This Month
4 Neighborhood
History: The
Overbeck Tapes
Continued
8 C o n g re s s i o n a l
C e m e t e ry: End of
the Road in More
Ways than One
11 Food for A Giving-
Thanks Feast
14 Local Clergy Look
at the Meaning of
Thanks…in Light of
9 1 1
16 Results…The Rest
of the Story
D e p a rt m e n t s
Vo i c e M a i l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Ask an Off i c i a l. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
O p i n i o n. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 0
Ask Judith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 1
Home Design. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 3
The Business Beat . . . . . .2 5
Business Serv i c e s. . . . . . .2 9
D o w n L o a d . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 1
Capital Kids. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 2
H o ro s c o p e. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 5
Community Calendar . . .4 5
C l a s s i f i e d s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 0
Vol. 3 No. 7 November 2001
o f
T h e
H i l l
N e w p e rs p e c t i ve s
…old t r a d i t i o n s
N e w p e rs p e c t i ve s
… old t r a d i t i o n s
Capitol Hill Office
216-7th Street SE • Washington DC • 20003
directly across from the Eastern Market
202-383-1111
Help our community.
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John Smith 202-262-6037
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John Smith 202-262-6037
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One of 6 under construction.
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John Smith 202-262-6037
officials, represented
the District of
Columbia at this
conference. Our
delegation had
over 25 meetings
with retailers and
developers. They
ranged from neighborhood-based
restaurants such as Baja Mexican Grill,
Red Lobster and Olive Garden to largespace
users such as Target, Kmart,
Wal-mart, and even Costco.
Since the ICSC conference last May,
I met with various developers seeking
opportunities to develop retail in the
District of Columbia, and the Mayor’s
office and the D.C. Marketing Center
have also followed up with individual
retailers. We will have another delegation
attend the next ICSC conference,
and we fully expect to build and capitalize
upon our relationships with these
major retailers.
I will continue to do all I can to promote
development opportunities to
keep the momentum going in the
District of Columbia.
For Tommy Wells, Ward 6
School Board
Q. What can be done to expand the
Montessori at the Cluster Schools?
More than 60 people including
myself spent the night in line for 15
available openings.
A. You and many other parents
in our city have discovered
that the Capitol
Hill Cluster School’s
Montessori program is one
of the best educational
opportunities in our area. Although it is
not for every child, the majority of the
children who attend the program are
academically successful.
The popularity of our Montessori program
has drawn many more applicants
than the number of spaces available. In
response, the school added a new primary
class this year, increasing the
number of children entering the program
from 15 to 25. We must now add
a new lower elementary class to
accommodate this increase, and we
are running out of space.
I am working with Jennifer Smith, the
principal for the Cluster School, to
determine what can be done to expand
the program even more. Ms. Smith is
an energetic leader who understands
the importance of building on the
school’s success and popularity. I hope
to be updating you soon about new
plans to create the capacity to serve
more of our children here on Capitol
Hill at our neighborhood schools.
www.voiceofthehill.com 3
Vo i cem a i l
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the community and includes contiguous
neighborhoods from
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Publication and distribution is the
last Friday of each month.
Advertising deadline is the first
of the month preceding publication.
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VOICE o f
T h e
H i l l
Gene Miller
Laura Mitchell
Linda Norton
Scott Shumaker
Mark Segraves
Dear Voice Readers
Even without the most recent tragedies in the post office, which not only
have forever altered the lives of those involved, but have also resulted in a
change in the way we communicate…the Voice mailbag has been pretty empty.
Folks have a lot of other things on their minds.
So this month, we’re going to use this space to kick off a new feature, Ask an
Elected Official. We have fielded a number of questions which we have forwarded
on to Sharon Ambrose, Tommy Wells and Harold Brazil.
Those questions, and the answers appear below. We hope you will take a minute
and send a question, or your thoughts to editor@voiceofthehill.com.
For Sharon Ambrose,
Councimember, Warad 6
Q. When will PSA 511 be fully
staffed and all of the officers on the
street? I really believe it has been
years since it has been fully staffed,
and some of our officers not somewhere
else on special detail.
A. All the Councilmembers
are agreed that our PSAs
are being badly shor tchanged.
Police deployment
into our neighborhoods
is a serious problem.
I have strongly urged Chief Ramsey to
begin using Reserve Officers for light
duty tasks and traffic control in order
to move more officers back out. The
Chief has agreed to do this. The
Council has also urged the Mayor to
ask the President to call up the DC
National Guard for duty around federal
installations so that we will not have
MPD Officers guarding the Vice
President’s house instead of patrolling
PSA 511. I will continue to work to get
our officers back where they belong—
in PSA 511 and every other Ward 6
PSA that is understaffed.
For Harold Brazil,
Councilmember at Large
Q. Another trip to Costco and I’m
amazed at the number of DC plates
in the parking lot. What is being
done, if anything, constructive to
stanch the departure of the DC
retail base and flow of tax dollars to
VA and MD.
A. As Chair of the
Committee on Economic
Development, I could not
agree more that we must
do all we can to ensure to
develop a retail base that
enables us to keep sales tax dollars in
the District.
The good news is that a 23-acre site
has already been assembled and work
has already begun on the Brentwood
Road Shopping Center. The land that
was formerly the auto impound lot will
be transformed into a Kmart, Home
Depot and Giant Foods. District residents
will no longer have to travel to
Maryland and Virginia for home and
hardware supplies, or to buy groceries
in a new, modern grocery store.
Additionally, this project will generate
600 new jobs, over 50% of which will
be reserved for D.C. residents.
The Rhode Island Metro Plaza, adjacent
to the Brentwood Road Shopping
Center, is also being revitalized. In the
near future, WMATA’s board will vote
on a $58 million proposal to build a
“mixed-use” shopping and residential
project at the Rhode Island Avenue
Metro. The project includes 270 housing
units, 20% of which will be affordable
housing, 65,000 square feet of
retail and a sizable parking garage. The
project has preliminary commitments
from Starbucks, Dress Barn,
Blockbuster, Applebee’s and others.
Development is transforming other
sections of the city as well. Although
negotiations to locate a Macy’s store
in the Woodies building fell through,
negotiations with retailers for that location
are ongoing. The Mather building,
located at 916-918 G Street, NW, will
be the future home to arts organizations
and residents. The Atlas and
LeDroit buildings on the 800 block of F
Street will house The Spy Museum, the
first project to receive Tax Increment
Financing in the District. Additionally,
‘Avalon at Gallery Place’ on 5th Street,
NW, between G and H Streets, will be
the first, new, 205-unit apartment
building located in the city’s East End.
Due to the recent transfer of 88
p a rcels of city-owned land, with a net
value of $582 million, to the newly created
National Capital Revitalization
Corporation (NCRC), I fully expect more
development projects to occur. The
NCRC will manage these here - t o - f o re
unutilized and underutilized pro p e rt i e s
to maximize benefits for District re s idents.
The areas where these parc e l s
a re located should expect noticeable
changes, either through effective management
or redevelopment. The
Southwest waterf ront, the old Wa x
Museum site, and various parcels in
Columbia Heights are among the pro p e rties
now under NCRC contro l .
Bringing retailers such as Kmart to
the District had its genesis at the
International Convention of Shopping
Centers conference. I, along with other
4 www.voiceofthehill.com
had the onus of marketing their land
in direct competition to the lots in
the same locations where the government
was marketing theirs.
Franzén: So the government itself
owned some of the land and they
became land speculators, too, in a
sense.
Overbeck: Absolutely. That was
how they were going to pay for constructing
the Capitol and White
House, et cetera.
Franzén: And Prout and the others
who owned the land could only
make money off the land that was
going to be lots. In other words, the
government didn’t pay them anything
for the public space.
Overbeck: That’s right. Anything
the public was going to use, kiss it
goodbye.
Now, we have one person in the
city who had sense enough to say
that George Washington was a youknow-
what, and that was little Davy
Burns, whose land is down where
the White House is, and the Van
Ness mansion, which is now where
the DAR [Daughters of the American
Revolution], etc., is located.
And Davy Burns politely told Mr.
Washington that he had no business
messing with their land. After all,
the only way he [Washington] had
gotten land was to marry the rich
widow [Martha Dandridge] Custis.
…Davy had a pretty good idea
about what was going to happen.
Mr. Prout, on the other hand,
unlike George Walker, who was a
man who owned the land east of
Prout—if you think of the Anacostia
going from west to east of South
Capitol Street, you would say Daniel
Carroll is on there until about 4th
Street, and at 4th Street Mr. Prout
Franzén: Ruth Ann, you were talking
about William Prout who owned
the land at the foot of what is now
8th Street on the Anacostia River.
When that land was designated as
the place that was going to become
the commercial center for the new
Federal city, did he make a lot of
money from the subdivision of that
property, and the lots and so forth?
Was that a windfall for him? What
happened?
Overbeck: I think he anticipated
doing that, but it’s not exactly what
happened, and certainly not up
front. Prout speculated on the land.
He protested to his family back in
England that he had had no idea
that his land was going to be so valuable.
On the other hand, with all the
rumors that were going around here
and in Baltimore, and with the people
that he knew, even though he
was a newcomer to the United
States, there was almost no way that
he didn’t know pretty well what was
going to happen. Maybe not that the
Central Exchange would be there,
but that this would be very valuable
land.
Now, what happened is that
L’Enfant loves [Prout’s] land and
thinks that it is absolutely g reat
land, planned for the Central
Exchange, for a market and the commercial
corridor, et cetera. The way
in which the city land became divided
into lots and squares, which is
still our standard dimension for land
parcels, is that the commissioner s
had each piece of land surveyed—of
each proprietor—and then they
offered back to the proprietors a deal
that George Washington had talked
them into taking, which he said was
a deal they couldn’t refuse, which
was really a deal they probably
should have refused.
Out of each piece of land, divided
into lots and squares, half of the lots
were to be given back to the propr ietors
for them to keep or sell as they
wished. They got no recompense for
streets, alleys, sidewalks, [or] public
reservations.
You think about the fact that out
of Prout’s land had to come the
reservation for the market, the reservation
for the Central Exchange—a
pretty big chunk of land—and they
it as he had hoped to sell, but he
moved to Washington, into the
enclave that had been the Slater
homestead, or home place.
When you talk about a “home
place,” in this particular time, you
are talking about the place in which
the family actually dwelt. …It could
be the house, but it may just simply
be the location. The Slaters had lived
between 7th and 8th and M and
Virginia Avenue. The family graveyard
was there at the corner of M
and 8th Street, right above the gate
of the Navy Yard. So they left the
houses and barns standing. And in
one of his letters back to England,
Prout says that he has more buildings
on his property than there are
in all of the rest of the city combined.
Well, we don’t think so, because
we know there were not that many
buildings on Slater land, and Car roll
had a substantial number of buildings.
…
There is one intriguing ad from
about 1793 that says that the Eastern
Branch Tavern is opening in the for -
mer home of Mr. Slater. If that is
true—and there is no way to disprove
it or really to prove it unless
something else comes to light—if
that is true, that is the earliest commercial
tavern/hotel established in
the city of Washington. And it
would be down there to ser ve the
people along the wharf—a wharf
was being built. They already had
wharves at the foot of South Capitol
Street to take stone and timber up to
the Capitol because that was the easiest
way to bring it here—by water…
And the reason they had those was
because, again, if you are going to
have something like a Central
Exchange you have to have ways for
people to exchange information. So
you are trying to entice the boats to
come, unload there, hopefully fir st,
and they can give as much informa -
tion as possible to those people who
want to do the speculation and so
on.
…
Overbeck: …Prout also talked
about the fact that he has warehouses
in Washington. Well, the only
property he actually owned in
Washington is the Slater property, so
we’re assuming that he had warepicks
up for about seven squares and
goes over to almost 11th street. Then
there is George Walker, a Scotsman,
and so on. These are speculators who
have bought in. These are not people
who—with the exception of Daniel
Carroll—had owned the land and
farmed it and knew the land. People
like George Walker didn’t make the
money they thought they were
going to make and got tired and
went home. They just cut out.
Prout had a better sense of how to
do things. First of all…He ended up
marrying one of the daughters of
the man from whom he had bought
his land, and the man from whom
he bought the land was Jonathan
Slater. So he got an extension on the
time he had to pay. …
Then Prout maintained his mercantile
store in Baltimore, giving
himself a firm foundation in
finance. He opened a mercantile
store in Georgetown shortly after
1790, giving himself another pretty
firm foundation, and also making
some pretty good friends of people
like Samuel Davidson, and so forth,
who had inside information because
they were good buddies of George
Washington.
He then decides it is about time
for him to move to Washington. In
the meantime, he has been trying to
get the commissioners who have
oversight over all this land, its use
and disposal and so on, to do several
things, one of which is to get busy
faster in terms of promoting the
land. And he has a deal going wherein
he is offering up lots not only for
sale but also for lease.
…he was able to get his land leased
and he leased a surprising portion of
it, actually. He didn’t sell as much of
T H E O V E R B E C K T A P E S
A N O R A L H I S T O R Y O F C A P I T O L H I L L • P A R T I I
This is part two in the serialization of my conversations with the late historian
Ruth Ann Overbeck. The slightly edited interviews transcribed here were con -
ducted over a period of 32 days,beginning on February 27. Part I appeared in
the September 28,2001 issue of The Voice of the Hill. An enthusiastic group
of community volunteers,supported by the CHAMPS Foundation, have launched
a neighborhood oral history project in her name. If you’d like to help, go to
www.CapitolHillHistor y.org.
Ruth Ann was a woman of rare intelligence,who approached her research,
her causes, her whole life, with joy and passion. She never lost her enthusiasm
for our project, her marvelous sense of humor or her Southerner’s gift for storytelling
J O H N F R A N Z É N
www.voiceofthehill.com 5
houses where he was going to be
storing additional merchandise for
his enterprise—either in
Georgetown or in Baltimore, or
both—temporarily, until he could be
storing it in some of these barns. But
we don’t know that for sure.
Now, he marries and doesn’t move
here for a couple of years. And there
is a question in some of our minds
about why he didn’t move here
immediately. Part of it has to do, I
think, with the comfort of his wife.
She was expecting, and they’d lost
their first child. And part of it has to
do with there just wasn’t enough
here yet to do and he could make
more money in Baltimore as a merchant…
But he set his nephew up in business
over in Georgetown, and that
seemed to work for a while. But the
nephew was a scofflaw and that
wasn’t truly successful.
Then in 1794 or ’95, it becomes
very clear [that] he is getting ready
to move. One of the biggest indica -
tors is he buys a pianoforte—because
you don’t move one of those around
very much. There is a house that is
built. We have no description of it.
We know the approximate size of it
from a map. We know the approximate
placement of it from a map.
There is absolutely no written
description of it. And it is in the
square that is bound by 7th and 8th
and M and L Southeast. And he built
it almost in the center of the square,
as if it was going to be a town estate
rather than being a house that’s out
on the street edge. And there are
other houses there as well, other
buildings there as well. One of these
he built is probably the store for his
nephew…That house no longer
stands.
When we tried to figure out what
to do about the Navy Yard and the
Navy Yard area, we tried to find out
what the given date was that the
Navy Yard became an operative
place. Where was it, what can we
talk about at this point in time that
existed in the Navy Yard neighborhood,
etc.
Franzén: I would have assumed the
Navy Yard was there first.
Overbeck: No, no. One of the las t
things that George Washington
selected was the site of the Navy
Yard before he died. Right now it is
celebrating either the third or fourth
“anniversary” because of the different
levels of Congressional resolutions
that had to be signed, and the
Navy Yard has had a wonderful series
of anniversary parties.
Franzén: So when did the Navy
Yard come in?
Overbeck: Oh, 1798 [or] ’99. And
the Prouts are already there. I was
looking to find something that
could show anybody that was there
when the Navy Yard got there—
Prout’s house, Tunnicliff’s Tavern,
which was a tavern that was of fairly
good repute up at Pennsylvania
Avenue, 8th, 9th and E.
Franzén: Tunnicliff’s, as in the current-
day Tunnicliff’s?
Overbeck: No, that one is named
for it.…
Franzén: So the Navy Yard comes
along and basically screws up the
whole plan for that area being the
commercial area?
Overbeck: Absolutely. And at first
the two people who have to cede
land in order for this to be big
enough to work are Daniel Carroll
and William Prout.
You remember… I said something
about Benjamin Stoddard negotiating
with George Washington so that
his little part of the Hill wouldn’t be
in the city? (See the Sept. 28 issue,
Voice of the Hill) Well, the reason for
that was that there was a spring on
it, and he was Secretary of the
Navy—he wanted to have the Navy
Yard built next to his land. But it was
unsuitable. And if he had chec ked it
out early enough he would have
known that, because the mud over
there slips and slides—it’s a disaster,
it’s not stable.
So the next nearest place along
the Anacostia River was the square
for the [Central] Exchange.
Franzén: The Navy Yard was established
for defense ...
Overbeck: It was… It was one of
the first things George Washington
talked about in defending why he
was going to put the city where he
did, and that was that anywhere
along the Anacostia River would render
a safe harbor from which
American Navy vessels could sally
forth and head down the Potomac to
take care of anybody who was trying
to invade.
Of course, that is not quite the
way it worked, but that’s the theory
—a good theory. He felt that the
Potomac River was not adequate.
And it wasn’t. It was too shoaled and
the channels were bad, and all kinds
of reasons, but he wanted them to be
able to come out for the element of
surprise. But nobody got around to
putting the Navy Yard there. There
wasn’t that much here. We had one
tiny little gun at the foot of Ft.
McNair defending the whole city; a
little tiny thing.
Anyway, Daniel Carroll backs out,
gets mad. He doesn’t like the idea
that he is going to lose the Central
Exchange, and so he delays the
process considerably. By this time, I
think that William Prout probably
just simply wanted to be able to get
on with the show, and it didn’t make
that much difference if it was sailor s
or if it was businessmen in froc k
coats. He figured they would come.
Well, the next thing you know is
they start having the Navy Yard
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6 www.voiceofthehill.com
had to have money or you
had to stay out of
Washington, in terms of
expecting to make money
here.
This is one of the rea -
sons why William Prout is
such an interesting character,
because he came
here, stayed here, and did
make money. He didn’t make a huge
amount, but he made good money.
Franzén: …So, many of these houses
were not made of brick or stone,
but were made of wood…of a pretty
low-standard quality.
Overbeck: Made of a low-standard
quality. They were one or two rooms
wide on the first floor, maybe a max
of four; same thing upstairs—if they
had an upstairs. They were supposed
to have an upstairs, by law, but
didn’t necessarily.
Franzén: Were they actually abutting
each other as we have our town
houses today, or was there space
between them? Or do we know?
Overbeck: Some were, some
weren’t. Row houses were tried down
on South Capitol Street and down in
Southwest, up on Pennsylvania
Avenue Northwest, and New Jersey
Avenue Southeast. And they were
rather unsuccessful because there
were not enough takers.
So people began building, instead
of six houses at a time on spec…they
would build one or two at a time.
They did not have to be on the lot
line, the side lot line. But if they
were built on the side lot line, they
had to be prepared to share the party
wall with their neighbor. They could
be as far back from the front lot line
as they wanted or as close up to the
front lot line as they wanted.
And that was a Thomas Jefferson
thing, and is absolutely traceable. He
said nothing bored him more than
Philadelphia, with all those straight
lines of buildings and no “surprises
of the oblique.” And he wanted the
surprise of the oblique.
That situation lasted clear up until
the 1870s, when we got new laws
that standardized where buildings
had to be relative to the front lo t
line, because of pipelines.
Franzén: Pipelines. You’re talking
about sewer lines ...
Overbeck: Yes. Gas lines, the fir st
gas lines, were laid in the 1850s, and
they were okay because not that
many people could afford them. But
by the time we got to sewer and
water and standardized gas for everybody,
then everybody had to line up.
...
Franzén: Should we see a house
that’s set back from the line of the
other houses, we can assume it was
built before 1870?
Overbeck: About 1878, yes. And
there are also tons of houses over
there, hiding behind facades, which
built, and people begin coming
there. I have gone through a whole
series of efforts trying to find out
what is the oldest building we have
left that is outside the Yard gates. We
know what the buildings are inside
the Yard gates. Those are well documented.
But outside the Yard gates,
what have we got?
There is an enumeration of habitable
buildings for May 1800, and it
goes on up to November 1800 and
then into 1801. And we have been
able to identify each of the buildings
that were on that habitable list and
where they were along the Navy
Yard. And not one of them from
1800 is still standing. Not one. … it
has to do with economics, it has to
do with probably the character of
the buildings themselves, and so on.
Franzén: What can we assume
about the character of the buildings?
What were they made of—stone,
brick, wood?
Overbeck: The city law required
that all buildings facing primar y
streets sit parallel to the street they
faced, be a minimum of two stories
high, and be of brick or stone—in
other words, fireproof.
But this was a very poor city.
People went bankrupt like crazy.
People defaulted on loans. People
picked up and left their tools. One
woman went running out to
Benjamin Latrobe in about 1810,
grabbed at him and said: “Please buy
my fowling piece [a light shotgun].
My husband has died, my children
are sick. This is the only thing I have
left of value, and I need money.”
