street SE. Renewal of Class “C” Tavern License with Sidewalk Café and Summer Garden Endorsements.
Lola’s – 711 8th Street SE. Renewal of Class “C” Tavern License with Entertainment and Sidewalk Café Endorsements.
Hill East Burger – 1432 Pennsylvania Avenue SE. Renewal of Class “C” Tavern License with Entertainment and Sidewalk Café Endorsements.
Protests & Other Updates
Ambar – 523 8th Street SE. Ongoing negotiation regarding settlement agreement and protest hearing. Parties have requested continuance while discussions proceed.
ALOHA – Medical Cannabis Retailer (Second Application) – 539 8th Street SE. Second application for medical cannabis retailer license, including Delivery Endorsement. ANC6B has retained legal counsel (Kerry Verdi) to assist with protest. (Roll Call Hearing 11/03/25)
Continue Discussion for “Vision for Barracks Row”/Roundtable Planning
Consideration of Letter Regarding Cannabis Licensees
Wednesday, November 5
ANC6B Transportation Committee will hold a virtual meeting at 7:00pm.
For info on how to join the virtual meeting, go here: https://anc6b.org/
Among items on the draft agenda:
DDOT Update on Penn/Potomac Intersection Redesign Project
Calming Measures at 6th & G SE
Issues at Capitol South Metro
Speeding in Barracks Row Alleys
Automated Curb Management
ANC6C Planning, Zoning and Economic Development Committee is scheduled to hold a virtual meeting at 6:30pm.
Capitol Hill Corner would also like you to know about:
Congressional Cemetery Event:
Thursday, November 6, 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm. Free, but please register here: https://bit.ly/47vGNzr
John Philip Sousa Birthday Concert 2025. Please join Congressional Cemetery and the Marine Band, “The President’s Own,” for a celebration of the life and legacy of John Philip Sousa. The Marine Band plays the music the “March King” composed at his graveside every year on his birthday and the public is welcome and encouraged to attend, for free!
Congressional Cemetery will start the program at 12:30 pm with a short awards ceremony, followed by a brief lecture by a John Philip Sousa impersonator.
The Marine Corps band will enter through the 17th Street gate at precisely 1:00 PM for a 25 minute concert at the grave site, located near the chapel.
Folger Library Event.
Friday, Nov 7–9. Virtuosos of Violin and Verse. Tickets start at $20.
Folger Consort, in a special collaboration with the O.B. Hardison Poetry Series, will open its 2025-2026 season of “exquisitely played programs”
L-R, DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb; Commissioner Brian Gorman, Chair, ANC6B Public Safety Committee; Commissioner Sam Pastore.
Office of DC Attorney General Under Seige, AG Schwalb Tells ANC Committee
by Larry Janezich
Posted October 28, 2025
DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb attended ANC6B’s Public Safety Committee meeting Monday night. He summarized what his office does for the city: serving as its law firm, serving as a public advocate defending and protecting the public interest, and protecting public safety – which he said was broader than prosecuting crime.
He defended the independence of the Attorney General’s Office noting that “our Mayor has never been a fan of an independent Attorney General” but it’s a necessary check on executive power. Currently, he said, his office was very much under siege and an attack from the federal government. For example, after filing lawsuits against the federal government for taking over the MPD and deploying out-of-state National Guard in the city, Schwalb said a member of congress introduced a bill – in collaboration with the White House – to change the independent elected DC attorney general to a presidential appointed attorney general with no Senate confirmation. The proposed law would make the attorney general accountable to the President – which allows for the office to be weaponized. The bill has passed the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and will come up on the House floor at the discretion of the Speaker of the House.
He cited another bill which reflects the administration’s hostility to the District – supposedly in the interest of public safety which Schwalb termed a “ruse” used to attack home rule – the Judicial Nominations Reform Act which would abolish the District’s Judicial Nomination Commission which currently vets and recommends candidates for DC’s local courts. The bill would shift shift this power to the President with confirmation by the Senate.
He also pointed to the House of Representatives’ passage of the Juvenile Sentencing Reform Act that would – at the discretion of the US Attorney General – lower the age from 16 to 14 for prosecution of District juveniles as adults for some violent crimes, including murder, first-degree sexual assault, first-degree burglary, and robbery while armed or assault with intent to commit any of these offenses.
Schwalb criticized the District’s bifurcated criminal justice system which provides for the prosecution of adults by the District’s US Attorney and juveniles by the DC Attorney General. He says we need a local prosecutor accountable to the people of the District.
He said that there are 16 bills* before Congress that would change the way home rule operates in the District and debate on all of them is on-going. He urged residents to support home rule.
