Posts by John Muller — Contributor
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Then and Now: Georgetown’s Forrest Hall
Today, it’s a Gap clothing store. But almost 150 years ago, the large Greek Revival building at 1258 Wisconsin Avenue NW in Georgetown was Forrest Hall, an assembly hall where Mark Twain gave a lecture. Named for its owner, wealthy Georgetown resident Bladen Forrest, the building opened in 1851. According to local author Tim Krepp, Forrest Hall’s meeting rooms… Keep reading…
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Long-awaited redevelopment in Anacostia could begin soon
Plans to redevelop a large swath of land along Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE in Anacostia are finally moving forward after a 5-year delay. Keep reading…
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In 1854, TOD meant proximity to “omnibus”
Today, DC area real estate revolves around proximity to Metro. But transit-oriented development is nothing new here. 150 years ago, owners of boarding houses used access to the city’s omnibus lines to appeal to antebellum urbanists. This ad appeared in the Daily Evening Star on June 26, 1854. That year, 3 omnibus lines ran throughout Washington, serving the Capitol,… Keep reading…
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Anacostians still waiting for a new day
A recent blitzkrieg of laudatory media reports have focused on Anacostia’s residential market and arts scene. But new home signs dot vacant lots and hang from empty buildings. And store after store continues to close. Along Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue in Historic Anacostia are green signs announcing a “PUBLIC NOTICE OF A ZONING PROPOSAL” that has been… Keep reading…
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Then & now: Welcome to MLK Jr. Memorial Library
“Please empty your pockets and put all of your electronic devices on the bin,” DC Library Police officers used to tell every patron entering the revolving doors of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library. The days of passing through a metal detector at the city’s central library are long gone. Keep reading…
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Is the city’s last horse tie in Anacostia?
Blue stone curbing, laid primarily in the late 19th and early 20th century, can still be found in parts of Capitol Hill, Le Droit Park, Mount Pleasant, and Georgetown. On U Street SE, in Historic Anacostia, blue stone curbing also endures, holding possibly the last remaining horse tie in the city. Keep reading…
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Shocking rhetoric from John Townsend and AAA
This week’s Washington City Paper cover story quoted AAA Mid-Atlantic spokesman John Townsend calling Greater Greater Washington editor David Alpert “retarded” and a “ninny,” and comparing Greater Greater Washington to the Ku Klux Klan. Many other reporters, people on Twitter, and residents generally have clearly stated in response… Keep reading…
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Vacancy at the Parkway Guest House abandominium
Perched atop a hill overlooking historic Anacostia, tucked behind a new condominium development is an abandominium from an era the city has left behind and this neighborhood is trying to forget. From the 1960s until the last decade the Parkway Guest House was a gathering spot for drugs, prostitution and all forms of illegality. During the 1990s it essentially became “a… Keep reading…
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For many struggling students, a diploma means little
Washington Metropolitan High School, the subject of PBS documentary 180 days: A Year Inside an American High School, has successfully helped many students go onto college, but many others still graduate without the preparation to continue their education or find places in the workforce. Of the 30 graduating seniors of the 2011-2012 class at DC Met, a note at the end of the films… Keep reading…
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"180 Days" shows life inside a struggling high school
“Words cannot describe how hard it is to teach physics to students who can’t multiply,” says a science teacher in 180 days: A Year Inside an American High School, a PBS documentary chronicling a school year at Washington Metropolitan (DC Met), an alternative high school in the LeDroit Park neighborhood. The film captures the emotional and social chaos that… Keep reading…