That is a graphic description of
how poor it is. There are tales that
are legion of workmen going in the
middle of the night and taking down
doors and so forth from other houses
to resize to use for the houses they
are working on, because they can’t
get supplies…Stealing doors, windows,
[and] pieces.
It’s really pathetic…what was
allowed to happen because there was
not a sufficient backup of funds.…
Overbeck: One of the major
investors in this city was Rober t
Morris, who was the financier of the
Revolution. He spent time in
debtors’ prison because of over-speculation.
He did nothing except in a
grand way.
John Nicholson, same thing. He
was Morris’ colleague from
Philadelphia. To keep your shirt
from being burned off, you either
that crossed Pennsylvania Avenue
going generally from northeast to
southeast down toward the
Anacostia River. …
Franzén: So that got landscaped as
the city was developed?
Overbeck: Yes. Also, some of that
landscape had already been changed
to adaptive use for plantation farming
over time.
Franzén: Woods had been cleared?
Overbeck: Some of the woods had
been cleared—not all of them.
Early on, you would have seen
white-tailed deer, all sorts of animals,
heard wonderful birds, …
But it was really an area—1600-
1619—when the first point of contact
of the Americans-to-be, the settlers,
came up the river, they would
have heard the guttural language of
the Nactcatanke…and they would
have seen this enormously beautiful
land. Now, some of the land had
been burned over for fields, for the
Indians to plant their corn. Some of
the land was still standing with
large, large trees.…They were taller
than anything they had seen in
England. You could build a whole
mast for a ship out of one tree—
which by that time in England was
almost impossible…
So if we were standing there at 8th
and Pennsylvania and we were just
listening, by 1720 we would have
heard very little of the guttural lan -
guage of the Nactcatanke because for
the most part they were long since
gone.
Franzén: … What happened?
Overbeck: Many of them died
from diseases of foreign countries.
Some of them were sent off or
moved off to go with o ther tribes.
The Colony of Maryland actually
established the first Indian reservation
in what became the United
States. It was down in southern
Maryland. Some of the Nactcatanke
may have gone down with them.
There is a group … who believe they
are probably Nactcatanke descendents
that are down on the reservation
now.
So, they would have more or less
disappeared except for trading parties
that were not Nactcatanke that
would come down out of the western
mountains and trade with the
settlers. They were still using the old
patterns of trade to get what they
thought they needed and to get
things they had never seen before or
heard of heard of before—European
goods.
By the 1720s you also would have
heard not only the English language
spoken regularly, but you would
have heard the very soft language of
people speaking African, African
dialects, and learning to speak
English—a polyglot kind of English,
because that’s how they picked up
their language.
you’d never know were there. We
found one building on 8th Stree t
that looked for all the world like an
1880s building, and was. And as we
began the rehab for it, we found
three additional houses in it, including
the original one, which was a
good 40 feet back from the front lot
line.
Franzén: … So, what you’re saying
is the front of the house kept moving
forward?
Overbeck: They kept accreting.
Franzén: Adding to the front of the
house?
Overbeck: Yes. We have all of these
wonderful things going on that
make it look interesting and tremendous.
What we did, finally, to determine
where the Navy Yard actually
was—because …there have been
questions about where is the Navy
Yard, the end and beginning, or
[where is] the Capitol [Hill] neigh -
borhood end and beginning. The
earliest city directory lists buildings
by location, close to a particular
place, because most of the houses
did not have numbers. So, it would
say: M Street, near the Navy Yard. Or
4th 1/2 Street, Navy Yard, between L
and M. Something like that.
So I calculated all of those and
platted them so we would know
where the Navy Yard was. The Navy
Yard’s western boundary is right
down the alley between 3rd and 4th.
It goes straight up to Pennsylvania
Avenue, comes right back down, and
goes all the way over to 14th street.
Now, that doesn’t mean that was
completely filled in the 1820s,
because believe me it was very
sparse. But those people who were
associated with the Navy Yard either
as worker bees or furnishing supplies
for them or whatever, were given
that kind of an address.
Franzén: … So it was much larger
then.
Overbeck: Much larger than what
we think of the Navy Yard as being—
because the Navy Yard is one of the
most important things that ever
happened to Capitol Hill. …
Franzén: …let’s take a step back …
into the 1700s, and take us step by
step from the raw land to the layout
of the city as it is starting to come
into being around 1800.
Overbeck: One of the best examples
to consider is that if you were
standing at today’s point of 8th
Street and Pennsylvania Avenue
Southeast and you were standing on
the land that then existed at the
time of the point of contact of the
Native Americans and settlers or the
explorer-pioneers, whatever we wish
to call them from Europe, you would
find you were standing at least eight
feet higher in the air. …It was, for
land, fairly level, but it did have an
enormously rich ecology. And part
of that ecology included six streams
on. The square numbers were
assigned sequentially, one on up,
and they were well into the 600s by
the time they got to Capitol Hill.
Franzén: Did that pattern continue
all the way through?
Overbeck: All the way through the
part we have already talked about as
being the Federal city. It was later
extended outside the bounds of the
Federal city but in a much more—
I’m not going to say “unorganized”
or “disorganized” pattern, but it is
much more confusing once you get
out into the county. And it is certainly
confusing when you have the
overlays of the square numbers over
in Georgetown, over the ones that
had been part of the original city.
Franzén: But otherwise, early on,
we can more or less assume that the
squares were numbered in the order
in which they were laid out?
Overbeck: …They were certainly
gridded out on paper in that order
and then they were to be laid out on
the land in that order. The laying
out of a square took a sur veyor and
four small marble squares or
cubes…One at each corner.
In order to establish street lines, if
trees stood in the street they simply
were cut down, but they were cut
down at about knee height. So here
you would go on your horse, or you
and your own shanks mare—you
would not take a carriage, there were
very few places you could take a carriage
if you had a carriage—and you
would thread yourself carefully
through stumps. And there were no
street markers.… No signs, nothing
of that nature. And the National
Intelligencer and its predecessors—
which were an assortment of various
newspapers—are marvelous reading,
if for no other reason than [to read]:
“We are going to meet at Mr. So-andso
for So-and-so’s event. We are
going to meet there and it is the
place near ...” and they will say
Tunnicliff’s Tavern or the place near
Rhodes Tavern, … et cetera. A lot of
confusion and a lot of wasted time
went on for people trying to find
their way to and from one part of
the city to another.
Franzén: The little marble markers
at the corners of the squares, can
they still be found?
Overbeck: …They are certainly not
at any of the corners that I have
walked on Capitol Hill, but whether
or not one has been saved and put
aside, or whatever, I don’t know.
…Anyway, then came dealing
with turning the squares into lots.
And there were certain dimensions
that were felt to be appropriate.
Anything probably ranging from
about 30 to 50 feet was an appropr iate
frontal lot [dimension].
Franzén: That’s quite wide.
Overbeck: It was. The wider the
street, the larger the building, or the
taller the building it was assumed
would be built on it. If you look at
the ideas behind some of these
dimensions, it gives you an impression
of some of the thought that
went into it by Washington and
Jefferson and so on.
Franzén: And L’Enfant?
Overbeck: L’Enfant did not have as
much to do with the house business.
He was the idea man of space, large
use of space, and how the large
spaces would work.
Franzén: But the look of the
streets, and the setback from the
streets, and the width of the lots—
that was Washington and Jefferson?
Overbeck: In large part, yes. They
were never out of correspondence
with L’Enfant. And they are the ones
who actually did the first building
codes that were appended as a matter
of implication to every deed, for
every piece of land sold in the
Federal city. That had to do…with
width, [and] it had to do with how
wide the streets would be.
East Capitol Street was as wide
then [1790] as it is now. I don’t know
how many people on Capitol Hill
know this, but East Capitol Street,
like most every other street on the
Hill and in the Federal city itself,
goes from the face of the building to
the face of the building across the
street. You do not own your own
front yard. You don’t even own the
yard on which your bay window sits,
if that’s what you have.
That’s an enormous wonderful
space there—a vista—plenty of room
for troops to move if you need to
move troops in a hur ry in time of
war. It is ceremonial. Remember,
L’Enfant felt East Capitol would be a
wonderful ceremonial street. So here
you have this awe-inspiring vista,
and to think of the fact they were
doing this in 1790.
Franzén: It was unique in that
respect among American cities,
wasn’t it?
Overbeck: Yes. Really, the first
truly planned American city of that
magnitude. A planned city usually
was perhaps a 6-block by 12-block
entity that ran along a waterfront. It
was gridded off plainly, and maybe a
town square position was marked off
and maybe not. That was about the
best you got for urban planning.
Franzén: Having driven in downtown
Philadelphia, there is quite a
difference. Amazing.…
Overbeck: Laying out of the lots
was done so that the lots could be
divided between the commissioners
of the public and the original proprietors.
We spoke the other day about
that and the fact that the original
proprietors were in no way given
back all of the land they had had.
This is part of the deal. So those proprietors
who had lots on squares that
www.voiceofthehill.com 7
For the most part, the land itself
wouldn’t have changed that much.
Certainly the streams would still be
there. You would still hear the rushing
water, there would still be snipe.
The deer would have learned to be
more frightened and they would be
at the margins of the forest because
of the guns, which the Indians, of
course, had not had. Other animals,
also, would be lurking more toward
the edges of the forest rather than
into the heart of the land, and coming
on to the stream to water early
morning, late at night.
The land would have begun to be
plowed—very primitively plowed, as
far as we’re concerned—but it would
have taken shape in the form primarily
of tobacco crops, because that
was the main focus of finance.
As we get nearer to the 1790s, this
would simply have all intensified
somewhat, because more settlers
would have come into the area to
stay. Basically, we feel there’s about a
1719-1725 cut-off between pioneers
and settlers, because of the people
who were really pushing the frontier.
We begin to have much more organization
within parishes, within voting
precincts. By that time, the sheriff,
all of those people, were begin -
ning to be in place.
So, that takes us up to a defined
agricultural land in 1790. Then there
is this map that is, in general, laid
out, when Washington decides, yes,
we are going to use this particular
area which is from Rock Creek to the
Herb Branch, back up to about
Florida Avenue, which is part of the
general boundary earlier, and that
would become city. So that was the
part that was being platted.
Now, the first survey for all for this
had nothing to do within Capitol
Hill itself. That survey was out along
the 10-mile line. They had to establish
that and fix that at the Federal
district before they could fix the
Federal city.
Franzén: The 10-mile square.
Overbeck: The famous 10-mile
square that is not a 10-mile square
anymore.
Anyway, the move from the 10-
mile square inward was slower. Now,
there was massive speculation going
on and people wanted to buy thousands
of lots. George Washington
did not want anyone buying an
excess number of lots because he—
rightly so—felt this would ultimately
lead to a collapse in the economy
and it would be detrimental to the
city to have landscape dominated by
any one group of people or any
“combine,” as it were, merchants,
whatever. That didn’t stop the speculation
from going rampant. Some
speculated with one lot, some speculated
with thousands…what we had
to do was get the squares and the
lots laid out.
Franzén:Was L’Enfant involved at
this point?
Overbeck: No, L’Enfant is already
out.…L’Enfant never laid out the lots
and squares because he’d been fired.
Franzén: When was that?
Overbeck: I don’t remember the
date. He had made enough people
angry, including, in particular,
Daniel Carroll, because Daniel
Carroll had cited his new home
down on G Street Southeast where
he thought it ought to be, and it
hung out into the road, into the
street line. And L’Enfant had the
foundation pulled down in the middle
of the night. Didn’t endear the
man. He had the ego of an artist.
And he was a wonderful character—
tremendous drive and energy. No
tact whatsoever.
He felt that Washington probably
was a God and could protect him
from all else. Washington by this
time was well weary of all of these
people fussing, and had made sure
that he gave as much of the power—
to transfer the power, at least the blatant
overpower—to the commissioners
as possible, which is a group of
three men who were responsible for
the Federal city:…
Franzén: So L’Enfant was out of
the picture by some time in the
1790s?…And stayed out?
Overbeck: Well, he was this forlorn,
haggard figure who was seen
walking around from time to time
with his dog, looking sort of
raggedy, petitioning Congress to pay
him what it owed him. What else is
new in Washington?
Anyway, the upshot of all of this is
that a square is a square—whether it
is a circle, a triangular base, polygon
or a square—in Washington. Still the
large unit that contains lots is called
the square.
Franzén: What we normally think
of as a block.
Overbeck: A block, yes. Those were
begun to be laid out, on demand,
over by Rock Creek and near
Pennsylvania Avenue. Obviously
we’re still playing out this game ... by
this time, which is about 1791 or
1792, most people really have given
up on the idea that the game is that
Capitol Hill is going to be the city.
There are still people who have
hopes and think they can swing it,
but for the most part they have realized
that if you really look carefully
at what’s going on, the city is going
to be dominated by Rock Creek, west
of the Capitol and not east.
Franzén: So, that reality had begun
to dawn on people by the early
1790s?
Overbeck: …They weren’t happy
with it, and some of them didn’t
believe it and felt it would still
change. But if you look at it carefully
it was a very uninspired person who
couldn’t figure out what was going
(continued on page 39)
8 www.voiceofthehill.com
beloved safely buried before the
fresh-dug graves filled up with water.
So a few citizens quietly banded
together and on April 4, 1807, purchased
Square 1115 on 18th and E
Streets, SE, to serve as a new burial
ground for the city. Square 1115 was
high, dry, well-shaded, and afforded
a splendid view from the brow of the
southeast edge of Capitol Hill down
across the East Branch of the
Potomac and over onto the rolling
hills of Anacostia. Because there was
at that time little development on
Capitol Hill anywhere east of the
Navy Yard and Marine Barracks, the
new burial ground was essentially
out in the country. The first burial
took place only seven days after the
purchase was recorded when a
It’s the end of the road, of
course. More precisely, it’s
the end of 18th Street, SE,
which dumps you out at the
front gate of the
Congressional Cemetery, one
of Capitol Hill’s most enduring
institutions. And, like
other Capitol Hill institutions, there
are plenty of tales around it. Sex,
money, scandal, you name it. And
finally, there is the hope of taking
back life from the veritable jaws of
death.
Well, not jaws, actually. Truth be
told, Congressional Cemetery was
not some Mimi, dying gorgeously of
consumption amid sumptuous
orchestral chords. No, Congressional
Cemetery was, like far too many of
our brothers and sisters of the city,
dying alone in despair and neglect.
It was once overrun by weeds and
wild dogs, which made for a sad
story indeed. Now, a much happier
ending is taking shape, as you will
see. But we must start, of course, at
the beginning.
Before 1800, Washingtonians originally
established two burial grounds
in the federal city, but unfortunately
the more easterly one wasn’t, shall
we say, “well-situated.” Located on
Square 1026, which is between 13th
and 14th and H and I, NE—it was
part of the undrained, low g round
around the Tiber Creek, just nor th of
Capitol Hill. The ground behaved
pretty much the way you expect low
ground to behave when you dig
holes in it. Gentle and dignified
Washingtonians apparently found
themselves in the hours of their grief
un-gently and in a most undignified
way racing to get the coffins of their
Although the new Capitol Hill
burial ground was public, the ownership
remained private for several
years: the owners enclosed it, hired a
sexton, and charged $2.00 per lot—
but left a corner of the cemetery
open to provide for free burial for
those who couldn’t afford to buy a
plot. When the debt for the property
was retired in 1812, the owners
ceded the property to the vestry of
Christ Church—Washington Parish
and it became known as the
Washington Parish Burial Ground.
In 1816, Christ Church set aside
100 burial plots in the Washington
Parish Burial Ground for members of
Congress, and later for their families.
Beyond the set-aside spaces, the government
purchased many additional
spaces to bury officials who died in
office or even official visitors to
Washington. Congress began to
make occasional appropriations of
funds for various projects in the
cemetery. The original gatehouse at
18th and E was built in 1832 from
such appropriations, as was the brick
wall, a receiving vault and other
improvements. Within the first thirty
years of Christ Church’s ownership
of the cemetery, so many legislators
and other government officials
had been buried there that the
cemetery became more well-known
as the “Congressional cemetery”
than as the Washington Parish
Burial Ground. Ultimately, of course,
the Congressional cemetery became
“Congressional Cemetery.”
By 1847, the cemetery was running
out of space for graves and
vaults, so Christ Church petitioned
the government for both funds and
permission to buy more land. Several
squares were added soon after, and
Washington stone-cutter named
William Swinton was laid to rest on
April 11, 1807. He had been recruited
from Philadelphia to work on the
Capitol building, but Washington
apparently got the better of him. His
epitaph calls him “...an honor to his
profession.” A little later in that
same year, the first of many U.S. legislators
was buried there: Senator
Uriah Tracy, a Federalist senator
from Litchfield, Connecticut.
Benjamin Latrobe, Architect of the
Capitol, designed the sandstone
monument for Tracy’s grave. The
Latrobe design became the monument
of choice—there are 185 of
them in the cemetery—for members
of Congress buried there as well as a
cenotaph for those buried elsewhere.
B ringing the D E A D
B a ck to Life
BY GENE MIL LER
An army of cenotaphs in residence at Congressional Cemetery
www.voiceofthehill.com 9
the cemetery received permission to
enclose both 19th and G Streets.
Squares between 18th and 17th were
added in 1853, plus two more
squares below H Street and one east
of the now-enclosed 19th in 1859.
The cemetery reached the size we see
now through the purchase of a final
square, the easternmost, in 1875.
But events were overtaking
Congressional Cemetery. General
Robert E. Lee’s Arlington House
mansion had been seized by the
Union Army in 1864 and that was
the beginning of Arlington National
Cemetery. Congressional’s loss of
popularity continued from there.
Latrobe’s cenotaphs at
Congressional became items of public
ridicule. One Senator Hoar from
Massachusetts claimed they were so
ugly that they “added a new terror to
death.” And as means of travel
improved, members of Congress
were choosing more and more fr equently
to be buried back in their
home districts rather than at
Congressional or even Arlington.
Congressional reached its current
acreage more than 125 years ago,
and hasn’t had to add any space
since. If not an official burying site
for government officials any more, it
remains a sentimental favorite for
officials and regular folks.
Christ Church continued to manage
the cemetery until 1976, when
the cost burden simply became too
great for the parish. Upkeep had fall -
en off. Trees were dying; Fences were
falling down. Vandals were tipping
over monuments, cenotaphs and
headstones, and—worse still—occasionally
ransacking vaults and robbing
graves.
In 1976, the Association for the
Preservation of Historical
Congressional Cemetery (APHCC)
was formed and Christ Church
leased the cemetery to them.
Although a few members (including
the rector) of Christ Church serve on
the board, the Association is respon -
sible for all the operations and plan -
ning for the upkeep and restoration
of the cemetery. The board has
recently drawn up a $13 million
action plan over seven years, covering
everything from headstone
repair and landscaping to archival
projects. In the meantime, they’re
doing what they can with what
they’ve got. Volunteers of time and
money are most graciously and
enthusiastically welcomed. (The
splendid website at http://www.con-
T H E
c o m m e m o r ati o n
O F A L L T H E
F A I T H F U L L Y
D E P A R T E D
N O V E M B E R 2 , 2 0 0 1
7 : 0 0 P M H I G H M A S S
Join the church: past, present
and future, around God’s altar in the
Communion of Saints!
This is a day for particular
remembrance of family members and friends
who have departed this mortal life.
To have your loved ones
commemorated on this day, submit names to
St. James’ Parish Office at 202 546 1746
or by e-mail stjames@tidalwave.net
2 2 2 E I G H T H S T R E E T S E . W A S H I N G T O N . D C 2 0 0 0 2
gressionalcemetery.org is the work of
Sandy Schmidt, a volunteer.)
A tour of the cemetery
Visitors to the cemetery may have a
hard time finding it: there are ver y
few signs—in fact, none at all on
either Massachusetts Ave. or 18th
Street. If one drives in through the
18th Street gate, one immediately
discovers the state of disrepair of the
pavement in the cemetery: your
vehicle lurches and bumps across
abysses in the asphalt. Still, the way
the trees form a soft ar ch over the
driveway is immediately restful—
and note on your right the roses still
in full bloom despite autumn’s
advances. Mathew Brady, the
famous Civil War photographer, is
buried off to your right as you pass
the first brick walkways. Continue
toward the small chapel at the cemetery’s
main crossroads, and you will
pass a row of Latrobe’s scorned cenotaphs
on your left. You will also see
some of the older brick vaults, some
of which are greatly in need of
repair.
Drive around the chapel (weddings
have been held there) and
head off to the east. The next intersection
would be 19th and G. Stop
there a bit. Looking due east, you
can see how the fence line that is the
southern boundary of the cemetery
has become completely overgrown,
blocking the view to the river.Where
trees have leaned or fallen, some
portions of the fence are damaged. It
needs lots of loving care.
You also are likely to see dogs and
people from here: for an annual fee,
dog owners can exercise their pets in
Congressional Cemetery. It’s really a
great space for urban dogs: thirtyodd
fenced in acres that are mainl y
grass. Lots of green space to burn up
all that kibble and cabin fever, not to
mention snuffling a few interesting
behinds. Actually, the dogs currently
generate a significant fraction of the
cemetery’s annual operating budget,
not to mention providing an informal
kind of security throughout the
day. Bob Dean, a staff member of the
AHPCC, provides assurances that the
cemetery is closed to dogs when
interments take place.
You’ll see a small fenced-in plot
just up the hill to your left. That’s J.
