The History of 7th Street’s ‘Warehouse’

I had no idea this Shaw business had such an interesting history! Warehouse is a great spot in the neighborhood that hosts all kinds of arts events and runs a coffee shop/bar/cafe.

One of the most active [arts spaces in DC] is the family-run cluster on 7th street Northwest, comprising the Warehouse Theater, Warehouse Nextdoor and Warehouse Café, where 430 theater performances were produced and 530 bands played last year alone. They’re owned by a Washington family whose roots in the neighborhood go back well over a century. In the 1890’s, the strip looked a little different. Instead of catching the latest punk band at the Warehouse Nextdoor, you might have been buying seeds at Ruppert’s Hardware Store. WAMU’s Gail Wein explains how this traditional family business morphed into an alternative arts district.

Listen to the story on WAMU’s Metro Connection

Bidding for Border Protection

I noticed this story in today’s Post buried in the business section. It reports how bidding is underway between major defense contractors for a $2 billion contract to “launch a comprehensive program to transform its border control technology and infrastructure,” according to the project website. This line in the Post’s story today caught my eye: “Homeland Security officials are expected to pick a winner in the fall, following oral presentations from each of the competing firms.” I immediately wondered if this presentation, or any part of it, would be open to the public. After some snooping around at the press information on the websites of DHS and Customs and Border Protection, I found the formal request for proposals on the Federal Business Opportunities website. The section on the oral presentation inside the 144-page document (reproduced after the jump) makes clear it will be a closed affair. Although government employees are welcome to leak the video or hard copies to me.

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Memorial Day Weekend in California

My friend Emily got married this weekend at the Carmel Valley Ranch in Carmel, California on the Monterey Peninsula. A group of us from Greely High School made the trek to Carmel from all across the country. The ceremony was beautiful and it was great to catch up with old friends. I put the photos I took in this set on Flickr.

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links for 2006-05-30

• Faded Detroit
  Blog about Detroit architecture

links for 2006-05-25

• Countersignature: Another one’s done gone…
  Blog post about the closing of Kultura books in Dupont.

Touring Gentrification

I also took a “hard hat tour” of a big new condo development going up in Shaw next to Breakwell’s. The building, which the developer is calling “The Whitman,” features 185 units ranging from a $300,000 for a 1-bedroom to over $900,000 for the largest 2-bedroom units. On the tour we were told the building is 70% sold out, and the first units won’t even be finished until sometime in the fall. I’m sorry, did somebody say bubble? ‘Cause, clearly 129 people didn’t hear you.

The event also featured a DJ, free alcohol, and a red carpet. I guess they’re really pushing for a sellout. Take a look at my photos from today.

Breakwell’s Coffee Opens at 9th and M

A new coffee shop has opened just across from the convention center at 9th and M Streets NW. Their “soft opening” was this week and they’ll have an official, grand opening next week. I stopped by tonight and the store looked great, the staff very friendly, and the coffee quite good. They told me they planned to be open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. during the week and 5 p.m. on Sunday, although I’m sure the house might change. Looks like I’ve now got two local coffee shops to hang out in as part of my new graduate student lifestyle.