sidewalk closure guidelines

i've created a couple posts recently regarding the start of the construction of the new watha t. daniel library at the corner of 7th and rhode island avenues in shaw.

my interest in this location, which clearly falls outside of bloomingdale, is two-fold. the first is simply because i pass it every morning and evening while commuting to work. the second is because this is the closest library to much of bloomingdale for the present.

i emailed archie williams, from the DCPL office and councilmember jack evans to express concerns about continued pedestrian access to the G8 bus stop at this location during construction. the initial layout of the construction barricades have been adjusted to make things MUCH better for both pedestrians and cyclists on this stretch.

in addition, i learned all you'd ever want to know about the actual guidelines that ddot has in place to ensure that pedestrian access to the sidewalk is maintained during a construction project.

here are those guidelines, courtesy of the councilmember. enjoy!

greater deanwood heritage trail unveiling

councilmembers brown and alexander, as well as kia chatmon, chair of the greater deanwood heritage trail working group, get ready to unveil the sign at the first stop on the trail.

i know this is from way outside of what could possibly be considered greater bloomingdale, but i went to the unveiling of the greater deanwood heritage trail on saturday.

ward 7 is the ward that i know the least about here in DC. i got to spend a couple hours in deanwood learning a little bit about the history of part of the ward, and i intend to go back soon to learn more. i ran into some friends who have family history in the neighborhood, and it was great to be able to put a personal face on a part of the city that clearly has a fascinating history and an exciting present. for example, just learning about who nannie helen burroughs was and what she means to that neighborhood, the city, women, african americans, and our collective history makes me feel like i'm 10 times more in-the-know now.

get out and learn more about DC! so many people like me who live here in the northwest quadrant of the city ignore a lot of the other three quadrants of the city, but with all the heritage trails that exist (9 now, 8 more on the way), there's no reason not to get to know more about the city we call home.

the unveiling events took place in front of the riverside center, which used to be barnett's crystal room, a neighborhood hotspot for years.

update on watha t. daniel sidewalks

commenter dano pointed out in last week's post about the construction fencing around the site of the once and future watha t. daniel library that it was most likely a temporary layout, and that more pedestrian-friendly setup would be in place soon.

yesterday, these jersey barrier-esque plastic thingamabobs were placed on rhode island avenue. it would appear that the right hand lane will become a defacto sidewalk for the duration of the construction, but that's yet to be determined...

back of 440 rhode island avenue

for the curious, here's the alley-side view of the apartment building going up at 440 rhode island avenue nw.

north capitol main streets open house

here are a few pictures i took last week at the "grand opening" open house that was held at north capitol main street headquarters (1703 north capitol street ne) community members mingle and enjoy refreshments before the speeches begin.

from left to right: garry clark, NCMS executive director; harry thomas, jr., ward 5 councilmember; pat mitchell, NCMS board president. (i apologize, but i've forgotten the name of the woman on the right!)

after the ribbon cutting, harry thomas spoke to the people in attendance about all the great things that north capitol main streets would be achieving in the future.

watha t. daniel construction update

this picture was taken last week. a construction trailer had arrived at the library site, presaging what is sure to be real construction soon.

today, a second layer of fencing went up around the site. this fencing currently extends out into the street, taking away a lane on rhode island avenue and 8th street.

the fencing is requiring pedestrians to walk in the middle of the street, and it blocks a stop for the g8. this stop is used every morning by kids going to school. i expect to see the sidewalk reopened immediately, as this is downright dangerous for pedestrians (besides being blatantly illegal, if i understand the laws that were passed in recent years to protect pedestrians from this sort of thing).

i'm going to contact jack evans' office tomorrow and ask them to please do what is necessary to make sure that our sidewalks aren't taken away for the duration of this construction project. at the very least, a lane of traffic should be given over to pedestrians if the sidewalk is going to be taken away.

updated drawings for 1531 9th street nw

here's the image that was displayed over at renew shaw today, representing what shiloh baptist church had proposed to build on the vacant lot they own at 1531 9th street nw. the pictures below show the changes that were made to the building facade and presented to ANC 2C at their monthly meeting on the evening of april 1st.


the changes were made at the request of the historic preservation office, who believed that the first proposal was too "historicist" (in other words, the architect was trying too hard to make it look like the building next door at 1533).

i have to say, i prefer the first proposal. i think that aping the building next door, if the details are very carefully done, would make for a beautiful building.

late april fools!

i meant to get this up yesterday, but i guess i missed out on the april fools fun. in the spirit of the holiday, pretend it's still the first of april!

kelsey gardens is gone and has been replaced with a fantastic new building that fits into the city's urban fabric and includes ground-floor retail that the whole neighborhood loves!

shiloh has fixed up their vacant properties and turned them into contributing structures in the neighborhood!

carter woodson park has been fixed up and there's a great statue of him adorning the eastern edge of the park along ninth street!

APRIL FOOLS!

adios to national newspapers in the golden triangle?

i saw these notices in the newspaper boxes next to the southern entrance to the dupont circle metro station earlier today.

so, have the new york post, christian science monitor, and the chicago tribune, among others, agreed by default to remove themselves from distribution in the golden triangle BID? at least the dupont current and the city paper are still available!

new bus line!

it's the G8!

is that supposed to be read (G8 factorial)?