Edgar Hoover’s. Back down the hill
towards you and at a discreet distance
from Hoover is Clyde Tolson’s
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10. Sometimes there’s a long line
at Jimmy T’s.
9. Practice pronouncing
Neitsczhe, Van Gogh and
Jung in safe, encouraging
environment.
8. Hot tea every afternoon at
4:30.
7. Remind us to water the
orchid.
6. Aisles wider than at the health
food store.
5. Sometimes Phyllis Jane Young
stops by.
4. Authors welcome to come visit
their books.
3. In high school you didn’t finish
reading Huckleberry Finn so you
don’t even know how it ends &
you’ve been living in fear that
someone might ask you, all
these years.
2. No book priced more than
$1,200 this week.
1. BOOKSTORES ARE COOL!
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10 www.voiceofthehill.com
York Congressman. Mrs. Sickles’s
coachman would drive them to
Congressional Cemetery, where the
lovers would disappear down over
the grade. You can see how they
might have done so, as the cemeter y
drops off rather sharply towards its
southern edge. If you wanted to drop
out of sight for a while with some -
one, you can still do it there. F rom
up where the chapel stands, no one
would ever see you. Eventually, the
cuckolded Congressman caught up
with Keys and shot and killed him—
and was later acquitted of murder
charges by a Washington jury.
Still more scandal? It would be
rude to mention that cemetery car etaker
who recently absconded with
nearly $200,000 except to mention
that he has completed serving his
prison sentence and has now begun
to make court-ordered restitution
payments.
The final scandal is that the cemetery
was in such bad shape that in
1997, the National Trust for Historic
Preservation named it as one of the
eleven most-endangered historical
sites in America.
There’s so much more at the
Cemetery: the gravesite of the tenyear-
old girl who was the first victim
of an automobile accident in the
plot—Tolson was of course the
unmarried Hoover’s closest friend
and confidant. Immediately between
you and Tolson is Leonard
Matlovich, who got a Medal of
Honor for killing two men and a discharge
for loving one.
If you go up the slight rise past
Hoover’s grave, you’ll approach
another row of Latrobe’s infamous
cenotaphs off to your left. Behind
them is the gravesite of Pushmataha,
the chief of the Choct aw Nation
who was made a brigadier general in
the US Army by Andrew Jackson.
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Pushmataha made one visit to
Washington and never left: he
marched in a parade on a rainy blus -
tery day, caught the croup and died
on Christmas Eve, 1824. And off to
your right will be the g rave of one of
Washington’s most famous, or infamous,
madams, Miss Mary Ann Hall.
Her establishment on Maryland
Ave., SW, has recently been excavated
and studied by archeologists.
Want more sex? Around 1858,
Francis Scott Key’s son Philip Barton
Key began an affair with Teresa
Sickles, wife of Daniel Sickles, a New
District of Columbia; the public
vault where John Quincy Adams lay;
John Phillip Sousa’s gravesite, where
the Marine Band comes to play on
his birthday, November 6th; and
Capitol Hill’s own Ruth Ann
Overbeck, whose resting place is
marked by a splendid obelisk: “Look
it up!” she enjoins us in bold letters.
Linda Harper is Chairman of the
Board of the APHCC, and we chatted
recently about how she sees
Congressional Cemetery relating to
the Hill: “We currently have a strong
relationship with the Capitol Hill
community, as most of our volunteers
and users are people who live
on the Hill. What we are hoping to
do is strengthen our relationship by
building another and different one.
For example, we’d like to get much
more involved with the schools in
interpreting local history, potentially
as an extension of the planned
City Museum. We’d also like to do
more events like last weekend’s Tour
de Graves, which was a bicycle tour
of Capitol Hill with a special tour of
the Cemetery. We need to be more
than just a beautiful place.”
But make no mistake,
Congressional Cemetery is a beautiful
place that is slowly reclaiming
the life it deserves on the Hill.
TURKEY SALE
your chance to clean up
by helping us clean out
Drastic reductions on all 2001
model year inventory
1st annual pre-thanksgiving TURKEY SALE
Sat Nov 10 thru Wed Nov 21
Shop early for Christmas
The view of Congressional Cemetery from Potomac Avenue, SE
www.voiceofthehill.com 11
BY LAURA MITCHELL
Every year, right about
this time we see it:
Norman Rockwell’s
enduring image of
Thanksgiving dinner
...the one with a multi -
generational family smiling beatifically
as they gather around a piping
hot turkey. Now, whether you think
this represents great American art or
great American kitsch, the lure of
the painting is undeniable. We can
smell the food, feel the steam off the
vegetables, and taste the g ravy. But
most of all, we see and we remember.
We see the children’s shiny faces
(Rockwell could really paint a glowing
child), we see the other members
of the family, we see the social glue
embodied in that turkey. And we
remember our own loved ones, gathered
at holidays and special events,
year in and year out.
Food and memories go hand in
hand.. While simmering stews and
baking breads warm us in the present,
they serve to connect us to the
family and friends who have fed us
and shared meals with us in the past.
Mom’s chicken casserole, Grandma’s
biscuits, or a friend’s decadent
brownies...those recipes we keep on
handwritten cards, each stained
with ingredients, link us to those
wonderful food-based events that
punctuate our lives. Each year, at
this time of Thanksgiving , we give
thanks for those who have graced us
with food and friendship and family.
The dishes that follow won’t make
for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner
(except maybe for the stuffing
recipe), but they’re just right for a
Giving-thanks dinner.
I remember Grandma
Chari Wager Voss’s resumé says she’s
an interpreter and translator (French
to English) who has traveled extensively
for the State Department, and
spent two years at the International
War Crimes Tribunal in Rwanda and
Tanzania. But in quieter moments,
she cooks for family and friends,
translating food into fellowship. Her
cakes are legendary—weddings, baptisms,
birthdays, you-name-it —gorgeously
decorated and delicious.Her
culinary flair is not limited to fancy
desserts, though, as the following
recipes show. An Illinois native,
Chari is fond of the good Midwestern
fare you might find at a church
picnic—like her Grandma Wager’s
Frog Eye Salad. Chari remembers her
Dad’s mom serving the sweet salad
at family gatherings with aunts,
uncles, and cousins, and associates
the dish with noise (the good kind,
Chari quickly points out) of relatives
jabbering and children laughing.
Frog Eye Salad was always a favorite
with the kids, who squealed when
they heard the name. Chari recalls
being “grossed out” as a kid at the
thought of eating “frog eyes,” and
then being “pleasantly surprised to
learn that the eyes are in fact pasta
and that it tastes g reat!”
A favorite for Christmas and
Thanksgiving, the Wagers have been
eating frog eyes for about 20 years
now (with the exception of Chari’s
sister, who doesn’t like marshmallows).
But most everyone else, while
perhaps approaching the salad with
trepidation, ends up loving it.
Whenever Chari serves it, she gets
requests for the recipe.
Chari’s other Grandmother,
Grandma Mohr, is also a source of
culinary inspiration (and fun in the
kitchen). Grandma Mohr loved to
cook and was always experimenting
with new recipes which she tried out
on her family of willing munchers.
As one of the munchers Chari often
helped out, consequently developing
her own passion for experimentation
in the kitchen. Chari remembers
being in high school when her
Grandma first cajoled her into making
Orange-Basil cookies. She was
skeptical about putting basil in
something sweet, but the cookies
have now been a family favorite for
more than 15 years. A great addition
to a holiday cookie platters, these
cookies make a nice, light desser t
after a heavy meal. Chari constantly
fields requests for the recipe.
Frog Eye Salad
1 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups pineapple juice (drained from
canned pineapple)
1 large container Cool Whip
1 package miniature marshmallows
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 box (16 oz) ancini de pepe pasta
2 cans pineapple tidbits (drained)
2 cans mandarin oranges (drained)
34 cup maraschino cherries
Combine sugar, yolks, flour, and
pineapple juice. Cook over low heat
until thick. Cook pasta according to
package instructions (do not overcook).
Drain and combine with
cooked mixture. Refrigerate at least 8
hours or overnight. Add fruit,
marshmallows, and topping.
Refrigerate before serving.
Special note: the ancini de pepe
pasta is not always easy to find, but
it’s worth the hunt. If you like to
make cooking a group activity, let
the youngsters stir in the fruit and
marshmallows. And while it’s called
a salad, Chari says it makes a good
dessert, too. And if there are any leftovers,
they can be frozen for later.
G i v i n g -T h a n ks
D i n n e r
12 www.voiceofthehill.com
and Tom’s nearly two years on the
Hill, they’ve found pretty much
everything they need at Eastern
Market and herbs come from their
own garden. Both dishes can be prepared
solo or in a team, and it can
help to have audience, such as Doug
and Tom’s two black cats, Oboe and
Boston.
Apple-Butternut Squash
Soup
1 quart vegetable stock
3 butternut squash
3 McIntosh apples
5 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
12 cup chopped leek
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
Pinch of ground cinnamon
Course kosher salt and freshly
ground black pepper
2 whole leaks cleaned, trimmed and
diced
heavy cream
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees
Cut 2 butternut squash in half and
scoop out the seeds. Core and quarter
the apples. Generously brush the
butternut squash with 4 tablespoons
of the melted butter. Fill the center
of each squash with the apples, place
them in a roasting pan, cover with
foil, and roast 35 to 40 minutes, or
until tender when picked with a
fork. Scoop out the pulp from the
skin, discarding the rind. Pass the
squash pulp and apples through a
food mill. Transfer to a large bowl,
add 2 cups of the vegetable stock and
set aside.
Peel, seed, and cut into chunks the
remaining butternut squash. In a
stockpot combine the squash, 11/2
teaspoons butter, chopped leek,
orange zest, cinnamon, and the
remaining 2 cups stock. Bring to a
boil, then reduce the heat and simmer
over medium-low heat for 35 to
40 minutes, until the squash is tender.
Puree the mixture in a food
processor until smooth.
In a large stockpot combine the
two purees and season to taste with
salt and pepper. Reheat or keep
warm over low heat.
Place the remaining butter in a
skillet. Add the sliced leeks and sauté
over medium heat until soft, 5 to 6
minutes. Garnish each serving with
some of the sautéed leeks and a bit
of heavy cream.
Eggplant Ratatouille
1 medium eggplant
14 cup olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and thinly
sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium zucchini, slice 1/2 inch
thick
1 medium green pepper, thinly
sliced
5 medium tomatoes, peeled and
quartered
Orange-Basil Cookies
112 cup margarine
112 cup sugar
2 eggs
5 cups flour
2 teaspoons soda
1 teaspoon salt
23 cup orange juice
3 Tbsp orange rind
1 teaspoon vanilla
14 cup dried basil
Mix ingredients. Drop by teaspoonful
on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake
8-10 minutes at 350 degrees. Frost
with powdered sugar-buttercream
frosting. Roll in nuts (optional).
Special Note: This is a g reat group
recipe, especially when it comes to
the icing.
That Special Someone
Meals with casts of thousands are
routine in some families, but some
of the most memorable meals are
often shared with just a few. Douglas
Beck and Tom Avila love to cook for
each other at Thanksgiving and all
year ’round. Both are active in the
arts and their flair for cooking grows
out of their zest for the beautiful in
life. Doug, an accomplished organist,
is the Director of Music and the
Arts at Lutheran Church of the
Reformation. Tom is a visual artist
and writer who works for the Project
for Excellence in Journalism.
Douglas first began making Apple-
Butternut Squash soup while a student
at the Peabody Conservatory of
Music in Baltimore. These days the
preparation is generally uneventful,
thanks to some important learningby-
doing. “Typically I purée the soup
in a blender,” Douglas explains.
“But the first time I made the soup, I
inadvertently removed my hand
from the blender lid during the
process. The lid popped off and soup
covered my Mt. Vernon Place apartment
kitchen from floor to ceiling in
no time at all.” Reader, beware!
Doug and Tom have made this
soup the centerpiece of their
Thanksgiving tradition. Except for
the soup, they select a completely
different menu each year. For a
meatless dinner, they recommend a
ratatouille. Neither recipe requires
hard-to-find ingredients; in Doug’s
onion, green pepper, and celery in a
large pot. Add rice. Add 8 cups of
water and wine. Add chicken when
liquid is cooked off. Add olives and
pimentos and cook on low for about
15 minutes. When finished, remove
bay leaves.
Special note: this dish can be pr epared
ahead of time and freezes well.
The Perfect Blendship
Being away from home over a holiday
can give even the most cosmopolitan
academic a twinge of homesickness.
But as Tobie Meyer-Fong
well knows, a friend with a gift for
hospitality and good food can make
you feel at home no matter where
you are. Tobie, who is an Assistant
Professor of Chinese History at Johns
Hopkins University, attended graduate
school at Stanford, a continent
away from her family in Connecticut.
While in grad school, she met
“lovely Lydia,” a friend who wears
many hats, including that of gourmet
cook.
About 10 years ago Tobie was making
the rounds of g rad student
Thanksgiving-day dinners and was
already stuffed when she arrived at
Lydia’s annual feast. The vast array
of dishes were so tempting and
Lydia’s warm spirit was so welcoming
that Tobie decided to make room
for one more meal. Having recently
learned to cook, Tobie was inspired
by Lydia’s ability to make food
preparation a group affair and
because of her example, Tobie
recalls, “I realized that I loved to
cook because it’s something I share
with friends and family.”
Tobie and her husband Ming-Yuen
Meyer-Fong, a lawyer at the Justice
Department, arrived on the Hill five
years ago and began developing
their own Thanksgiving traditions.
Every year the extended Meyer and
Fong families meet up in
Washington for a multi-cultural
extravaganza. Tobie’s brother-in-law
Alex is the “turkey-master,” and
together they work on the stuffing—
a highlight of Tobie’s day. Ming-
Yuen contributes the pies, and his
mom, a vegetarian, is famous for her
turkeys made out of wheat gluten
and tofu. Tobie’s mom handles various
veggies and the sweet potatoes,
14 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon fresh basil
12 teaspoon pepper
Peel eggplant and cut into 1-inch
cubes. Heat oil in a large saucepot.
Add onion and garlic and cook until
almost tender. Finally, add eggplant,
zucchini, and green pepper. Cook
until tender.
Family Affair
For most of us, life has become too
fast-paced to allow for a leisurely
Sunday dinner with the family, but
at Mary Smith’s home, that tradition
is alive and well. Mary and her husband
Ernest have lived on the Hill
for thirty years and raised their children
here. And although their children
are now grown, her role as the
heart and soul of Mary’s Child
Development Home keeps Mary’s
house filled with little ones.
When Mary first married, she
couldn’t even cobble together a pot
of rice let alone a whole meal. But
these days, those who come to visit
are usually greeted with mouth
watering smells wafting from her
cheery kitchen. Gifted with a green
thumb, Mary often cooks with her
home-grown vegetables and herbs.
This chicken and rice recipe has
been a staple in the Smith family for
12 years and had its debut at a
luncheon Mary’s daughter’s
school—and no one has ever turned
down a helping. Mary recommends
accompanying this dish with green
salad or other green vegetable.
Chicken and Rice
1 chicken (fryer)
1 large green pepper, chopped
2 onions
1 medium jar or 2 small jars of
pimientos
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 medium jar of stuffed olives
olive oil
4 cups rice
water and cooking wine
spices: adobo, bay leaves, oregano,
basil, garlic
Season chicken in spices overnight,
or at least for a few hours. Lightly fry
chicken in olive oil and set aside.
Drain some of the oil and sauté the
www.voiceofthehill.com 13
which are brandied with dried cranberries.
Lovely Lydia has not attended any
of the Meyer-Fong Thanksgivings,
but her stuffing makes an appearance
every year. Tobie lauds the
stuffing’s appearance as much as its
flavor. Bedecked with jewel-toned
fruits, the stuffing is truly a feast for
the eyes. These days, Tobie doesn’t
get that twinge of homesickness at
Thanksgiving, but the stuffing
makes her nostalgic for her “crazy
years of three meals in one day” and
makes her thankful for the friends
who are, for all intents and purposes,
our extended families as well.
Lovely Lydia’s Jewelstudded
Stuffing
(adapted from the Silver Palate
Goodtimes cookbook)
1 cup diced dried apricots
23 cup dried cranberries
112 cup Grand Marnier
1 cup unsalted butter
2 cups coarsely chopped celery
1 chopped onion
1 pound bulk spicey turkey sausage
1 pound herb stuffing mix
1 cup slivered almonds
2 cups turkey broth (chicken broth
okay)
12 teaspoon dried thyme
4 leaves fresh sage or 1 teaspoon
dried sage
salt
pepper
Put dried fruit and 1 cup liquor in
small saucepan. Heat to boiling and
let soak and cool. Melt butter (1/2
cup) in skillet, sauté celery and
onion for 10 minutes. Put in large
mixing bowl.
Simmer turkey heart and liver (if
you’ve got the big bird!) in water for
5 minutes and set aside to cool. In
same skillet as before, sauté sausage
until just done. Add to mixing bowl.
Add stuffing mix, fruit with liquor,
and almonds. Dice liver and hear t
and add to mixture. Stir.
Heat remaining 12 cup butter in
chicken stock until melted. Pour
over mixture and add remaining 12
cup liquor. Season with salt pepper,
sage, and thyme.
Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degree
or cook in turkey until done.
Shopping tip: Tobie and Ming-
Yuen always purchase their turkey
sausage at Eastern Market.
Special notes: Tobie cautions that
some people find the stuffing too
sweet. Omitting the turkey makes for
tasty vegetarian fare as well.
DIABETES DAY
Wednesday, November 14, 2001
11am to 1pm
• Buy one box of Bayer test trips and get a
Glucometer Elite XL or DEX free
• Free monitor demonstrations and instruction
• Free insulin delivery system with purchase of
insulin
SCREENINGS
Blood Sugar $5.00
Blood Pressudre $2.00
Certified Diabetes Educator
(CDE) available to
answer questions FREE
Appointments Recommended. Ask for Jeanette or Judy
14 www.voiceofthehill.com
lege, where he studied comparative
religions and made friends of many
faiths.
The Islamic Center was founded
last year at the beginning of
Ramadan, and will celebrate the
anniversary of its first year—based
on the Islamic calendar—at the
beginning of Ramadan on November
11. The center is dedicated to scholarship
and to educating Muslims
and non-Muslims alike about Islam.
Giving thanks
The first chapter of the Qur’an tells
us to praise and give thanks to God.
Why? Because he gives us everything.
He gives us our bodies. He
gives us vision. He gives us the air
we breathe. He gives us life. He gives
us the ability to know right from
wrong.
If I ask you for your help and you
help me, I say ‘thank you’ and you
feel good. When I thank you, I also
thank our creator for giving you the
opportunity to help me. So thanks
always go back to the creator. He
uses you as a tool to help me. “The
n Imam Ahmed Lamptey
Ahmed Lamptey is the Deputy Imam
at the Islamic Research and
Humanitarian Services Center of
America located in Capitol Heights,
Maryland. An Imam is an individual
learned in Islam who has memorized
the Qur’an (which contains Allah’s
revelations to his messenger, the
Prophet Muhammad) and the
Sunnah (which relates the traditions
and practices of Muhammad. An
Imam follows these traditions,
teaches, leads in prayer, and counsels
the Islamic community.
Born and raised in Ghana, West
Africa, Lamptey is the son of the first
Muslim in a family of eight mostly
Christian brothers and sisters. “One
of [his] aunties” he recalls, however,
“was the chief priestess of the idol
worshippers.” It was a close-knit lo ving
family, living together with
mutual respect.
Although Lamptey was raised a
Muslim, by the time he reached
high school he had developed an
interest in studying other religions.
This interest continued through coleach
other.” Knowing and understanding
“makes us better people.”
We don’t have to close our eyes to
the fact that there are some bad people.
But we need to meet everyone
with an open mind. We need to give
ourselves the opportunity to know
and learn from others, to bring out
their goodness and let them bring
out the goodness in ourselves.
“We all have been created human
beings… the highest form of beast. A
human being can go to the forest
and tame a wild animal and put that
wild animal in a cage. He can tame a
tiger and bring the tiger home. He
can tame a lion and bring the lion
home. But no lion can tame a
human being.
“So, as human beings, we’ve been
given this highest form of understanding,
of consciousness. If we use
it very well, whether Muslim or
Christian or Jew, if we use our consciousness
that our creator has given
us for the sake and the benefit of
mankind, we’ll go far and we’ll live
in peace and happiness.”
n Rabbi Daniel G. Zemel
Daniel Zemel grew up in Chicago,
leaving to study at Brown University
where he majored in both math and
religion. It was while at Brown that
he knew he wanted to be a Rabbi.
He went on to Hebrew Union
College and was ordained in 1979.
For the next four years he ser ved at
Temple Israel in Minneapolis and in
1983 he came to Washington and to
Temple Micah.
Temple Micah was founded in
1963. Their current building on
Wisconsin Avenue, NW was dedicated
in 1995. Rabbi Zemel warmed to
Temple Micah because of the “religious
commitment of the people,
their open-mindedness, and their
commitment to liberal religion.”
The Meaning of Thanks
“Every morning when a Jew wakes
up he recites a Hebrew prayer” that
essentially means “Thank you God
for letting me be alive, for letting me
be a part of this world. We all participate
in the miracle of life. We’re
reminded to be grateful for that.”
good that you do in life shows your
gratefulness and your thanks and
your appreciation to your creator.”