Appearing under a time constraint, Schwalb took several questions from members of the public and the Public Safety Committee. On the issue of enforcement against reckless moped drivers, he offered criminal prosecution where warranted and a potential investigation of the questionable operation of problematic third party providers – neither suggestion provided much satisfaction to the father of a child who had received a concussion from a recklessly operated food delivery moped. (See CHC post here: http://bit.ly/3WtcTW0 ) Similarly, he could not offer much insight with respect to a question about the performance of Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services owing to the “difficulty in measuring recidivism,” or much hope with respect to a question of progress on renovating the DC Jail, noting “it’s in our interest to get jail repaired – but not easy with tight dollars.”
*In addition to the bills affecting home rule mentioned by Schwalb, some of the other 16 bills pending in Congress which would affect DC home rule include:
Repeal of policing legislation: Overturns police reform legislation the D.C. Council passed after the murder of George Floyd.
D.C. Policing Protection Act: Expands the circumstances under which police officers are allowed to engage in vehicular pursuits.
Amendments to the Youth Rehabilitation Amendment Act: Would eliminate judicial discretion to sentence eligible youth offenders below a mandatory minimum and restrict youth offender status for individuals convicted of certain crimes.
Repeal of the Incarceration Reduction Amendment Act: Nullifies a D.C. law that allows juveniles to petition for early release after serving 15 years.
Bail system overhaul: Requires pretrial detention for anyone charged with a “violent or dangerous offense,” including some felony drug charges, and brings back the use of cash bail for certain crimes.
Criminalizing homelessness: Makes it illegal to sleep in public places, including in a car.
Wolfgang Puck’s Place in Union Station. Here are some photos of where Wolfgang Puck’s restaurant is going to be in Union Station, and a rendering of what it’s going to look like. It will be at the top of the escalator – which from the mezzanine – will lead UNIQLO on the west end of Union Station.
On the right hand side of the up escalator in the space formerly occupied by Pizzaria Uno is where you’ll find Wolfgang Puck’s BAR + Bites.
And here’s an architect’s rendering of what it’s going to look like.
Construction Update on SE Library Renovation. Photos from the DC Library’s October 23 Construction update – a view of the skylight from the historic entrance on 7th Street, and the view from the inside looking toward the historic entrance. (Apparently the postings on the bulletin boards inside the historic entrance will be last to go of the interior features of the original libarary.)
Inside the universal entrance at the South Carolina Entrance at street level.
Photo of the glass façade and canopy at the South Carolina Avenue Entrance. For more, go here: SE Library Construction Update for October 23: http://bit.ly/4noq3yI
Triple Candies’ monthly installations in the former Li’l Pub at 655 Pennsylvania Avenue,SE. For nearly 50hears, DC artist Betsy Packard has transferred the objects she encountered in her life into art:paintings made from dryer lint; tapestries sewn with used clothes and hair clippings: and toys. Accoring to curators Triple Candies, her work references Constructibism, Surrealism, Pop Art, Nouveau Realism, Fluxus, Feminist Art, etc. Triple Candies is a research-oriented curatorial agency run by art historian co-founders Shelly Bancroft and Peter Nesbett.
The Week Ahead….
Highlight: Monday, ANC6B Public Safety Committee discussion with DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb. 7:00pm. See below.
Monday, October 27
ANC6A Community Outreach Committee holds and IN PERSON meeting at 7:00pm.
Location: 1207 H Street NE (Old Autozone Building).
Among items on the draft agenda:
Announcements and Reminders: People’s Front of H Street, Sunday Clean ups in 6A01.
Meet your ANC Commissioner.
FreeDC with COC Member Ashley Blake.
ANC6B Public Safety Committee will hold a hybrid meeting at 6:30pm.
Physical Location: 700 Pennsylvania Ave SE, 2nd Floor – Conference Room #2 (Entrance Adjacent to Trader Joe’s)
For info on how to join the virtual meeting, go here: https://anc6b.org/
Among items on the draft agenda:
Briefing from MPD 1st District (Captain Crist).
Discussion with DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb.
Planning for next meeting.
ANC6B Southeast Library Task Force 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/
Among items on the draft agenda:
Update on renovation from Jaspreet Pahwa, of the library system (DCPL), & from Terri Bosnick, of general contractor Whiting Turner.
Discuss progress on maintaining & expanding access to the interim library at the Arthur Capper Recreation Center, 1000 5th St., SE.
Tuesday, October 28
ANC6A Alcohol Beverage & Cannabis Committee will hold a virtual meeting at 7:00pm.
Capitol Hill Corner would also like you to know about:
Saturday, November 1
CHRS House Expo Set for Saturday, November 1, in the North Hall of Eastern Market.
The Expo connects homeowners with contractors & experts. Free House Expo is hosted by the Capitol Hill Restoration Society (CHRS) , from 9am to 3pm Saturday, November 1, in Eastern Market’s North Hall.
A “Day of the Dead” celebration in collaboration with Capitol Hill resident Rosa Moreno. The public is invited to contribute memories to a shared ofrenda. 11:00 am – 3:00 pm.