Islam and thanks
There are five pillars to Islam, one of
which is Zakat, which means charity.
Allah requires the well-to-do to
give to the poor. By giving to the
poor, the well-off are thanking God
for their good lives. The poor, in
turn, give thanks to Allah for the
benefits of Zakat. This is not the only
time we give thanks—Islam requires
us to give thanks to Allah, and to
one another, every day.
The Horrors of
September 11
This was a “satanic act.” If there is a
lesson to be learned from it, it’s that
we mustn’t take anything for granted.
We need to be more thankful for
what we receive every day, for life
itself. We need to appreciate one
another, to forgive one another, and
to show more kindness.
Thanks and forgiveness
Forgiveness is a very important concept
in Islam. It is the responsibility
of any wrongdoer to admit his transgression,
apologize, and ask forgiveness
of his victim. The wrongdoer
then may go to Allah to seek “genuine”
forgiveness. Allah grants forgiveness
and mercy only if the supplicant
has asked forgiveness of his
victim and promises not to do it —
whatever the transgression — again.
Optimism
We need only look to our creator.
He is forgiving, peaceful, loving. He
has given us the ability to do good
and to enjoy life. He has given us
the ability to do what is right, to
right our wrongs, and to triumph
over diversity. We can forgive, and
we can be forgiven.
Final thoughts
Islam means peace and is derived
from the same root as shalom,
salaam and Jerusalem (the city of
peace). “We need to live in harmony,
in peace. We need to understand
thanks
BY TOM HAMI LT O N On September 11, 2001,
America’s faith in her
inviolability was shattered.
Since then area clerics
have been in high crisis mode,
ministering to peoples’ shaken sense of security as
they try to make sense of the senseless. But surprisingly
(or maybe not) what has not been shaken is the
foundation of faith. The act of terrorism has, in fact,
helped to bring people together to find answers and
learn to lean on each other as they move out of the
darkness.
The Voice asked three local religious leaders shared
their thoughts and expeiences on the month past
and give us some insight on where we go from here.
www.voiceofthehill.com 15
The idea of thanks is related to the
traditional Jewish notion of ownership.
There is no word for “own” in
Hebrew. Judaism teaches that everything
actually belongs to God,
including our lives. We thank God
every morning for returning our
lives to us.
The congregation at the end of the
worship service often sings the
Jewish prayer, “Master of the
Universe.” The last line reads, “Into
his hand I give my spirit, when I’m
asleep and when I’m awake also.
And with my spirit, my body also.
But God is with me, I will not fear.”
Judaism teaches that we are living in
God’s presence every minute of our
lives. “The way we respond to that is
by saying ‘thank you’.”
Thanks through aJewish
Filter
“Judaism gives me the gift of knowing
that I’m not a subordinate
being… My relationship with God is
one of partnership. It ’s not master
and slave… I’ve got a partner in com -
pleting the work of creation.”
Judaism provides us with “this
incredible dignity to approach God
as a partner.”
There is a wonderful Hasidic belief
that you should always keep two
scraps of paper, one in each pocket.
On the first scrap should be written,
“I’m created of dust and ashes.” On
the other scrap should be written,
“For my sake was the world created.”
On one hand you express gratitude
for your life, which is made from
nothing. On the other hand you are
blessed with tremendous dignity,
worth and affirmation.
September 11, 2001
“What makes this country great are
really sacred ideas… The Declaration
[of Independence] affirms the
human rights of ‘life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness.’” Life is our
very existence. Liberty is the pivotal
story of the Jewish people. We worship
a God who led us from Egypt
and from slavery. God wants all people
to live in freedom. What the
founders meant by happiness is
what Jews mean by holiness.
“Holiness is that which is sacred,
which gives our lives purpose and
meaning.” Those are the things
worth dying for. When we see
young men and women carrying
their duffel bags and going off to
battle, it’s not for a building, it’s for
these sacred values on which this
civilization rests.
Thanks and Forgiveness
“The root, it seems to me, for both
thanks and forgiveness is the recognition
that every single… human
being in the world is also a reflection
of God’s image.”
Optimism and Hope
“Optimism is based on empirical evidence
that something is going to
turn out okay… Hope draws on the
strength and inspiration of something
simply being right.” You don’t
know how it’s going to turn out.
You’re committed because it’s the
right thing to do. The national
anthem of Israel is “The Hope.”
Hope provides the strength of being
part of a long tradition of striving.
You don’t know the outcome in the
short term, and in the long term the
outcome can only be determined by
God.
Final Thoughts
There exists a an inextricable link
between thanks and the nature of
prayer. Prayer is of two types, praise
and thanks. We praise God and we
thank Him. This duality extends
from our relationship to God to our
relations to one another. People love
to be made to feel good. We help
someone feel good about himself by
praising him. This is turn elicits
thanks. Praise and thanks toge ther
make us whole.
n Pastor Wanda McNeill
Wanda McNeill grew up on a farm in
Iowa and knew early on that she
wanted to work with the poor.
Graduating from high school in
1962 , years before the Lutheran
church recognized the ordination
women, she became a nurse and
went to North Carolina as a Vista
volunteer. She stayed in North
Carolina as a public health worker
for fourteen years, and became
involved in establishing a small
Lutheran church. Discovering how
comfortable she was with the litur -
gy, preaching, leading prayer, her
interest in the ministry was rekindled.
She became the pastor at the
Lutheran Church of the
Reformation in 1990, lured by the
church’s long tradition of outreach
and community service. While the
church hosts concerts, readings and
chorales, a large part of its ministry
consists of programs to benefit the
poorest of our citizens.
Thanks
We need to live with an “attitude of
gratitude,” for the air we breathe, for
the life we live. We didn’t choose to
be here. We didn’t choose when we
came here and we can’t choose
where we’re going. With that in
mind, we look at life with a much
more grateful point of view.
September 11th
We can think of the disaster that
occurred on September 11th as a
Good Friday event that will have an
Easter morning result. We can’t be
thankful that it happened, but we
can be grateful to God that God’s
spirit has seen us through it.
Gratitude covers so many aspects
of our lives. After that event, how
many of us relearned how much we
appreciated our homes, our friends,
our families? Gratitude has a dep th
that says we don’t need material
goods, that we have life itself.
Thanks and Christianity
“I came here screaming and red and
I will leave cold and dead.” We as
Christians see our lives on loan.
God gives us life and takes it away.
We are stewards of all that we have.
We cannot take it with us. The tree
in front of this building, that we can
see from this window, is not ours,
but its beauty is ours to enjoy—at
least for now.
Thanks and Forgiveness
Forgiveness can be seen as an inte -
gral part of thanks, in a way. No one
is perfect. Even those for whom we
are most thankful –- perhaps especially
they —- may grate on us. But
we thank them for what and whom
they are, and in so doing we forgive
them.
Optimism
T h e re is more reason for opt i m i s m
than for any thing else, if we believe
in the reign of the kingdom of God,
of the wo rld of peace and love and of
fo r g i veness. Someone said of th e
N ew Yo rk firemen, “Their lives we re
n ot ta ken. Their lives we re give n .”
H ow can we not be grateful? And
when we are grateful, it is easy to give .
“If you believe, in the end, God is
going to win even if evil keeps pecking
away at life, if you believe that
God is in control, then sure there’s
room for optimism.
“I guess I would use the word
hope.” It goes back to the Easter
morning resurrection. Something
right will come out of this that we
cannot perceive.
Last Word
An “attitude of gratitude” and generosity
is good for our health. The
more we are going out instead of
coming in, the better it is for us.
Generous people live longer and
happier lives. Yes, there are some
old scrooges around, but for the
most part it is better for us as human
beings to live lives of gratitude and
generosity, two traits which are inextricably
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The story starts in early 1999 a few
months before Jefferies enters the
picture. The District of Columbia, in
an effort to raise money, began to
sell off several old school buildings
that were not in use. The Giddings
School at 3rd and G Street, SE, was
one of those offered for sale. The
City had been using it as a central
records depository for the public
schools. Hill residents Winfield
Sealander, Wendy Lawrence, and
David McDonough thought the
location would make for a much
needed gym and community center.
“We thought it would be per fect
for a community-oriented project
that would combine a health club
and an art center,” said Sealander, a
real-estate investor on Capitol Hill.
They began by raising support within
the community—promising that
the space would be shared use
between various community groups,
schools and the owners. That vision
would go unfulfilled.
At the same time the Christian
Fellowship Hope Center also had an
eye on the property for use as an outreach
program that would include a
soup kitchen for the needy. The
public debate began. What would
best serve the community, a soup
kitchen run by outsiders, or a fitness
center that served the community
and owned by people who lived on
the Hill? It was clear that the community’s
loudest voices did not want
a soup kitchen.
Meanwhile, Jefferies was looking
to open a second fitness center in
Washington, D.C. His first location
that opened in 1996 on U Street,
NW, was a tremendous success and
he had his eyes on Capitol Hill. But
when Jefferies heard that someone
had plans to open a center at the
Giddings School he gave up on the
Hill and began to look elsewhere.
The group, led by Sealander, was
one of several to put in a bid on the
property. After several rounds of bid-
R E S U LT S
…the whole sto ry
BY MARK SEGRAV E S
After months of delays, Results the Gym has finally opened on
Capitol Hill. There are still construction crews working,wet-paint
signs are as common as sign-up sheets for yoga,and some of the
amenities have yet to arrive, but open it is.And not a minute too
soon for its more than 2,000 members and especially for its owner,
Doug Jefferies.
The road to the opening was paved with disaster,disappointments,
frustration,and anger.As rumors flew throughout the community
about when the gym would open,worries that the gym
would never open haunted the owner.
What took so long? What does it take to open a business this size
on Capitol Hill.What goes into starting the biggest new business in
our neighborhood in years? How do you take a deteriorating school
building in the Historic District and turn it into a world-class training
facility? For the answers to these questions we asked Jefferies
to walk us through the project.
www.voiceofthehill.com 17
ding the City accepted a $1.8 million
bid from Sealander even though it
was not as much as the church had
offered. “We were the highest bid
that would continue to generate revenue
for the city through taxes,” said
Sealander. Now all they had to do
was raise the money.
They also needed someone to run
the gym. So Lawerence, who had
worked with Jefferies several years
earlier at The Washington Sports
Club, contacted Jefferies and offered
to lease the school to him. “We had
always planned on bringing in a user
to run the health club. Doug was the
only one who showed any interest in
the community aspects of the deal,”
said Sealander. The facility has
already played host to several community
events.
Jefferies didn’t hesitate. In May of
1999, he signed a letter-of-intent for
a 25-year lease at $12 a square foot
with a standard cost-of-living
increase built in. By October of 1999
the Sealander group was still having
trouble raising the $1.8 million and
time was running out—if they didn ’t
raise the money soon they would
lose the school to the church. “We
thought it would be a grand idea for
the community to own the property”
says Sealander. “We had commitments
for somewhere between
$550,000 and $700,000 from the
community, but it was clear that we
were not going to be able to raise all
the money in the timeframe the city
gave us.”
Sealander approached Forbes
Ramsey and Cwi Steinman, who had
owned the Sports and Health Club
chain in Washington, to join them
as partners. Ramsey and Stienman
agreed to put up the $1.8 million
dollars. Using the school as collateral
the money was borrowed from a
local bank, National Capital Bank.
George Didden, the bank’s CEO, was
happy to make the loan, “It means a
lot to our community, especially
given what the location might have
been,” said Didden. “It was not an
easy project. From day one it was a
real community effort.” The project
was back on track. However the new
partners wanted to renegotiate the
lease with Jefferies. Instead of the
yearly cost of living increase to the
$12 per square foot, they wanted the
lease to increase by $1 per square
foot each year. Jefferies agreed.
Now that the sale of the building
was secured, Jefferies had to raise the
money he would need to start the
renovations and buy equipment. His
original business plan estimated his
costs at $3.7 million. That number
would soon begin to grow. He
approached the original g roup of
investors from his gym on U Street
and 13 of the 14 signed on for a total
of $900,000, a number that would
grow to $1.2 million. Another $1
million came from a Small Business
Administration loan.
The project was finally underway,
but soon things began to unravel.
“Everything that could have gone
wrong—did,” said Jefferies. The original
investors had planned to gut the
building and start from scratch, but
Jefferies, upon touring the school
decided to restore rather than
destroy. He was advised that he
could get a historical tax credit of 20
percent of construction costs if he
went the restoration route.
“It was the worst advice I’ve ever
gotten,” he said. “I ended up spending
$450,000 chasing a $750,000
credit.” Jefferies hired Kim Prothro
Williams, an architectural historian,
to help with the renovations. “Doug
wanted to respect the original use of
the building,” said Williams, “He
really retained a large percentage of
the original fabric of the building.”
Jefferies spent $350,000 replacing
all the windows in the school with
historical replicas. Another $100,000
went into redesigns. The D.C.
Historic Preservation Review Board
wrote him a letter to tell him he was
95 percent in compliance with what
he needed for the tax credit, but
when Jefferies appeared before the
National Historic Preservation
Review Board—that has final say on
tax credits—he was told he was no
where near compliance with the
Secretary of Interior Standards.
Even looking back on it now
Jefferies gets frustrated. “How dare
they have me spend months chasing
this tax credit and spending hun -
dreds of thousands of dollars and
the local board has no idea of what
the National board wants,” Jefferies
said. “It really felt like the end of the
world for me.” It wouldn’t be the last
time Jefferies would feel this way as
he worked to open the gym.
By now Jefferies knew that the
original estimate of $3.7 million was
not going to be enough. The owners
of the property, Ramsey and
Steinman, agreed to let Jefferies use
the school as collateral for another
loan. But how do you borrow money
on a property that is already being
used as collateral for the first loan? “I
had the property appraised,” said
Jefferies with a smile. “It appraised at
$6.5 million—needless to say the
owners were very happy to hear
that.”
Jefferies took the appraisal to several
banks. including National
Capital Bank who had made the
original loan. “Everybody told me
no,” said Jefferies. “But then Todd
Brantley at First Union literally took
my application out of a trash can.”
First Union was among the banks
that had turned him down but
Brantley, an assistant Vice President
at First Union saw an opportunity, “I
believed in Doug based on the history
of the U Street gym and the demographics
of Capitol Hill,” Brantley
said. “Capitol Hill is a tremendous
market.” Brantley said. “ Above all
others, Todd really made this place a
reality” says Jefferies.
By now it was costing Jefferies
$40,000 to $80,000 for every month
that he was not open. Jefferies took
advantage of a Department of
Consumer and Regulatory Affairs
service that allows a business to pay
$300 to have all the building inspectors
meet with you at once. After the
meeting Jefferies was told that he
would have all of his building permits
within four months. Four
months came and went and the only
permits issued were for demolition—
there were no building permits. It
wasn’t until February of 2001 that
those would be issued.
Carl Mahamy, the general contractor
who oversaw the project, said he
found the building in poor condi -
tion. “It was in pretty rough condition,
not from vandals just from neglect”
Mahamy said, “the city had jus t
had just stopped taking care of it. A
lot of time and money had to go into
asbestos abatement, somebody had
turned off the water so the pipes had
frozen.” Mahamy said he found
working with the District govern-
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The next day a Pepco crew was at the
location with orders not to leave
until the job was finished. Four days
later—the power was on.
This was not the end of the surprises
that would slow the project.
An underground oil storage tank
that was left out of the original plans
was discovered and had to be
removed at a cost of $10,000. There
were no legal curb cuts for the driveways,
so three had to be built at a
cost of $10,000 each. The gas company
mistakenly cut the Pepco line
while installing the gas lines causing
more delays. Both Pepco and DCRA
lost the only copies of plans and that
would add to more delays. And just
three weeks prior to opening, two of
Jefferies top employees, who had
both been with him for more than
five years left to open their own fit -
ness center.
By now the original estimate of
$3.7 million was out the window
and the final cost had risen to $5.2
million. To ease the pain of the
growing costs, Jefferies switched
from buying equipment and furniture
to leasing everything. But
Jefferies needed to start billing his
members to raise more money. There
was another problem. Since the club
private parties • celebrations • special events
2 Quail 2 Quail
ment to be not as difficult as he
feared. “Once you got to the right
person the D.C. government really
tried to help, the problem is there is
no real road map. We got a lot of
help from Ambrose’s office.”
Sealander shared this sentiment,
“I’ve been involved in a lot of projects
in this city, the city could not
have been more supportive of this
one.”
Just as construction was beginning
the city threw another curve ball at
the project. Construction on the
Southwest Freeway on-ramp at 3rd
Street claimed 240 linear feet from
what was to be the parking lot. “We
lost 15 parking spaces just like that,”
Jefferies says with a sigh. “They
claimed they had an easement right
to the property.” Ramsey and
Steinman sued the city. Another four
months would be lost and countless
thousands of dollars in legal expenses
spent.
At the same time Jefferies was trying
to get his permits to build the
swimming pool on the west end of
his property. Or what he thought
was his property. It turns out that 15
feet of the parking lot that runs parallel
to 3rd Street was not part of the
sale and still belonged to the city. It
was decided that the law suit could
be settled by swapping the land the
City took away for the freeway for
the land along 3rd Street.
Just as Jefferies and the city were
about to ink the deal, the city determined
that the land along 3rd Street
belonged to the Federal Government.
The land swap was put on
hold.
“The Director of the Department
of Public Works assured me that this
could be straightened out in two
weeks—that was eight weeks ago,”
Jefferies says. Still, all parties ag ree
that at some point permits will be
issued for construction of the pool.
And more trouble was still on the
horizon. Jefferies had applied in
October of 2000 for new electrical
service but as of August of 2001, the
utilities still had not been set up.
Contractors were forced to use the
existing service, which was very lim -
ited.
“Pepco got here on the last possible
day to install the new lines, but it
wasn’t just Pepco that caused
delays,” says Mahamy. “It was everything.”
Jefferies decided to enlist the ser vice
of City Council member Sharon
Ambrose. “It took some screaming
but her office finally came through,”
Jefferies says. “Ambrose put Skip
Colburn on the project and he followed
it through to the end. I can’t
thank him enough.”
By this time Mayor Anthony A.
Williams had imposed a moratorium
on any street construction and it was
unlikely that the city would be will -
ing to tear up the newly paved street
in front of the school to install the
new power and gas lines. “With
manhole covers exploding in
Georgetown, we were a low priority
for Pepco” Jefferies says.
So Jefferies, feeling that his fitness
center may not become a reality and
the cost of being closed climbing as
high as $100,000 a month, was desperate
to get help from the city.
Jefferies had only $8,000 left and
needed to open the gym. “I knew if I
did not open in September I would
lose everything,” Jefferies admits.
He took $500 out of his account and
bought a ticket for a fundraising
cruise being attended by Mayor
Williams. “As soon as the boat lef t
the dock I cornered the Mayor,”
Jefferies says. “ I told him that if he
didn’t help me I was going to lose
my business and 2,000 members
were going to be very disappointed.”
www.voiceofthehill.com 19
didn’t open on the first of the
month Jefferies would have to wait
until the fifteenth of the month to
bill, because the software used in his
billing could only bill on the first or
fifteenth. More than 2,000 members
had to be billed by hand.
On August 31, four inspectors
from the city arrived to inspect the
location. They had orders form the
Mayor to issue a certificate of occupancy
that day as long as there were
no life-threatening violations. The
permits were issued and the club
could open.
That day was September 10, 2001.
Two years and four months after
signing the first letter-of-intent to
lease the property, Results opened to
a waiting membership. With more
than 80 employees, many of whom
live on the Hill including Jefferies,
the club has been met with rave
reviews.
Though construction continues,
Jefferies is happy to be up and running.
The café is set to open this fall
and members will soon be able to
view not only their favorite television
programs on the countless
screens throughout the building,
including a wall of monitors outside
the cafe, but they will have the
option to watch the gym through
numerous closed circuit TV cameras
in the facility. This means you’ll be
able to workout on the third floor
and watch your kids in the child care
center on the first floor.
Even with the club open Jefferies
has little free time. It is impossible
for him to walk through the gym
during operating hours without
being approached by members or
employees, so he finds his most productive
hours are spent in the gym
after it is closed. “ I get out of here
about 6 am and I’m usually back in
by 10am” Jefferies says. It doesn’t
appear that his schedule will change
any time soon as he still has more
hurdles in front of him. He has had
to rethink his original floor plan to
accommodate the overwhelming
demand for yoga classes. The day spa
has yet to be finished, and the busi -
ness center is still on the dr awing
boards. When Jefferies realized that
the club had been open for a month
he summoned his director of operations
for a celebration that lasted
about 60 seconds—then it was off to
a meeting with his contractors.
Mark Segraves is a Capitol Hill resident
who is now happily working out regular -
ly at the new Results.
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The events of September 11 have cast into
s h a rp contra st the diffe rences bet we e n
C a p i tol Hill, seat of gove rnment, and
Capitol Hill, my home. On that horrible
morning, we sat in the office at the Capitol Hill Arts
Workshop huddled around two radios tuned to different
stations trying to piece together what was
going on. Then we heard the sonic boom of fighter
jets scrambling from Andrews Air Force base. I frantically
drove home past the Marine Barracks now
ringed with armed soldiers, climbed out on the roof
and wa t ched smoke rising from the burn i n g
Pentagon. This couldn’t be happening. It was one
of those days, a moment, that marks a lifetime.
The events of that day carry the weight of national
and even global impact. Living on the Hill puts
us right in the middle of it all. We are still living
under intense scrutiny from all corners of the globe
while struggling to return to some form of normalcy.
We look for ways to replace the shared ground
of tragedy with common bonds of community.
S h a red experi e n c e s — chance encounters with
friends at Eastern Market, continued volunteerism
with groups that share our goals, routine meetings
and rehearsals, a new dance class—move us away
from fear and back toward life as we once knew it.
At the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, we continue to
strive to provide those experiences for you, our
neighbors on the Hill. We keep classes running, we
support and nurture the children in our village, the
films and plays are going, art shows opening, the
chorale is preparing for holiday concerts, and we
find all kinds of ways to reach out to one another.
A good exa mple was the community sing of
G a b riel Fa u ré ’s Re q u i e m on September 23.
Hundreds came to sing or listen, longing for community
and a chance to express themselves in lan -
guage that transcends words. The Arts Workshop
was at its best that day as a catalyst for pulling people
together when needed most, proving an artistic
outlet for grief and a communal expression of hope
and healing.
In addition to moving us a little closer to each
other, the events of September 11 have also inspired
millions to contribute to relief funds. Giving has
now exceeded $1 billion and I am sure that ten
times that amount would not be enough to ease the
pains and burdens of those affe c t e d .
Unfortunately, unprecedented generosity towards
the relief effo rt combined with the we a ke n i n g
economy means that local nonprofit organizations
may be facing a serious reduction in donor support.
A recent article in the Washington Post reports that
“Nonprofit organizations have slashed budgets and
cut staff. Fundraising events, such as [the] AIDS
Walk in the District, have attracted fewer participants,
while cash-strapped groups such as Habitat
for Humanity have asked donors to expedite checks
so they can make their payroll.”
My nonprofit colleagues on the Hill and across
the city are worried. At a recent meeting at the D.C.
Commission on the Arts and Humanities, talk at
the breaks invariably strayed to “what are you projecting
for donor support?” What will happen if
donations are down, foundations have smaller
money pools due to the shrinking market and funders
donate their gifts to the September 11 funds
rather than providing support to communitynonprofit
organizations? As director of the Capitol Hill
Arts Workshop, I am concerned for the future of the
Workshop and for all of the many valuable nonprofits
on Capitol Hill that work hard to improve
the quality of life in our community. Without the
community’s continued support, none of us can
survive. With it, we can make a difference by building
hope for the future. Think about the groups
that have made a difference for you personally and
that you have supported with your time and money
in the past. What would happen if they just didn’t
exist? How would your life be affected? The need is
still there! Right here in the middle of this global
tragedy, right here in our home on the Hill.
Each of us has been forced to focus on the things
that give lives value and meaning. Think about
what that means to you. Remember the organizations
that make this community a better place in
which to live. The best demonstration of getting
back to normal is to continue to support them. On
behalf of the Capitol Hill community of nonprofit
organizations, I encourage you to continue volunteering
time and money. Together we will move
p a st the marked events of September 11 into a
future of beauty and hope.
Jeffery Watson is the Director of the Capitol Hill Arts
Workshop, 545 7th Street, SE.
20 www.voiceofthehill.com
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Tues-Fri 11-6 Sat 10-6, Sun 12-4, 202 • 546 • 3040
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Plus sizes available.
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BY JEF FERY WAT S O N
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543-0441
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547-7104
Serving Capitol Hill since 1991
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Ask Judith
H a n d y m a n
on the Hill
Masonry Brick & Stone
Concrete Brick Pointing
Carpentry Decks & Fences
Roof Repairs Painting
2 0 2 - 2 06 - 718 5
Doolittle
Guest House
506 East Capitol Stre e t
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202 546-6622
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Dear Judith:
If I wanted to change my inappropriate cross and
bible door for something more Victorian, where
would I go to get a new door?
THE WOLVES ARE AT THE DOOR
Dear Wolves:
I dropped by and we took a look at your house.
First, as you yourself confessed, your house was
built in 1908 and so is not Victorian-era either by
date or style. It is a sort of transitional Rennaisance
Revival, moving toward the classicism that was to
dominate the first four decades of the twentieth
century. (You can all recognize the house type:
canted bay, concrete steps with capped brick cheek
walls, flat stone lintels at the window heads, a tall
cornice with swag decorations…)
Your Cross-and-Bible door is clearly not original
to the house, being second half of the twentieth
century lumber yard/”Colonial” rather than first
half of the century classical. So, we wondered:
what is the appropriate door for your house?
We stepped outside and surveyed the other houses
in your row, about ten in all. We found lots of
inappropraite and non-original doors and also four
simple glass doors with hardware that looked original.
Three of the glass doors had beveled glass, reinforcing
our analysis of them as original. Through
one of the glass doors, all this research being conducted
from the sidewalk, we could see the second
door, from the airlock vestibule into the stair hall.
It was half glass. Voila! I was convinced we’d discovered
what the houses’ original doors were.
You said, what if you didn’t want glass? I suggested
that since you have a security gate at the
front door already and the front of your house faces
south and you can get a perfectly acceptable double
pane glass door at the lumberyard, you should want
glass…
After thinking about things, you called a few days
later to ask about a mail slot and even wrote me a
snail mail! You asked where to put the mail slot if
you’re not allowed to install them lower than waist
height. (I’m assuming you’re right: it sounds like a
back-saver from the U.S. Postal Service.) I advise a
mail box, being as hesitant as you about leaving the
outer door and security gate unlocked to allow
access to the second, inner door and a waist-high
mail slot. While I would certainly not advise you to
vijolate a USPS reg, if you didn’t know about it, you
could tuck one into the bottom rail of the glass door
and see what happens...
Keep us posted and join the ranks of Cross-and-
Bible door reversers!
Dear Judith:
We just bought a corner house that has what seems
like miles of chain link fence along its perimeter. I
know we should have one of those iron fences, but
the mortgage on the house is monstrous and we’re
just not ready for another mortgage for a fence.
What to do?
ALL FENCED IN
Dear Fenced:
Smoke and mirrors! I won’t mention names, but a
corner house on Capitol Hill with two sides of
chain link fence was on a recent Capitol Hill
Restoration Society House tour. How was that? The
fence is entirely covered with ivy! All you see is a
solid wall of green, summer and winter. I think
that is a wonderful camouflage solution until you
decide to take out the fence mortgage.
Another example of smoke and mirrors in the
form of ivy applied to chain link is at the corner of
Eighth and North Carolina, SE.
Dear Judith:
We ’re enth u s i a stic do-it-yo u rs e l fe rs but wo rry
about stumbling over asbestos in our home. Where
would it be most likely to be lurking?
H E R C U L E
Dear Hercule:
In its heyday, asbestos was used in a dizzying variety
of products, obvious and not. One of the most
d e s i rable ch a ra c t e ri stics of asbestos was its fire -
resistance so it was long used in spray-on fireproofing,
in fireplaces, in electrical installations, and for
pipe insulation. The fiber was also extensively used
w i th concrete to fo rm the ubiqu i tous cement
asbestos siding, with vinyl to form vinyl asbestos
floor tile, in some acoustical ceiling tiles and sprayon
acoustical finishes. Rarely, we have found it in
plaster.
Most of the asbestos found in the above materials
is solidly part of its assembly.
Asbestos only becomes a problem when it is friable:
in other words, when bits of it flake off or out
of where it is intended to be and float about in the
air where they can be breathed. This can happen
when that asbestos-containing pipe insulation is
bumped and begins disintegrating. It can happen
when you drill holes through your vinyl asbestos
floor tile making asbestos-laden dust. We have
even seen a case of asbestos fibers flaking off
22 www.voiceofthehill.com
cement-asbestos siding, although that stuff is usually
extremely stable.
How bad is it? In no way will I tell you asbestos is
not a health hazard. However, let’s put it in perspective.
Some of the people who got asbestosis,
not a pretty lung disease, were workers in mines and
factories where the air was fogged with asbestos
fibers. After thirty years of exposure, some of them
came down with asbestosis. Do I want asbestos in
my house? Not particularly. But, if it is not friable,
am I going to lie awake nights worrying? No.
Asbestosis, in my way of thinking, is like West Nile
fever, or Lyme disease. It’s real and some people are
going to die of it. But, you can take some simple
precautions and reduce your risk a lot or you can
pull up the covers and huddle in bed, which is actually
sounding better to me all the time, though for
other reasons…
However, a lot of construction activity does disturb
asbestos, turning it from non-friable to friable.
If you are at all suspicious, take a sample of the
material, a bit of floor tile, a corner of that ceiling
tile, some of that pipe insulation. Put it in a zip-lock
bag and send it to an environmental lab for testing.
Then, if it tests positive, you will have to decide how
you want to deal with it.
There are two ways to deal with asbestos in your
e nv i ro n m e n t: encapsulation or abatement.
Encapsulation is when you seal the asbestos in
place. Abatement is when the asbestos is removed
under EPA and OSHA regulations. If it is serious
asbestos, you should probably consult your environmental
lab about recommendations.
Whatever you do, though, as you pursue projects
in your house, I strongly recommend that you wear
a filter mask (not the paper kind: go get one of the
serious ones with the changeable filters). If you
i n stall P100 filters th ey will exclude part i c u l a t e
matter from your lungs, including lead dust and
asbestos fibers. If your house is older than 1976, it
c e rta i n ly has lead containing paint, wheth e r
there’s any asbestos there or not.
Besides protecting your IQ and the IQ of your
u n b o rn ch i l d ren, the masks provide wo n d e rf u l
opportunities to breathe like Darth Vader so you
can write them off under “entertainment.”
Dezar Judith:
As she moves from room to room, my wife (who
does not pay the bills), never turns off anything.
Even though she doesn’t act on it, she does understand
that she should turn off the lights, the TV,
the radio and whathaveyou when she is not in the
room. But, she insists that she should leave the ceiling
fans on whether she is in the room or not. I say,
them and everything else off. Which one of us is
right?
K I L O WAT T KOUNTER
Dear Kilo:
You are, on all counts.
The lights and so forth are self-evident; the ceiling
fans perhaps less so. But, I still advise turning
them off when you’re not in the room to save energy.
Here’s why:
Ceiling fans enhance comfo rt by creating air
movement. I can’t remember the exact numbers,
but a few feet per second of air movement is equal
to a couple of degrees of temperature in comfort.
Thus, even though it might be 80 degrees, with a
little breeze or a ceiling fan you can be quite comfortable
even though the temperature is above the
thermal comfort range. That’s why 80 degrees
under a palm tree in the tropics with a nice breeze
off the water, with or without the Pina Colada, is
thermally delightful. The important thing here is
comfort. Comfort is about people. The room doesn’t
care. The ceiling fan is about comfort, therefore
it is irrelevant if there are no people in the room.
So, turn it off.
Judith Capen, AIA, practicing restoration architect, is
the author of many of the Capitol Hill Restoration
Society’s award-winning guidelines for work on Capitol
Hill homes.
Christ Church, an Episcopal
Church on Capitol Hill since 1794
invites you to join our education,
fellowship, and worship this fall.
All are welcome.
Sunday worship at 8:15 am (shorter,
said service) and 11:00 am (with
music). Children’s Sunday School
at 11:00 am / Child care provided
for both services
Traditional and contemporary
music
Sunday Adult Forum at 9:45am
“God and the Market Economy”
Fall Adult Class on Monday nights,
7:00 pm, “Ethics and Faith”
Fall Art and Music Gala,
September 29!
Integrity includes Christ Church as a welcoming
parish.
COME WORSHIP
WITH US THIS FALL—
Historic building,
Modern worship,
Anglican tradition
Christ Church in 1918
For more information, call
Christ Church at
(202) 547-9300
or visit our web page:
www.washingtonparish.org
Christ Church is located at
620 G. St., SE
accessible from the Eastern
Market Metro.
The Rev. Dr. Judith A. Davis, Rector
C H R I S T C H U R C H
www.voiceofthehill.com 23
Designing for Hearth and Home
BY L INDA NORT O N November in Washington brings crisp,
golden days, apple picking, fo ot b a l l
games (okay, maybe this year we’ll concentrate
on hockey and basketball), and
l e aves to ra ke even in Capitol Hill’s
pocket gardens. A walk around the neighborhood
finds the air is filled with the familiar smell of
s m o ke from our neighbors’ ch i m n eys which
reminds us that soon our Sunday naps will be interrupted
by the insistent knock of roving firewood
salesmen. East e rn Market is filled with apples,
pumpkins, and gourds. Our pantries are stocked
with caches of Halloween candy.
Fewer daylight hours and the end of Daylight
Savings Time mean that much of our “at home”
time falls either before dawn or after the sun sets.
S u ch short days can often prove gl o o my and
d e p ress the spirit, but th e re are some simp l e
changes you can make right now that will make
your own life and that of your family more comfortable.
As all of us deal with these unsettled times
we could really use a little extra TLC.
First, take a good look around your home. See
some things that are looking a little tired and neglected?
Now is the time to make some changes. And
they can be small changes—it doesn’t mean that
you need to get rid of everything that you own, or
l a u n ch a major re d e c o rating campaign. It does
mean doing what is needed to insure that you, and
those that you live with, have a place at home in
which you can feel as stress free as possible as we
head into the winter days ahead.
Take Comfort in the Familiar
Color, like music, is a memory trigger. When asked,
most people have a favorite color or combination of
colors, and whether they are aware of it or not,
these colors probably evoke pleasant memories of a
cherished room, occasion, or even a article of clothing.
Obviously, color preferences will vary. Warm
tones such as cream, yellow, and earth tones (yes,
they’re BACK), give a room that cozy glow that we
associate with a fire in the fireplace, or a walk in the
woods on a beautiful autumn aft e rnoon. Cool
tones (blues, greens, lave n d e rs) have a sere n e ,
calming effect: picture floating in a beautiful sky or
lagoon. Even if simple off-white walls are your preference,
or you want to keep your existing colors,
consider painting especially if you haven’t painted
the room for five years. Paint is generally the easiest
and least expensive way to brighten a room. City air
is dirtier than you might think and your walls and
trim absorb a great deal of soot. You’ll be surprised
what a difference a fresh coat of paint can make,
both in the room and in your spirits.
Sensory Perception
Good smells, like color can evoke all sorts of good
feelings. Find that slow cooker that you haven’t
used for a while and pour in some apple cider, fresh
from Eastern Market. Add some whole cloves, two
or three cinnamon sticks, and a slice or two of
orange or lemon, then turn it to low. Within minutes,
your house will fill with the fragrance of
autumn. The brew tastes great, too, with or without
a splash of rum and a pat of butter. Baking has a
similar effect. When was the last time that you
baked cookies, or bread? All right, all right I know
everyone is very busy—but plain cider, slice-andbake
cookies and bread from a bread machine produce
the same mouth watering response without
all the work.
Invest in Comfort
If you do not already have a favorite chair or other
place for relaxation, this is a good time to invest in
one. Pe rhaps yo u’ve always wanted a “family ”
chair, or chair and a half, where you, your spouse,
the kids and the dog can read stories or watch the
tube together. If your passion is reading, invest in
an excellent reading light. And while you’re thinking
about light, evaluate your rooms for ambient,
or general, light. If a ceiling fixture is the only light
in the room, adding lamps, wall sconces, or floor
lamps will make a significant improvement in the
overall look of the room. Increasing the wattage of
bulbs in lamps, or installing three-way bulbs where
appropriate are easy ways to achieve a more upbeat
atmosphere. If you don’t want bright light all of the
time, dimmers can easily be installed on wa l l
s w i t ches or on individual lamps. Full spectru m
light bulbs and warm fluorescent bulbs which are
now widely available have been shown to fight sea-
Safe at Home
re d e c o r a t i o n … u s i n g
what you already have!
wendy wigtil
1 1 1 seventh street, s.e.
washington, dc 20003
(202) 546-4532
Piano Le s s on s
A G E S 4 - A D U L T
Beginning Intermediate
Advanced Improvisation
Music for private parties,weddings
and social functions
KeithWashington
2 0 2 - 2 8 5 - 1 3 9 6
24 www.voiceofthehill.com
entertainment, they just want to be together with
those who are important to them. In fact, they’d
probably like to get together, even if you haven’t
repainted or cleaned the windows. Don’t stand on
ceremony; make up a pot of soup and get everyone
together.
Take Comfort in the Outdoors
Cool weather is here, and even if fall is not your
favorite season, bundle up, get out of the house and
go for a walk. We live in one of the most beautiful
cities in the wo rl d — p e rhaps East e rn Market ,
Barracks Row, Pennsylvania Avenue and the many
bright spots on Capitol Hill will charge your batteries.
Hit Rock Creek Park and ake the gang. Play frisbee
or touch football. Pack provisions, whittle some
sticks, and cook hot dogs over an open fire (be sure
to check the rules on fires). See if your S’mores can
beat those at XandO. A little physical activity will
lift your spirits even if you are a confirmed couch
potato.
The current tourism slump has a silver lining for
those of us who live in among the monuments and
museums. The crowds are gone for now, which
means we can head out for a day of catching up on
exhibits, do some holiday shopping and even find a
place to park. Encourage friends from out of town
to visit and house them in the luxury of one of
Capitol Hill’s B&Bs.
Give yourself the gift of designing a winter season
in which you appreciate and enjoy your surroundings,
enrich your spirit, and live well with
your frineds, family and neighbors. Take comfort in
something that you do during the course of each
day.
Linda Norton is a professional interior designer who
has lived on Capitol Hill for 25 years. She can be
reached at 202-544-2924.
sonal depression. Extra wattage costs very little and
makes a big difference on a cold winter afternoon.
Take Comfort in the New
Everyone needs to get some sleep. (I’m serious.) If
you are tossing and turning and your mattress set is
more than fifteen years old, go shopping for a new
one. A good mattress is not a luxury—your health
and mental well being are challenged if you are not
supported correctly when you sleep, and besides,
we’re talking comfort here!
The same goes for your pillow. If you don’t
already have a favorite pillow, treat yourself to one.
New pillows or a shearling mattress cover, paired
with soft cotton or flannel sheets,will help you get
a great night’s sleep. All of this comes with the
warning that it will be even more difficult to make
any progress on reading your book before you nod
off, or to hop out of bed onto that cold winter floor.
Light and ar t
Take the time to wash your windows inside and out,
or help out the economy and hire someone to do
the job. Your worlds will immediately look better.
While the windows are being cleaned, wash your
curtains, or have your drapes professionally dry
cleaned.
Then give yourself something new to look at.
This fall might be a good time to invest in artwork—
paintings, sculpt u re, or photo gra p h s — f rom th e
many artists on Capitol Hill. If you already have
more art than you have walls, hang something new,
or display your art in a new place in the house.
Take Comfort in Family and Friends
Once the walls are painted and the windows
cleaned, and the hot cider and bread and cookies
are ready, invite your neighbors over for a potluck
dinner. Right now people aren’t looking for lavish
You heard it here first
If you logged onto www. vo i c e o fthehill.com eve ryday you would have known about these issues
b e fo re you read it in The Washington Po stor saw it on the eve n i ng news.
• National Airp o rt re o p e n s .
• M a rine Corps Marathon Course Change
• Ca p p e r / Ca rro l l s b u rg Hope VI Awa rd
• Ca p i tol Hill Stre et Closings
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www.voiceofthehill.com 25
The Business Beat
BY SCOTT SHUMAKER
For most residents of Capitol Hill, the Eastern Market
and Seventh Street are a given...part of a daily routine
that we no longer notice. The Voice asked writer Scott
S h u m a ker (who doesn’t live in the neightborh o o d
although he’s a frequent visitor) to take a fresh look at
what’s been going on in that busy two blocks from North
Carolina to Pennsylvania Avenue.
Scott moved to DC from rural Western Pennsylvania
in mid-2000 and makes numerous trips from Dupont
Circle to the Hill for rehearsals with St. Mark’s Players,
jazz at Mr. Henry’s and shopping at Eastern Market. A
fo rmer weekly newspaper editor from one of those
“Norman Rockwell” towns, he finds the feel of Capitol
Hill and its small, personalized business the closest
thing to home he’s found in Washington.
For newcomers to any big town one of the
first noticeable aspects of city life is the
wide variety of shops and restaurants within
walking distance of almost any neighborhood.
With those weekly trips to the
mall becoming unnecessary, one quickly adjusts to
finding just about anything within a few blocks of
home. The shops along Seventh Street i Capitol Hill
are a case in point. These shops call to mind the
Main Street of a quiet small town—where good conversation
and good service are not only welcomed,
they’re a part of the sale. Take, for example, a recent
exchange at one such place:
“Isn’t that the most beautiful color?”
“Oh, it really is. I just love it.”
“We got that shipment in on Thursday, and I’m
sure we’ll be sold out of them by Tuesday. You’re
going to look great in that.”
The item being discussed, a coral-red sweater purchased
at Forecast, 218 Seventh Street on Capitol
Hill, is just one of many such “fits” one finds in this
area across from Eastern Market. It’s almost as if
every store were tailored to the street itself—a street
w h e re sto re f ronts genera l ly complement each
other; where we e kend visito rs and Hill re g u l a rs
come together seamlessly; and where the owners
and operators themselves have as much (or more)
character as their inventories.