Folger Library Tours: Tuesday – Friday | 11:30am – 4:30pm | Each tour lasts 1 hour. We invite groups of all ages to sign up for guided tours of the Folger’s building and grounds. All tours are led by experienced guides who can share details about the Folger’s collection, the architecture of the building, and fascinating facts about Shakespeare, his world, and our own. Priced at $25 per person with discounts for student groups, tours must be booked at least two weeks in advance. Special student experiences are also available for classes. http://bit.ly/43t0LYS
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Map of the proposed land swap. The deal involved exchanging a 15 acre parcel of land in the SE corner of the Navy Yard (blue at lower right) for a 6 acre GSA parcel just outside the NW corner of the Navy Yard on M Street SE (red at upper left).
Secretary of Navy John Phelan has withdrawn the Navy from the land swap agreement it forged with the DC city government announced last year to construct a “National Museum of the United States Navy” near the Navy Yard.
This news came from former Secretary of the Navy, Kenneth Braithwaite, who serves as the chair of the Naval Museum Development Foundation, as first reported in Tuesday Tidings, the newsletter of the National Maritime Historical Society. See the October 21, 2025 edition of the newsletter here: https://seahistory.org/education/navyhistory/)
During a Q&A session in last week’s annual “Congress” of the Naval Order of the United States held in Philadelphia, Braithwaite announced that Secretary Phelan has pulled the Navy out of the deal for construction of the long-awaited museum, halting his fundraising efforts pending identification of a new site. The Navy had expected to open the museum by 2030.
Last October, city officials, including DC Deputy Mayor Nina Albert, attended a ceremony at the M Street site to celebrate the construction of the museum, envisioned as “an enduring memorial to honor the service of American Sailors, inspire selfless service, and enhance public understanding of the Navy’s history and heritage.” See here: http://bit.ly/3WSv7jR
No other details were forthcoming, though Tuesday Tidings added that “an overview of previous sites considered for the Navy Museum will be provided in next week’s TT.” During the selection process, 42 potential sites in 18 cities were considered for the location of the museum before the Navy chose DC. Other candidates included San Diego, New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston and Norfolk.
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Marcus Hunt, Office of the Deputy Mayor’s Director of DC Government Operations for the DC National Guard, makes a presentation to ANC6B. Hunt has been billed in local media as “Director of the National Guard.”
Wednesday night, at its hybrid October meeting, ANC6B re-affirmed its decision not to place a discussion of the National Guard on the meeting’s agenda. The genesis of the proposed discussion was an offer from the Guard – via Marcus Hunt, DC’s liaison to the Guard – to help with beautification projects in ANC commissioners’ single member districts. The offer was sent to individual ANC commissioners across the city. Some commissioners suggested that since Hunt’s offer was sent to individual commissioners, the decision should be left to them, and as such, there was no role for the ANC in this matter.
Commissioner David Sobelsohn continued to push to hear from two individuals on the subject. First, from Marcus Hunt, who was billed as the Director of the National Guard, but who is actually an employee of the Office of the Deputy Director of Public Safety. He is the city’s liaison with the National Guard on the issue of beautification efforts. And while he is also a Lt. Col. in the National Guard he did not appear in uniform and is currently not acting “under orders.” Second, from ANC2G01 Commissioner Howard Garrett who authored a letter opposing Commissioners accepting the offer for the Guard to assist in beautification projects because that would “normalize” the Guard for tasks that belong to civilian agencies.
It is routine for the commission to provide a period for “Community Announcements” and it was the consensus of the commission that Hunt and Garrett could use this time to discuss the National Guard. Comments are usually limited to three minutes, but the Commission agreed to a motion to allow discussion at the beginning of the period and then subsequently set a time limit of 20 minutes.
As it turned out, the discussion lasted some 40 minutes, but produced little clarification on beautification possibilities as Hunt discussed his background, history of the Guards and its relation to DC, his job with the Deputy Mayor’s Office and some of the beautification activities the Guard has undertaken. He referred questions regarding the safety activities of the Guard to Master Sergeant Arthur Wright (who was not present), saying he could only speak at tonight’s meeting to talk about beautification.
During the Q&A, the meeting turned confrontational as some of the dozen community members attending in-person challenged the legitimacy of the deployment of the National Guard on DC streets – a subject on which Hunt could not comment. One member of the audience expressed his appreciation for the Guard’s presence in the community. Afterward, Commissioner Howard Garrett, appearing on-line, read a prepared statement reiterating the points of his letter (which many ANC Commissioners have signed) opposing requesting assistance for beautification efforts.
Following the discussion, Sobelsohn proposed two more motions. The first asked the ANC’s Public Safety Committee to make a recommendation about what commissioners should do regarding the Guard’s offer to help with beautification projects. When that motion failed for lack of a second, the second motion asked for a recommendation from the ANC’s Parks and Public Spaces Task Force. That motion also failed for a lack of second.
CAPITOL HILL CORNER 