Debbie Danielson, owner of Forecast, says it’s the
air of excellence that makes Seventh Street a great
place in which to operate her business. And it’s
e xcellence mixed with ch a racter that makes it
unique. “We all do it our own way,” she says, talking
about her fellow merchants. “We all have distinct
personalities. In a way, it’s an old-fashioned
Main Street. It’s filled with classy, kind, educated
people of the world.
“I tell everyone we have the best flowers in the
city,” she adds. “We have the best produce, we have
wonderful little restaurants.” And Seventh Street is
filled with diversity, as well. “I love to see some of
the more ‘antiseptic’ types come here and mix with
just a variety of people. You can see them become
more relaxed.”
Debbie, who’s been on the block since 1978, took
over the lower level of her building in August, more
than doubling the square footage of Forecast.
The move is indicative of the constant change
that keeps Seventh Street vibrant. Debbie is pleased
to be able to send her customers to places like
To rtilla Café, Montmart re and Tu n n i c l i f f’s fo r
lunch or dinner. There seems to be an unspoken
rule among merchants to be constantly aware of
new businesses, changes in ownership or modified
buildings. The air of cooperation and support (not
only the air of excellence) along Seventh Street is
easy to detect.
It’s a warmer-than-usual Saturday afternoon in
mid-October. Hundreds of people file in and out of
shops and cafes, mill around flea market tables,
chat on benches and through car windows. A
marching band rehearses its halftime performances.
All of this creates an almost festival-type atmosphere
along Seventh Street. And quite a number of
merchants and customers alike want that atmosphere
to continue.
Barry Hayman, who’s operated Antiques on the
Hill for over a decade now, believes the Seventh
Street corridor is by its very nature conducive to
such an atmosphere. “It’s a per fect size for person -
a l i t y- d ri ven businesses,” he says. “T h a t’s what
makes the Hill interesting—the strength of the people,
the backbone of the people here.”
Barry can often be found sitting on the stoop outside
his business, talking to friends and neighbors
who stop by on their way to here or there, sometimes
with no other purpose than to get caught up
with a friend. “I know the old people, young people;
I’ve watched kids grow up,” he says.
Antiques on the Hill is more than a business in
many respects. It harkens back to the general store
of an America gone by. One could almost picture
Barry sitting near a pot-bellied stove, sharing stories
w i th custo m e rs and friends. This tableau st i l l
exists—it’s quite common in our country’s scattered
small towns and villages. Seeing it in the middle
of the nation’s capital catches one unawares.
Barry’s seen quite a lot of merchant turnover in
the past 10 years. And he laments the fact that
what he terms the “paling of the trades” is seeping
through some of the cracks in his neighborhood.
“We need services on the Hill that focus on the
operators, not the operation,” he says. Financially,
the area is “doing great,” he believes, but in terms of
maintaining the small-town charm that’s become
the Seventh Street calling card, it could be a rough
road ahead.
“It becomes a survival issue for small business,”
Barry states. The renovation of Union Station and
its inclusion of boutique-type businesses has led to
the closing of some Forecast-like shops, he points
A Fresh Look at Seventh Stre e t
The newly opened lower level of the Forecast…a spectacular mix of beauty and comfort.
26 www.voiceofthehill.com
out. Additionally, federal dollars used to renovate
large, bustling centers such as Union Station can
speak much louder than individual retail developments.
The closing of the Safeway Store along Seventh
Street a number of several year ago meant 10,000
fewer people were walking along that street every
week, Barry points out. And in recent times, he
added, the Hill neighborhood has lost small dry
c l e a n e rs, a family- owned “sit down” re sta u ra n t ,
and an astrologer, to name a few—locations often
replaced by businesses in which the bottom line
may not necessarily be service with a smile. “I
know 10,000 names. They may not know any
names,” he said.
Another drawback to having a business along the
Seventh Street corridor between Pennsylvania and
Independence Avenues could be the fact that it is
not a main thoroughfare. “If you don’t get us along
the way to somewhere, you don’t get us,” Barry
said. However, quite a number of folks
“get” this section of town—in more ways
than one.
Seven months ago Evan Pehrson located
his business, Randolph Cree Salon, in the
bright, airy second floor of a charmingly
re n ovated building next to the new
M o n t m a rt re re sta u rant and the always -
busy Ben and Jerry’s. On Sunday, October
14, he and his staff played host to a crowd
of customers, supporters and neighbors
who ga th e red at the salon for a gra n d
opening celebration.
Pehrson has been living and working
elsewhere on the Hill since 1985, and since
opening the business on Seventh Street,
the difference has been “profound. Here,
you’re really embraced by the neighborhood,”
he says. Evan credits the changing
face of Seventh Street to those developers
who have “really redone this whole corridor.”
Being so centrally located is a definite
benefit to attracting such a loyal clientele,
he added. “Everyone knows we’re here.
And we ’re comp eting more with th e
salons in Northwest,” he says. Evan is proud of his
talented staff, including seve ral new st yl i st s .
“We ’ve been so we l l - re c e i ved by the neighborhood.”
And it’s a neighborhood of which Evan, his
wife Lee Glazer, and children Val, Nora and Nick,
are a part. Like so many merchants along Seventh
Street, and the Hill in general, Evan lives and works
in the same part of town.
And storefronts in this part of town are never
vacant for ve ry long. Dennis Bourgault, who’s
operated Doolittle’s, Ltd., a charming shop that
carries pet supplies and more along Seventh Street
since 1995, calls the corridor “a good place for businesses.
It’s a healthy area.”
During the weekends, Dennis adds, customers
can experience “one-stop shopping” with a visit to
the market and the variety of shops located along
the street. “And parking through the week is very
good,” he adds, citing the diagonal spots located
along the long awning of Eastern Market.
The downside of the location, Dennis points out,
is that “it’s not really a main street, unless you know
i t’s th e re. People usually travel 8th St re et or
Pennsylvania Avenue.”
Dennis draws his knowledge of area business
through his work as president of the Capitol Hill
Association of Merchants and Pro fe s s i o n a l s
(CHAMPS), which is a sort of chamber of commerce
for folks on the Hill. In this role, he’s heard firsthand
the effects of the recent blocking off of the 40-
block radius around the Capitol to truck traffic, one
of the latest in a long line of security measures with
which D.C. residents are becoming increasingly
familiar.
“We had some problems,” he says. “It happened
with really no notice, and no one was really consulted.
When they blocked it off, no one was telling
the truck drivers how to get around the area, and
most of the drivers are from out of state.” One driver
car rying goods bound for Doolittle’s was forced
to turn around and leave, since he was given no
direction on how to reach the business, Dennis
related.
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www.voiceofthehill.com 27
CHAMPS, however, is on top of the situation, and
is bringing merchants’ concern to the attention of
local government. The association has met with
Sharon Ambrose, and Eleanor Holmes Norton has
also responded by calling a meeting to discuss the
problem, Dennis said.
E a ch merchant agrees that business aft e r
S e ptember 11 was much diffe rent than business
b e fo re that date. “The week of the incident, we defi
n i t e ly had a dro p o f f ,” Dennis says. “But it’s sta rt e d
to rebuild, and this we e kend was part i c u l a rly good.”
The CHAMPS members whose businesses depend
on to u rism are feeling this effect much more profo
u n d ly than retail merchants, he points out.
For all the variety found at those retail outlets,
however, Dennis notes there are some businesses
which, if they were located near the Seventh Street
corridor, could do well and enhance the neighborhood.
“We could use another kind of market, such
as a Fresh Fields or Trader Joe’s,” Dennis suggests.
The enhancement of the street itself, which is in
the works, would be another positive new development,
he adds. CHAMPS has concentrated its
efforts to secure funding for improvements to the
street, curbs, sidewalks and lighting, and Dennis
expects those improvements to come by the end of
2002. “We’re still waiting for them to do work on
Eastern Market,” he says. The market itself is a district-
owned property, he points out, and it’s in need
of repair to its deteriorating building, as well as the
shed outside the main building. “Everything has
been stalled, and we’re awaiting the outcome.”
Just a few doors down from Dennis’ business is a
restaurant that has done some improvements of its
However, delivery of goods has been a problem
for Mehmet Yalcin, proprietor of Woven History
and Silk Road, a gorgeous shop specializing in vegetable-
dyed, hand-spun wool and tribal and village
rugs. “Thank God we’re well-stocked,” he says of his
merchandise, quite a bit of which comes from such
countries as Tibet and Pakis tan, Iran, Turkey, Nepal
and India. “I cannot travel there to get goods, and
they can’t get them to us.” But that situation hasn’t
yet become too big aproblem for Mehmet, thanks
to his large supply of items on hand.
Another merchant whose business had its begin -
ning at the flea market down the street (which has
served as an incubator for a number of other nearby
shops), Mehmet has been at his location since
1986. “So I know everyone else, and everyone else
knows me,” he relates.
The “real sense of community” is what Mehmet
most enjoys about his location. Like Barry, those
who work at Woven History and Silk Road can often
be found greeting customers and friends outside
their store, creating a relaxed, friendly atmosphere
geared toward buyers and browsers alike.
“And there’s a trust there between us and our customers,”
Mehmet adds. “A lot of them happen to be
our neighbors. And, you know, seven is a lucky
number.” Although within the past five months,
there have been three incidents in which people
have “tried to get away with a carpet under their
arm,” Mehmet sees many positive and safe aspects
associated with being located along the friendly
Seventh Street. “I know just about everyone here,
including the thieves, and they all happen to like
me,” he laughs.
own, a place where its owners have felt instantly at
home.
“We’ve really been welcomed here,” states Tony
Harris, who, along with Med Lahlou, purchased
Tunnicliff’s American Restaurant and Bar in March.
“It’s been fun. The ambience of the neighborhood
is just great, and there’s a real closeness among the
people here.”
Tony, who also owns Stoney’s, located along L
St re et, NW, “cleaned up and remodeled” th e
Capitol Hill landmark (which many folks don’t
realize was originally located next to the old Naval
hospital), retaining the identifiable name. “We’ve
been doing pretty well,” Tony says. “We’ve had a
good response from the neighborhood. It’s a great
community—lots of nice people, lots of families,”
And Capitol Hill is really looking good now.”
And the reviews for Tortilla Café, located right
down the street, have been looking good as well.
And new owner Jose Canales calls it “the best location”
for his restaurant.
I t’s certa i n ly a convenient location for Jose,
who’s a familiar face to many visitors to Eastern
Market. A vendor who has operated a deli there for
18 ye a rs, Jose took over To rtilla Café on
Inauguration Day this year. “There is definitely a
sense of community that really makes this business,”
he says.
Jose has seen no real disadvantage to being located
along 7th Street. Even the recent blocking off of
s u rrounding st re ets hasn’t affected him much .
“There’s been no problem, since we mainly depend
on foot traffic,” he points out. “And with my deliveries,
there’s been no problem.”
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“In general, I suppose, things have been changing
in the last several years,” he states. “Everything
has been imp roving—some people say since I
opened my shop here, this place has ch a n g e d .
When you do something positive for another, good
begets good. There have been many positive developments
here, and that’s reflected in the real estate
value of the homes and the commercial spaces.”
In terms of a Seventh Street “wish list,” Mehmet,
too, would like to see perhaps a larger food store
become a new neighbor. “That would be a good
addition to the area,” he remarks, “and it’s something
we don’t have now.”
Although there may be a desire for new businesses
to take root along Seventh Street, there’s no
denying that all the merchants—old and new—
seem to work together, whether or not their clientele
is similar. And the changing face of this part of
the Hill seems to continuously improve and offer
even more at every new turn.
Ta ke, for exa mple, the Fre n ch re sta u ra n t
Montmartre, which has opened very recently to a
welcoming neighborhood (Debbie Danielson often
recommends the new eatery to her custo m e rs ) .
And, of course, Stomping Grounds, the popular
coffee shop operated by Lori Johnston (also the
original proprietor of Ben and Jerry’s), which continues
to offer fine service to a wide customer base.
There’s Bread and Chocolate, an extremely busy
place, especially on the weekends.
And the list of businesses doesn’t stop there—
Clothes Encounters, owned by Linda McMullen,
has been at its location since 1979; the Flora l
Studio; Khan El-Khalili Bazaar; Dot t i e ’s; Pre g o
Italian Market and Deli—all these places and others
enhance this relative small area from Pennsylvania
Avenue to North Carolina Avenue.
The Main Street atmosphere found on this notso-
main street is one which its occupants want to
m a i n tain, even in the face of changing times,
changing consumer trends, and the consta n t
changes associated with a nation at war. The many
characters along Seventh Street add a rich character
to the area itself. However, it’s really up to their customers
—those who appreciate good conversation
just as much as quality service and merchandise—
to continue to allow these merchants to do just
that.
Capitol Hill Real Estate Gurus Talk
about the Market, Post-9/11
Larry Kamins, Manager Prudential Car ruthers
Capitol Hill (202-393-1111)
While the events of September 11 were horrible and
beyond comprehension, many buyers and sellers
took this as a time to reflect and found very little
reason to change their plans. Capitol Hill remains a
dynamic place to buy, sell, move up and live.
The market was beginning to slow befo re
September 11th and is slightly slower now. Yet the
issues that have been driving our market are fundamentally
unchanged. The Hill is a great place to
live; a place to avoid the traffic congestion that is
clogging up the nearby suburbs; and a place to find
community in a village-like atmosphere.
Pam Kristof, Principal, Kristof Realty Group
(588-2021)
Yes, there has been a noticeable effect, but not in
the way one would expect. The number of new
b u ye rs coming into our listings has gre a t ly
increased. When asked what brought them into
this market, the buyers have responded that while
they had been putting off buying a home, after
September 11, they were inspired not to procrastinate.
Buying their own home has become very
important to them. In addition, there are many
buyers that have said they are taking advantage of
the historically low interest rates. Using their present
equity to sell, they are trading up in the market.
There is also a group of buyers that feel it to be their
patriotic duty not to let terrorism prevent them
from finding a place to call home. In my opinion,
the market is stronger than ever.
Alice Faison, RE/MAX Capital Realtors
(202--544-1045 or 202-270-2045)
There has been no noticeable effect on prices at this
time, but a lot depends on what happens next.
Tragic events stimulate thought and intensify feelings.
So you love what you love more then ever, and
you want to change what you don’t. Those who
were thinking of selling and leaving the area used
the events as a “sign” to move on. On the other
hand, people who live on The Hill are committed
more than ever to our very special neighborhood.
The events of 9/11 made them appreciate Capitol
Hill as a unique, caring, close community.
While a drop in the stock market has left some
buyers with a bit less cash to put down, homeowners
selling and moving up on The Hill are in good
shape. Lower interest rates translate into greater
buying power. A $300,000 home at 7%=$1,998,
which is the same payment as a home for $333,000
at 6%. We are meeting new buyers relocating here
from all over, as well as move up Capitol Hill buyers.
No one has dropped out of the market because of
9/11. All of our cases have closed; our listings are
going under contract—the majority within several
days at or above the list price, including some with
multiple offers. Washington DC is different product
than it was years ago—it continues to be a better
place. Capitol Hill especially, keeps improving
and our property values remain strong. When we
volunteer for local community groups, shop, garden,
play in the parks, walk our dogs, restore our
homes, talk to one another and are vigilant about
crime we are creating equity.
According to The Greater Capitol Area Association
of Realtors he average price of properties sold
in Washington, DC is up from $291,641 to $343,193
and Capitol Hill is no exception. For now, the number
of ready, willing and able buyers exceeds the
number of properties for sale. As long as that continues,
property values will remain strong.
www.voiceofthehill.com 29
Garden and Landscape
Art Garden Design
546-6920, artgarden@starpower.net
Specializing in urban gardens with an
emphasis on functional and non-functional
art elements. See our ad on page 21
District Cityscapes, Inc
202-544-4886
Frager’s Garden Center
1115 Penna Ave., SE,
543-6157
Gingko Gardens
911 11th St., SE 543-5172
See our ad on page 34
Ornamental Garden
544-7831
Grocery Deliver y
Urban Grocery
Serving Capitol Hill since 1994
Save time and money, let us do the shopping
for you Order online at www.urbangr ocery.
com
Or order a paper catalog ($4) at 202-544-
5081
Hardware
Fragers Hardware
1115 Pennsylvania Ave., SE 543-6157
See our ad on page 34
Health & Fitness
Results the Gym
3rd & G Sts, SE, 234-5678
Finley’s Boxing Club
518 10th St., NE 202-544-9132
Women Members Welcome!
Home Furnishings
Woven History
311 7th St., SE 543-1705
See our ad on page 49
Home Repair
Handyman on the Hill
Washington DC 206-7185
See our ad on page 21
Accounting
Marina Martin, MBA
Innovative and versatile range of services
for small business and non-profits 547-9536
Thomas Jenkins and Company
Certified Pulic Accountants
Tax & Financial Planning
Corporation/Partnership 547-9004
Air Conditioning & Heating
John W. Fulcher
510 13th, SE, 544-8156
Service, replacements, installations
Antiques
Antiques on the Hill
701 North Carolina Ave., SE
Attorneys
Rick Halberstein & Karen Byrne
705 D St., SE 543-1110
Arts Center
Capitol Hill Arts Workshop
545 7th St., SE 547-6839
See our ad on page 44
Association
CHAMPS
621 PA Ave., SE 547-7788
Bank
National Capital Bank
316 PA Ave.,SE 546-8000
wwwnationalcapitalbank.com
See our ad on page 13
Bed and Breakfast
Bullmoose B&B
5th and S Sts.,NE 547-1050
See our ad on page 15
Doolittle Guest House
504 E. Capitol Street, SE 546-6622
See our ad on page 21
Maison Orleans
414 5th Street, SE, 544-3694
maisonorln@aol.com
Bicycles
Capitol Hill Bikes
709 8th St.,SE 544-4234
See our ad on page 10
Books
Capitol Hill Books
657 C Street, SE, 544-1621
Good Used Books Bought & Sold.
Riverby Books
419 E. Capitol St., SE 547-3228
See our ad on page 9
Contractor
Thoreson & Associates
Capitol Hill’s local Norwegian carpenter
Renovating homes in DC since 1986. We
Work where we live. 544-3700
Chimney Cleaning
Winston’s Chimney Service
Washington DC (301)571-8546
Church
Capitol Hill Presbyterian Church
Worship Sunday 11am,
Sunday School 9:45am
wwwcapitolhillpreschurch.org
201 4th St, SE 547-8676
Christ Church Washington Parish
620 G St., SE 547-9300
See our ad on page 32
Lutheran Church of the Reformation
212 E. Capitol St., SE, 543-4200
www.reformationdc.org
St. James’ Episcopal Church
222 8th St., SE, 546-1746
www.saintjameschurch.org
St. Peter’s Church
2nd & C Street, SE 547-1430
See our ad on page 44
Clothing & Gifts
Art & Soul
225 PA Ave., SE 548-0105
See our ad on page 37
The Village
705 N. Carolina Ave., SE 546-3040
See our ad on page 20
Closets
Beyond Closets
Organize, simplify, save time. 703-433-1991
See our ad page 33
Computer Consultant
Better Computer Solutions
623 N. Carolina Ave., SE 546-8084
See our ad on page 33
Dog walking services
Zoolatry, Inc
202-547-WALK
www.zoolatry.com
Mid-Day Dog walking Service
Insured - Bonded
Drug Store
Grubbs Care Pharmacy
326 E Capitol SE 543-4400
See our ad on page 10
Electric Repairs
Bob Willett / K&W Electric
301-283-4004
Service work small jobs
Funeral Services
Pinckney-Spangler Funeral Home
524 8th St. NE, 544-7720
A full service funeral home. Traditional burial
or cremation services. Burial or cremation
can be accompanied by a viewing and/or
funeral or memorial service.
Business Directory Listings:
Voice of the Hill is including a yellow-pages style directory of businesses and services that cater to the Capitol Hill community.
To be included in the directory businesses must commit to a one-year contract, payable in advance by check, Visa or
Mastercard. The annual fee is $250. Each business will be given three lines in the directory; two must be used for the company
name, address and phone number. An extra line is available for your name, a description of your business or service, or
a direction to see your ad. Additional lines may be added at an annual cost of $60 per line (per year). If you would like to be
included in the next director y, please fill in the following form and send it, along with your check or payment information, to:
The Voice of the Hill, 120 11th St., SE, Washington, DC 20003. If you have questions please call Bruce Robey at 544-0703.
Your Name:_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Company Name: ________________________________________________________________________________________________
Address:_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Phone: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Business Description: (30 character maximum) ____________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Please charge my Mastercard or Visa
Name on Card: _________________________________________________________________________________________________
Card Number: _______________________________________________________________________Expiration Date:____________
Business Serv i c e s
Hotel
Capitol Hill Suites
200 C St., SE 543-6000
See our ad on page 19
House Cleaning
Francisco Chaclan
Cleaning and Maid Service
50% off first cleanint
703-323-3998m 703-606-4698
Income Tax Services
Jackson Hewitt Tax Service
8th St., SE 554-8840
Internet Provider Services
DC Access
118 Kentucky Ave, SE 546-5898
www.dcaccess.net — a local ISP
Massage Therapy
Capitol Hill Massage Associates
Swedish, Deep Tissue, Seated Massage
2 0 2 . 7 4 6 . 4 8 3 4
w w w. s p e e d b u m p s . o rg / m a s s a g e
Healing Hands
Christine Getlein LMT 543-0041
Patricia Stocks, LMT, 547-7104
Reiki, Swedish, Deep Tissue, Shiatsu
See our coupon page 20
Mason
Michaliga Masonry
321 C Street, SE
544-4484
Mortgage Lenders
Apex Home Loans
301-474-7100
See our ad on page 18
Jeffrey A. Love, Loan Officer
Federal Funding Mortgage Corp
202-210--7106 jlove@ffmcorp.com
Oracle Solutions
Casetech, Inc.
Elizabeth Jenkins
611 Penna. Ave, SE 543-4499,
www.casetech.com
30 www.voiceofthehill.com
Workshops
Writer’s Way Workshops
Make time for you! 547-3506
www.dcwritersway.org
Yoga Studio
Corrin Bennett
543-5825
Private Yoga instruction, group classes
Dancing Heart Center for Yoga
221 5th St., NE 544-0841, www.dancingheartyoga.
com
See our ad on page 35
St. Marks Yoga Center
3rd & A St., SE 546-4964
www.edow.org/stmarkscapitolhill/
arts/yoga.html
Office Supplies
Capitol Hill Innervision
Art and Office Supplies
701 8th St., SE 544-4664
Pet Supplies
Doolittle’s Pet Supply
224 7th St., SE 544-8710
See our ad on page 26
Photography
Motophoto
666 PA Ave., SE 547-2100
See our ad on page 2
Picture Framing
Frame of Mine
522 8th St., SE 543-3030
See our ad on page 19
Newman Gallery and Custom Frames
511 11th St., SE 544-7577
See our ad on page 35
Real Estate
Valerie M. Blake
Prudential Carruthers Realtors
5025 Wisconsin Ave, NW 202-362-1348,
x111, www.DCHomeQuest.com
Thom Burns
Coldwell Banker Real Estate
109 8th St. NE 547-5805
Larry C
Pardoe Real Estate
605 PA Ave., SE 546-7000 ext. 228
202-255-3731
Tom & Alice Faison
REMAX Real Estate
220 7th St., SE 546-5881
John C. Formant
John C. Formant Real Estate
225 PA Ave., SE 544-3900
Hugh Kelly
202-588-2224
Pardoe Real Estate
605 PA Ave., SE 546-7000
See our ad on the back cover
Jackie von Schlegel
REMAX Real Estate
220 7th St., 547-5600
Phyllis Jane Young
Pardoe Real Estate
605 PA Ave., SE 546-7000
John Parker
Pardoe Real Estate
605 PA Ave., SE 546-7000
Kristof Realty Group/Pam Kristof
REMAX Capital Realtors
202-588-2021, www.kristofgroup.com
See our ad page 19
Prudential Carruthers
216 7th Street, SE
393-1111
www.prudentialcarruthers.com
Real Estate Settlement
Congressional Title
650 PA Ave., SE 544-0800
See our ad on page 33
Eastern Market Title
210 7th St., SE 546-3100
See our ad on page 28
Restaurants
2 Quail
320 Massachusetts Ave. NE 543-8030
See our ad on page 18
Banana Café
400 8th St., SE 543-5906
See our ad on page 33
Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream
327 7th St., SE 546-CAKE
See our ad on page 36
Café Berlin
322 Mass. Ave., NE 543-7656
German American Cuisine
Hawk ’n’ Dove
329 PA Ave., SE 543-3300
See our ad on page 36
Sheridan’s Steak House
713 8th St., SE 546-6955
Stompin’ Grounds
660 Pennsylvania Ave., SE, 546-5778
See our ad on page 36
Salons
Randolph Cree
325 7th St., SE
See our ad on page 17
Social Services
Capitol Hill Group Ministr y
421 Seward Sq., SE 544-0385
Schools
Capitol Hill Day School
210 S. Carolina Ave., SE 547-2244
Edmund Burke School
2955 Upton St., NW 362-8882
Levine School of Music
2801 Upton St., NW 686-9772
St Peter’s School
422 3rd St., SE 544-1618
Spiritual Advisors
Corrin Bennett
Private Consultations
543-5825
Vacation/Travel Consultants
Jan Cammarata
Judiciary Express Travel
7th & Penn SE, 547-3007
Computer We e n i e s
• Repairs, Upgrades, Troubleshootong
• Network & Lan Installation
• Internet Web Page Development
• Quality Work at Reasonable Rates
202-543-7055
Business Serv i c e s
t h e c a n c e r d i a g n o s i s
frightening, maddening,
confusing
individual, couples and group
psychotherapy for those with cancer
joseph tarantolo, md
board certified psychiatrist
certified group therapist
202/543-5290
but also a time for
self-reflection and enhancement
of personal development
Log On!
Find out what’s up in the
n e i g h b o rhood. Jump into the
discussion. Post your events.
Do it all at
w w w. v o i c e o f t h e h i l l . c o m
www.voiceofthehill.com 31
d o w nL o a d ITEMS OF INTEREST FROM THE VOICE WEBSI TE FOR THE LAST MONTH
Restoration Society Preservation
Café
Thermal Comfort in Capitol Hill Row Houses
BY KATIE MI LLER
The Capitol Hill Re sto ration Societ y’s popular
Preservation Café will return to its Caffe Italiano
location for the November session, which will
anticipate the coming winter with “Just Right:
T h e rmal Comfo rt in Capitol Hill Row Houses.”
Capitol Hill architect Robert Weinstein will be the
speaker on Wednesday, November 14 at 6:30 p.m.
Caffe Italiano is located at 1129 Pennsylvania Ave.
SE
Weinstein will talk about the built-in thermal
assets and liabilities of Capitol Hill’s historic houses:
how the Victorians lived through Washington’s
winters and summers. He will also describe the
eight determinants of thermal comfort and how to
make them work, as well as a few steps to help
reduce energy bills and stay comfo rtable while
respecting the home’s historic fabric. Weinstein
lives and works in Capitol Hill row houses; he says
he is “always looking for ways to improve thermal
comfort in these drafty old buildings.”
Robert Weinstein is a principal and co-founder of
architrave p.c. architects, a Hill firm since 1982.
architrave has completed hundreds of preservation,
re sto ration, and adapt i ve reuse projects for th e
General Services Administration, the Department
of Agriculture, the Navy, the Department of the
I n t e ri o r, the National Pa rk Service, th e
Smithsonian Institution, and for private clients. He
is past president of the Washington DC Chapter of
the Association for Preservation Technology (API)
and is currently on its Board of Directors. He is
a c t i ve in the Capitol Hill Re sto ration Societ y’s
Historic District Committee, where he reviews proposed
construction for conformance with the city’s
preservation law. He is a co-recipient of the 1998
P ro Bono Publico Awa rd from the Ameri c a n
Architectural Foundation for his contribution to
the Capitol Hill Design Guidelines. He is married to
and partners with Judith M. Capen, aka Judith of
“Ask Judith” in the Voice of the Hill.
After the November meeting, Preservation Café
will take a holiday break, returning in February.
Topics, speakers, and locations for the 2002 sessions
will be announced in January. Suggestions from the
audiences are always encouraged.
P re s e rvation Cafés are an adaptation of a
Greenwich Village idea in which a speaker talks at a
neighborhood restaurant with a small group about
topics of particular local interest. They are held the
second last Wednesday of each month and have an
informal format so that the audience can share
ideas, reactions, and questions with the speaker.
People stop in on the way home from work for
relaxation and stimulating discussion with friends
and neighbors, sometimes continuing the conversations
through dinner.
DC Receives $34.9 Million Grant To
Transform Public Housing
The following is text from the DC government webpage
( www.dc.gov ) confirming and adding more to the story
the Voice reported first last Tuesday.
Today the US Department of Housing and Urban
Development awarded a $34.9 million HOPE VI
grant to the Dist rict of Columbia Housing
Authority (DCHA) that will be used to replace aging
public housing units with 1,562 new housing units.
The grant for Arthur Capper and Carrollsburg
will replace 780 public housing units with 707 public
housing units. It will also be used to develop 525
affordable rental units and 330 market rate homes.
The redeveloped site, situated adjacent to the Navy
Yard and the Southeast Federal Center, will include
600,000 square feet of office space and 20,000 to
40,000 square feet of retail space. The office space is
expected to create more than 200 new entry-level
and 80 new mid-level jobs.
“Ac ross the country, and in the Dist rict of
Columbia, we have seen HOPE VI developments
transform old public housing units into thriving,
mixed-income communities,” said HUD Secretary
Mel Martinez at a press confe rence to d ay with
Mayor Anthony Williams. “Once these developments
are complete, you will see some beautiful
housing units befitting this city. More importantly
h oweve r, you will see lives being tra n s fo rm e d
through a variety of HOPE VI service programs.
This is an opportunity for DC’s public housing residents
to become true community stakeholders.”
The DCHA was selected from a pool of 66 applications
the agency received for the 2001 funding.
The DCHA has received HOPE VI awards in the
past, including $25 million for Ellen Wilson Homes
in 1993; $20.3 million for Va l l ey Green and
S k y tower in 19 97; $29.9 million for Fre d e ri ck
Douglass Homes and Stanton Dwellings in 1999;
and $30.8 million for East Capitol Dwellings and
Capitol View Plaza last year.
“This is a proud day for the District. I thank
Secretary Martinez and HUD for their continuing
commitment to rebuilding our city,” commented
Mayor Williams. “Today’s announcement allows us
to preserve and redevelop more than 700 units of
public housing, and create mixed-income and
mixed-use environment that better serves the individuals
and families who live th e re. Combined
with our four previous HOPE VI grants, we’ve leveraged
more than $740 million to provide quality and
affordable housing for residents across our city.”
Today’s grants will ultimately attract $299 million
in total investment to the District of Columbia,
a return equal to about $8.57 for every dollar invested
this year in the program. In 1993, the first year of
the HOPE VI program, the return was only 31 cents
for each dollar invested.
HUD will award more than $491 million this year
nationally in HOPE VI grants. The funds will be
used to build or rehab more than 12,000 housing
units and replace 8,000 older public housing units.
Cities were competitively selected based upon the
effectiveness of their public housing revitalization
plans. HUD policy provides local housing authorities
with the flexibility to develop revitalization
plans that meet their own special needs.
The HOPE VI program was created as a result of a
report by the National Commission on Severely
D i st ressed Public Housing, which found nearly
100,000 public housing units in the US in need of
revitalization. The HOPE VI grants, first awarded by
HUD in 1993, have five objectives:
Improve public housing by replacing severely distressed
public housing projects, such as high-rises
and barracks-style apartments, with townhouses or
ga rd e n - st yle apartments that blend aesth et i c a l ly
into the surrounding community.
Reduce concentrations of poverty by encouraging
a mix of incomes among public housing residents
and by encouraging working families to move
into housing that is part of revitalized communities.
Provide support services, such as education and
training prog rams, child care services, transportation
and counseling to help public housing residents
get and keep jobs.
Establish and enforce high standards of personal
and community responsibility th rough explicit
lease requirements.
Forge partnerships that involve public housing
residents, state and local government officials, the
private sector, non-profit groups and the community-
at-large in planning and implementing new
communities.
As part of today’s award, HUD will pay relocation
costs for residents being temporarily relocated or
displaced by the revitalization effort. Relocated residents
who meet pro gram re qu i rements will be
given the first opportunity to move back to the
newly constructed units at the site. Residents who
choose not to return to public housing will be given
vouchers to subsidize their rents in privately owned
apartments. In addition, relocated residents receiving
vouchers will be provided the same job training
and services offered to people living in replacement
public housing.
Since 1993, not including this year’s grants, HUD
has awarded 149 HOPE VI grants to 90 cities. The
program’s $4 billion in awards has leveraged more
than $7 billion in public and private funds.
Rhode Island Avenue Metro Plaza
Proceeding
From the Office of Harold Brazil
In the near future, WMATA’s board will vote on a
$58 million proposal to build a “mixed-use” shopping
and residential project at the Rhode Island
A venue Met ro. The proposal, submitted by
G ra i m a rk-Wa l ke r, the developer of the adjacent
Brentwood site, was the only proposal submitted
that met the city’s requirements for the development
of the site.
The project includes 270 housing units, 20% of
which will be affordable housing, 65,000 square
feet of retail and a sizable parking garage. The project
has preliminary commitments from Starbucks,
Dress Barn, Blockbuster, Applebee’s and others, and
will serve as a bridge between the community and
the big box retailers (Giant Foods, Kmart and Home
Depot) that are being built at the nearby Brentwood
site.
“The developer’s application for $40 million in
revenue bonds and tax-increment financing will be
given serious consideration by my Committee,”
stated Brazil. “Bringing commercial and residential
development to our neighborhoods, particularly
around metro stations, is sensible development,
and will keep the momentum going in our neighborhoods,”
he continued.
The Theater Alliance and The Atlas
Theater Project present The Gospel at
Colonus
T h a n ks in part to a generous grant from th e
CHAMPS Foundation, The Atlas Theater Project
will be mounting its first major production on H
Street, NE. The Project, which has as its goal the
renaissance of the vacant Atlas Theater as a performing
arts space, is working in partnership with
Douglas Memorial Church at 11th and H Streets,
NE. Pastor Charlene Monk has made available the
spectacular Douglas sanctuary for this production
w h i ch is under the direction of Pa u l - D o u gl a s
Michnewicz. The Theater Alliance of the Capitol
Hill Arts Workshop is overseeing the artistic end of
things with Alliance board members James Foster
as musical director and in the role of the preacher,
and Linda Norton as costume designer. Lighting
design will be by well-know Washington designer
Lynn Joslin and sound by Douglas sound designer
Natalie James.
The Gospel at Colonus, by Lee Bre u e r, is a
retelling of Sophocles’ Oedipus at Colonus as an
A f ri c a n -A m e rican ch u rch service with the sto ry
told through gospel music. The show first played in
Washington in 1984 at Arena Stage with Morgan
Freeman in the role of the Preacher, and the Blind
B oys of Alabama as a collective Oedipus.
(Interestingly, the Blind Boys recenly appeared at
the 9:30 Club).
The principal roles will be played by S. Robert
M o r gan as Oedipus, Felicia Wilson as Ismene,
Nicole Pettus as Antigone, Stephawn Stephens as
Theseus, Andy Torres as Creon, and Jerusa Carl
Wilson as Polyneices
The show will open November 29 at 7:30 pm and
continue Fri d ay November 30, Thurs d ays and
Fridays, December 6, 7, 13, 14, 20, 21 at 7:30 pm
PLUS Saturday, December 22 at 3 pm Tickets are
$20 and group rates are available. For more info and
re s e rvations 202 - 547-6839 or log on to
www.chaw.org
Bet You Didn’t Know
Lisa Kunkler McClure, Dire c to r, To u rism &
Conventions at Union Station attended a monthly
Washington Area Concierge meeting last and came
back with the following:
1) United Airlines will be eliminating nearly 200
flights. If you have plans from now through December,
these changes could affect you.
2) The Hay Adams Hotel is closing for renovation
beginning November 1, 2001.
3) A new DASH shuttle, part i a l ly funded by
A rl i n g ton and Alexa n d ria, runs from the King
Street Metro to Dulles Airport every 15 minutes.
The cost is $5.00.
4) Shuttle buses go into Georgetown from the following
Metro stations e very 10 minutes. Rosslyn,
Foggy Bottom and DuPont Circle (south side). This
is being funded by the Georgetown BID.
The Flea Market at Eastern Market in
Washington, DC
BY TOM RA LL
The Flea Market at Eastern Market was chosen as the
location for filming of A Dating Sto ry episode,
which will air 1 pm Thursday, October 18, on The
Learning Channel (TLC).
I am pleased that the producers chose our market
for it romantic atmosphere. For many years I have
observed couples from all over the world strolling
happily around the market, and it’s g reat that this
aspect of the market receives national recognition.
The episode was shot on a Sunday in March and
directed by Suzy Garra, according to Cynthia Nee of
Banyan Production, the Philadelphia firm that produces
A Dating Story for TLC.
For more information, contact: Rall, 703-534-
7612 marketflea@aol.com or Nee, 215 - 9 2 8 - 1414
e x t 7080 cnee@banya np rod.com On the we b ,
i n fo rmation about the market is found at:
www.easternmarket.net The text of the Washington
Po st business page fe a t u re can be found at:
h t t p : / / w w w. wa s h i n g to np o st . c o m / a c 2 / w p - d y n ?
p a g e n a m e = a rt i c l e & n o d e = & c o n t e n t I d = A 412 2 6 -
2001Sep16
ANC 6A Subcommittee Gives Thumbs
Up to Lofts at Lovejoy School
BY MARK SEGRAV E S
Wednesday, October 10, 2001. The ANC 6A zoning
and license subcommittee held an open hearing on
the Lovejoy School project Wednesday night and
afterward voted to support the project. The vote
was symbolic as the developer, Winter Properties,
had already received approval from the Board of
Zoning Adjustment (BZA). The ANC serves in an
advisory capacity to the BZA and does not have
authority to overturn their decisions.
Representatives from Winter Properties traveled
from their home office in Atlanta, Ga., to attend
the meeting and answer questions from the community.
Grant Grimes of Winter Properties said it
was a wor thwhile trip. “We didn’t want anyone to
feel they weren’t included in the process,” Grimes
said refer ring to the comments by some of the 50
residents who attended the meeting that the project
had been “back-doored”—avoiding the ANC—
and that the final design was not what had been
represented to the community in earlier meetings.
The project will turn the long-vacant Lovejoy
School at 12th and D streets, NE, into 54 one-bed-
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room, loft-style units that will sell for an average of
$260,000. Each unit will have one off-street parking
space. Const ruction is scheduled to begin in
January 2002 with completion by the Fall.
Winter Pro p e rties announced at the meet i n g
that they would donate $20,000 to help build a
park on the blacktop adjacent to the school if the
community could raise an additional $10 , 000 .
Gregory Ferrell, chairman of the subcommittee,
spent the remainder of the meeting making a case
to Grimes to contribute more than $20,000. In the
end Grimes agreed pay another $700 to cover costs
associated with setting up a 501C3 non profit to
manage the donation.
ANC 6B Votes to Join Boys Town
Appeal
BY MARK SEGRAV E S
Tuesday, October 09, 2001. ANC 6B voted to join
South East Citizens for Smart Development in their
appeal to the zoning commission over the decision
by the commission administrator to consider the
buildings at the Boys Town project as four separate
units rather than 1. This allowed the development
to avoid a conflict with a City ordinance that prohibits
housing units of more than 6 people to be
within a certain distance from an existing group
house. The ANC will also re qu e st that th e
Department of Regulatory Affairs put a stay on the
permits that have already been issued.
The ANC held its first monthly meeting since
June tonight with a quorum of seven of the 13 commissioners
in attendance—the ANC does not meet
in July and August. The meeting began with the
commissioners voting to install Calvin Gilbert to
the position of Executive Secretary for the ANC, a
position that has been vacant for more than four
months.
The commission ratified the actions taken at an
emergency exe c u t i ve session that was held
S e ptember 19 after the re g u l a rly sch e d u l e d
September 11 meeting was canceled following the
terrorist attacks on the United States. Those actions
included the recommendation to approve a new
liquor license for the Starfish CafÈ on 8th Street, SE
and to oppose a new pay phone at 1414
Pennsylvania Ave SE The Commissioners also voted
to approve a new bicycle rack in front of Mail Boxes
Etc on Pennsylvania Ave SE.
The Commissioners heard testimony from the
community on the removal of the bus stop at 8th
and C Streets SE, as well as the placement of four
way stop signs at 10th and C SE, 10th and D SE, 3rd
and C SE and 8th and C St re ets SE. The
C o m m i s s i o n e rs voted to recommend to th e
Washington Metro Area Transit Authority that the
bus stop be removed. They also voted to recommend
to the Department of Public Works that the
four way stops signs be added to all but the 8th and
C Street SE intersections. There was further discussion
about the intersection at 12 th and
Independence Ave SE and it was decided to request
a study from the Department of Transportation on
pedestrian safety at that intersection.
In fiscal related issues the Commissioners voted
to approve an agreement reached with the City to
pay 15 percent of an outstanding gas bill for the Old
Navy Hospital. The $8,700 . 00 owed is for two
months. The ANC uses the hospital for its meetings
and is therefore responsible for utilities according
to the Office of Property Management. The ANC
will pay $1, 275 . 00 while the city will pay th e
remainder this one time. The Commissioners voted
to approve the quarterly report to the City which
s h ows the ANC with an ending balance of
$36,479.46. The ANC is funded by a yearly allotwww.
voiceofthehill.com 33
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Find really neat stuff for your home.
Pick up an armload of new outfits from our complete
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Mid Fall Events
Join “The Girls Night In” For After-Hours Shopping
Tuesday, November 6, Thursday, November 8, and
Wednesday, November 14 until 9pm
Sip Sherry and Cider and see our special display of Kay Webber’s
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A must for the holidays. Saturday and Sunday, November 10 and 11
218 SEVENTH STREET, SE / 202-547-7337
STORE HOURS Tuesday-Friday 11-7 • Saturday 10-6 • Sunday 12-5
ment from the City of around $24,000 which the
Council uses for expenses. The allotment is based
on the population of the ANC.
In attendance for the meeting were: Commission
members Will Hill, Mary Wright, Bob Siegel, Ken
Jarboe, Anna Black, Charles White, and Neil Glick.
Absent Commission members we re John
B ranscomb, Kemi Muwwakkil, Kalimah Ab d u l -
Sabur, Julie Olson, and David Sheldon . The next
ANC 6B meeting will be held Tuesday, November
13, 2001 at the Old Navy Hospital.
Marine Corps Marathon Still On
Heavy Security and Capitol Hill Course Change
BY MARK SEGRAV E S
The 26th Annual Marine Corps Marathon will run
as scheduled on Sunday, Oct. 28, under the veil of
the heaviest security in the race’s history with the
o n ly course change occurring on Capitol Hill,
according to Jennifer Robinson, public relations
coordinator for the race.
That change will keep the anticipated 18,000
runners a block farther from the office buildings of
the U.S. House of Re p re s e n ta t i ves, taking th e m
down D Street, S.E.—two blocks behind the House
Office Buildings—rather than C Street, S.E. The
marathon course will still take runners past the U.S.
Supreme Court and U.S. Capitol on Fir st Street.
I m m e d i a t e ly fo l l owing the Sept. 11 terro ri st
a t ta cks, mara thon race officials had announced
that the four miles of the course surrounding the
Pentagon would change. “That part of the course
will not be affected,” Robinson said. “Runners and
spectators should expect very heavy security and
should allow additional time to get to the starting
line.”
The race begins at the Iwo Jima Memorial at 8:30
a.m. and runs for 26.2 miles—most of which is in
the Dist rict of Columbia. Capitol Hill re s i d e n t s
wishing to catch a glimpse of the elite runners coming
across the Hill can expect them to pass in front
of the Capitol—mile 17 on the course—about 10
a.m. Street closures will begin on Capitol Hill at 9
a.m. and include Constitution Ave., First, Third,
Fourth, and Seventh streets, and New Jersey Ave.
For a comp l ete list of st re et closures go to
http://www.marinemarathon.com/thecourse.html
The CHAMPS Community Foundation
Special Grants
The CHAMPS Community Foundation made four
special grants in response to the terrorist attacks of
September 11. $1,000 was awarded to HEROES, Inc.,
a local volunteer organization dedicated to benefiting
the families of law enforcement officers and
34 www.voiceofthehill.com
Church School Sunday 9:45 a.m.
Worship Sunday 11:00 a.m.
Dr. Kimberly Rodrigue, Pastor
201 Fourth Street, Southeast
Washington, DC 20003
tel 202.547.8676 fax 202.547.2182
caphillpc@cs.com
www.capitolhillpreschurch.com
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firefighters who give their lives in the line of duty.
$500 was awarded to the three schools which lost
students and teachers on the plane that crashed
into the Pentagon.
The schools are Backus Middle School, Ketchum
E l e m e n ta ry School and Leckie Elementa ry. The
names of the students killed are Asia Cot to n ,
Rodney Dickens and Bernard Brown and the names
of the teach e rs are Sarah M. Clark, James
Debeunaire and Hilda E. Taylor.
The grants were given to the principals of the
schools with the suggestion that the money either
go to books for the schools’ libraries or into the
principals’ discretionary funds. Although only one
of these schools or organizations is local to Capitol
Hill, the Board felt st ro n gly that the losses of
S e ptember 11 remind us that our city and our
nation are one community and that we all have a
part in sustaining that reality.
New Feature Coming This Month!
Because The Vo i c e st ri ves to present the opinions of
the re a d e rship to our elected officials, we are pro u d
to announce that in addition to Councilmembers
S h a ron Ambrose, and Harold Brazil, To m my We l l s ,
S chool Board, Dist rict 3, will offer a regular month ly
column answe ring qu e stions dire c t ly posed by wa rd
6 residents from the Capitol Hill neighborhood.
Readers logging on to The Voice website will find
a form where they can pose burning questions, or
voice issues of interest to our area of Ward 6. Each
month The Voice will pick from the pool of questions
and Tommy Wells will give us the straight-up
answers.
Please be sure to include your name and contact
information. Anonymous questions (and questions
from non Ward 6 residents) will not be considered.
From the Desk of Councilmember
Harold Brazil
Compliance Hearing
Today, Thursday, October 4, 2001, at 3:00 p.m., the
Committee on Economic Development, chaired by
Councilmember Harold Brazil, will hold a hearing
to determine if revenue bond financing recipients
are in compliance with various requirements, and
the government’s ability to monitor and enforce
the requirements. The requirements include:
First Source Hiring Agreements, requiring that
51% of employees hired are DC residents
Apprenticeship Program requirements
Contracting and Procurement with Local, Small,
Disadvantaged Business Enterprises requirements
“I want to know the degree to which the recipients
of revenue bond financing are in compliance
with these requirements. Moreover, I want to know
how city agencies monitor and enforce compliance,”
stated Brazil. “Who goes back to the revenue
bond recipient if they are not in compliance, and
how do they bring the recipient into compliance?”
he continued.
Government officials from the Office of Local
Business Development, the Department of
E mp l oyment Services and the Revenue Bond
P ro gram will present test i m o ny. Re p re s e n ta t i ve s
from the DC Building Industry Association, DC
Chamber of Commerce, Board of Trade, National
Black Chamber of Commerce and the Minority
Business Coalition, as well as various contractors,
will also present testimony.
LGCW Celebrates the First Five Years
The Lesbian & Gay Chorus of Washington, D.C.
(LGCW) will celebrate the first five years of musical
i n s p i ration from LGCW Music Dire c to r, Ray
Killian, Sunday, October 28, 2001, 4-6 PM, Banana
Cafe, 8th and E Streets SE (near Eastern Market
Metro.)
Ernie Lijoi, BILLBOARD’s “Unsigned Artist of the
Year” in 2000 for BLISS, a self-produced collection
of original songs, will be serenading the crowd and
Ray Killian. BILLBOARD says of Ern i e ’s ta l e n t s ,
“Lijoi has a wonderfully soulful voice—a voice that
demands to be heard in a live setting.” This is a
unique chance to hear Ernie Lijoi in an intimate
setting. Lijoi, who accompanies himself on guitar,
combines tuneful melodies and witty, comp l e x
lyrics that proved very popular when he appeared
with the Lesbian & Gay Chorus of Washington in
June 2001.
Tickets are $25 (includes light fare, cash bar) and
a re available by calling 202 - 54 6 - 1549 or
jpstrach@aol.com. Space is limited. Net proceeds
benefit the LGCW, $10 of the ticket price is taxdeductible.
National Museum Of The American
Indian
Welcome Center Offers Public A Preview Of Mall
Museum
As the Smith s o n i a n’s National Museum of th e
American Indian rises on the National Mall over
the next three years, the public will be able to learn
about this new museum and view its progress at the
new Welcome Center. Museum staff members and
volunteers are on hand to talk about the process of
www.voiceofthehill.com 35
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C A P I T O L H I L L
202-543-3300 FAX 202-543-2529
creating this country’s first national museum dedicated
to the cultures of the Native peoples of the
Western Hemisphere. The center, located on the
Mall Museum construction site, on Independence
Avenue between 3rd and 4th streets SW is open
from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday
and is fully accessible. It is near the L’Enfant Plaza
Metro Station, Maryland Avenue exit.
The National Museum of the American Indian
Welcome Center offers the public the opportunity
to learn about the museum’s design, view the construction
in prog ress, and learn about the development
of the exhibitions and programs planned for
the museum’s opening in 2004. The We l c o m e
Center features a small exhibition with architectural
models, architectural finish boards, text panels, a
ceremonial shovel from the 1999 groundbreaking
and a scale-model mock-up of a portion of the copper
screen wall to be fe a t u red in the museum.
Visitors will be able to learn about the museum’s
m a ny pro grams including community serv i c e ,
internships and fellowships. They also will be able
to purchase memberships and inscriptions on the
Museum’s Honor Wall.
A video monitor will display a tape of news coverage
of the 1999 groundbreaking on the site. The
rear wall of the Welcome Center has a window so
that visitors can look out onto the construction
site.
The Welcome Center will remain on-site through
December 2003.
Make a Difference: Mentor
Neighborhood Learning Center ISO Volunteers
One of the most rewarding ways to get involved in
the community is mentoring. Helping a smart kid,
who needs a boost, succeed.
The Higher Achievement Program (HAP), which
runs a Neighborhood Learning Center in Capitol
Hill, has a 25 year history of challenging “DC’s
brightest students” to succeed academically, and as
community leaders. They do this by identifying
motivated students and hooking them up with a
ëLearning Mentor’ who devotes a couple of hours a
week to helping two or three kids with English,
Math, or Technology skills.
75% of HAP scholars go on to accelerated high
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The fall semester begins November 5th. They are
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Just a Walk from the Park
Capitol Hill Participates in International Walk-to-
School Day
BY MARK SEGRAV E S
M o re than 200 people participated in th e
International Walk-to-School Day here on Capitol
Hill on Oct. 2. Led by a team of mounted Park Police
o f f i c e rs, the students, parents and teach e rs of
Watkins Elementa ry School we re joined by
Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, Mayor
Anthony A. Williams, and
Wa rd 6 Councilmember
S h a ron Ambrose as th ey
walked from Lincoln Park
to the elementary school.
Other local officials who
attended were ANC repres
e n ta t i ves Will Hill, Ke n
Jarboe, and Ann Black ;
S chool Board member
To m my Wells, PTA
P resident Ben Bonham,
and Dist rict 1 Po l i c e
Commander Kim Dine.
Before embarking on the
five-block walk down 12th
St re et, SE, part i c i p a n t s
gathered for refreshments
at Lincoln Park where they
listened to local dignitaries
address the importance of
both safe streets and exercise.
Norton told the crowd that she has been a
race walker for years and encouraged everyone
to start walking with their children at an
early age. She also thanked parents for helping
to make Watkins a vital part of the comm
u n i t y. “Events like this emphasize th e
importance of sending your kids to schools in
your community,” Norton said.
Over the past few years, Watkins has grown
in its populari t y. When asked for her
thoughts on the number of parents who
spent the night in line to secure one of the
few open slots each year Ambrose said,
“Watkins Elementary is the most neighborhood-
oriented school on the Hill.Watkins is
a terrific school, we need to make Brent and
Maury great schools too. I’m working hard with
S chool Board member To m my Wells to do just
that.”
Williams took the stage next and wasted no time
thanking the local dignitaries who were gathered.
“I’m supposed to recognize the important people
who came out today, so if you consider yourself
important then consider yourself recognized. It’s
important that we support our kids and our community
and this is a great way to do both,” he said.
Williams walked to Watkins carrying a “Safe Kids”
sign while holding hands with many of the school
children.
But it was Wells who received the biggest round
See your favorite football games
via our multi-satellites!
Open Thanksgiving Day
Serving our traditional
Thanksgiving Menu
Bring this ad for $2.00 off
traditional thanksgiving dinner
Limit 6 per table.
Scenes from Walk-To-School Day
www.voiceofthehill.com 37
212 East Capitol Street • 202/543-4200
www.reformationdc.org Chapel open daily
zoning is concerned, the developer has provided
more than adequate parking with a space for each
of the 275 units.
Also on the agenda for this session was a proposal
from the Heritage Foundation to install a large
window in the side of the building they own at 208
Massachusetts Avenue, NE and a deck on the building’s
roof. Conceptual approval was given to the
design for the window—but the roof deck wa s
tossed. “If they figure out how to do a roof deck
that’s not so obvious they can come back to HPRB
for approval,” says Metzger.
Curiously, if you’ve passed the building recently,
you may have noticed a hole—a very large hole—in
its east wall. Metzger says this had nothing to do
with the window business. The side wall “had separated
from the front faÁade by 6 to 8 inches—what
was holding it up there—who knows?” Last month
Heritage obtained a quick “limited raze permit” to
remove the crumbling bricks.
Shaggy Dog Story
Unlikely Buddies Need a Home
October 2. Jerrene Truitt, ace agent with Pardoe
Real Estate, has a couple of other cards up her sleeve
of late: a couple of “sweet, sweet” pooches that
need a happy home.
What happened was this: Jerrene’s friend, colleague
and fellow dog lover, Beth, was driving back
from her condo in Florida recently and stopped for
gas at a roadside station. Lounging peaceably about
the pumps was a pair of pups, a Dalmatian (male)
and black Lab (female). In the course of chatting up
of applause when he said to participants, “We live
in the greatest city in the world.”
The event, which included more than two million
students worldwide, was organized locally by
Dr. Cathie Woteki, a Hill resident who first heard of
the Walk to School event at a symposium on obesity.
She started planning the event in June with the
help of ANC representative Ann Black. Organizer s
said that th ey had hoped that many Dist ri c t
schools would also participate, but Watkins was the
only one.
S p o n s o rs of the event included Capitol Hill
Association of Merchants and Pro fe s s i o n a l s
(CHAMPS), Federal Express, and 3M.
MedLink Hospital Development Gets
Green Light
Additional Discussions Remanded to Staf f
O c tober 2. The development of the Medlink/
Capitol Hill Hospital site at 8th and Massachusetts
A venue, NE has finally gained the Histo ri c
P re s e rvation Rev i ew Board ’s sta mp of approva l ,
reports Nancy Metzger, chair of the Capitol Hill
Restoration Society’s Historic District Committee.
While the new design was “approved in concept”
at the September 26 session, Metzger says, “That
does not mean there is not a lot of design work yet
to be done.” Materials have not been selected for
certain buildings and the sizing of some of the windows,
particularly those above and alongside the
8th Street entrance, need
some tweaking. There is
also still some debate over
a set b a ck for the new
building that is planned
for the lot adjacent to the
St. James Church garden.
The Board, howeve r,
felt there was no need for
additional full rev i ews
and that the re m a i n i n g
concerns could be turned
over to the staff for refinement.
[Scroll down th e
page to “Holladay Makes
the Rounds” for background
on this story].
While it is not required,
it was noted that th e
HPRB staff might call a
m e eting of re p re s e n tat
i ves from ANC6A, th e
Re sto ration Societ y, the Sta n ton Pa rk
N e i g h b o rhood Association, the Capitol Hill
Citizens for Smart Development and St. James
Church—the community organizations most conc
e rned with this development—once the final
hang nails have been trimmed.
Untouched in this was the hot-button issue of
parking—a subject that has had neighbors hopping
up and down since Holladay Corp o ra t i o n
announced plans to develop the hospital site.
Parking, however, is not an HPRB issue and as far as
Wo rship with your neighbors
In the heart of your commu n i t y.
Sunday Hours
Worship 8:30 am and 11 am
Christian Education 9:45 am
Children’s Chapel 11:20 am
Nursery Opens 9:45 am
Taizé Service Sunday Nov. 18,7pm
ABENDMUSIK SERIES Free Concert
Friday, November 2 at 7:30 pm
Douglas A.Beck,Organ
Eggs-traordinary
Capons • Turkeys •
Ducks • Cornish Hens
Eggs-traordinary
Capons • Turkeys •
Ducks • Cornish Hens
Mel, Sr. Mel, Jr.
MARKET POULTRY
Eastern Market
225 7th St., SE 202-543-7470
MARKET POULTRY
Eastern Market
225 7th St., SE 202-543-7470
38 www.voiceofthehill.com
the station folk (real estate folk are so good at this
you know) she found out that the dogs were strays,
which stopped her in her tracks.
Beth back-burnered her trip to locate a temporary
home for the pair in coconut land, but doesn’t
want to leave them there. Jer rene and Beth want to
b ring them here for placement—to g eth e r.
“Keeping these buddies together is a priority,” she
tells us. “It’s amazing that they have survived much
less stuck together.”
The dogs are about 2 years old, maybe younger,
and have had all their shots. Jer rene adds that she’s
been told “the Dalmation ësmiles’ a lot. Both are
friendly, sweet, sweet animals and deserve all the
best.”
If you have room in your home and your heart,
call Jerrene at 546-7000 ext 230.
Mayor Tells the Voice First
BY MARK SEGRAV E S
National Airport to Reopen Soon
M ayor Anth o ny Williams and Congre s s wo m a n
Eleanor Holmes Norton, along with other local officials
are meeting this morning with President Bush
at the White House. “The President is going to reopen
National Airport” Williams said. “I expect it
to be open within days” the Mayor went on to say.
Congresswoman Norton was less sure of the decision
saying only, “ I hope he’ll be telling us that our
airport will be opening.”
Sources close to the Mayor said that the opening
would be on a limited basis and may only be for
service to a few cities at first. Estimates had the closing
of National affecting more than 70,000 local
jobs. The region’s busiest airport has been closed
since terrorist attacks September 11. The Mayor and
Congresswoman were both on Capitol Hill attending
the Watkins Elementary School walk to School
Day.
October is Gay History Month
The SE Library Celebrates
O c tober 1. Dave Gantt, adult libra rian at th e
S o u th e a st Libra ry, has sent along a short Gay
History quiz:
1. Who was the first black civil rights leader to
speak out publicly for gay rights?
2. Who was John Lennon talking about when he
said: “Better than Elvis...When I heard [him], it was
so great I couldn’t speak.”
Sea Kayak
the Potomac
Experience,Discover,Explore
• Evening, day, and half day trips
• Nature watching
• Instruction
CHARLES AGLE
THE PATHFINDER GROUP
202-546-0269
kayaking@washpathfind.com
3. Who was the first black news anchor man in
the US?
4. What was the first country on earth to extend
equal rights to gays and lesbians in its constitution?
The answers to Dave’s questions can be found at
the end of this article-and also in the special display
he’s created at the library in celebration of Gay
History month. He’s also scheduled related activit
i e s - l i ke to m o rrow night’s reading by gay poet
Robert Giron, who’ll be speaking at 7:30 PM in
front of the fireplace. Giron’s poetry, says Dave, “is
uplifting and all-inclusive, so if you feel like getting
a little positive inspiration in these hard times, this
program may just be for you!”
Also at the Libra ry this month: The Book
Discussion Group is reading “Baghdad Without a
Map” by Tony Horwitz, a fascinating look at real life
the Arab world. The book club is open to all, so just
hop on over and listen in. The next meeting is
October 16, at 6:30 PM.
And don’t fo r g et The Big Book Sale! That’s
Saturday, October 20 from 10-4. Lotsa books—stock
up for cold weather reading!!
Quiz answers:
1. Huey Newton of the Black Panthers.
2. Little Richard (Richard Penniman).
3. Max Robinson, who was also gay. Max’s brother
is Randall Robinson, author of “The Debt.”
4. South Africa.
Overbeck History Project Takes Off
BY JOHN FRANZEN
The newly launched Ruth Ann Overbeck Capitol
Hill History Project reports great success in recruiting
its first round of volunteers. More than 30
members of the community have already stepped
forward to help with this effort to tape record the
recollections of longtime neighborhood residents.
As I mentioned in the August issue of the Voice, the
Overbeck Project plans to build a permanent, accessible,
ongoing record of the people, places and
events that have shaped our community.
Training of the project’s first round of interviewers
begins this month with the help of some of the
nation’s best oral history experts, including longtime
Hill residents John Vlach of George
Wa s h i n g ton Un i ve rsity and Peter Bartis of th e
A m e rican Fo l k l i fe Center at the Libra ry of
Congress. Also, Nancy Metzger, who’s been tape
recording neighborhood old timers for several years
under the auspices of the Capitol Hill Restoration
Society, will be heading up the Overbeck Project’s
“search committee”—identifying good interview
prospects and linking them up with the volunteer
interviewers.
The pro j e c t’s managers, Jim and Bern a d et t e
McMahon, say th ey need more vo l u n t e e rs, not
only to conduct the interviews but to help with
tape transcription, archiving and other needs. And
of course they want to hear from you if you know
someone who ought to be interviewed. You can
phone Jim and Bernadette at 543-4544 or email
them at McMahons@his.com. The Ove r b e ck
Project is sponsored by the CHAMPS Community
Foundation. Its web site (www.CapitolHillHistory.
org) will be up soon.
Have an Affair to Remember?
Films, meetings, ga rage sales, arts shows — m a ke
sure the word gets out. The Voice of the Hill’s on-line
calendar lets you avoid the middle-person and post
your event in a twinkling—and entries that are still
timely will automatically be included in our next
print edition.
All you need to do is click on the calendar bar at
the top of this page and select “Submit to the
Calendar.”
You’ll be asked for your name, organization and
phone number so that we can reach you if there are
any problems or questions about your posting. This
information will NOT show in the listing.
Now fill in the form with up to 35 perfectly polished
words describing your event, click “submit,”
and you’re done
Note: if your listing is a play or other event that
will have showings over the course of several days
or weeks, each of those dates and times must be
entered. We’ve made this easy to do (though it may
feel confusing at first—it did to the editor until she
got the hang of it). Once you’ve typed in your copy
and clicked submit, a screen pops up thanking you
and asking if you wish to continue submitting
events. Click on the gray bar and you’ll return to
the data entry screen, which will still contain your
contact and event information. All you’ll need to
do is change the date or the time and click submit.
And so on.
If you’ve sent an entry and realized you’ve made
a mess of things (something else the editor did several
times before figuring this thing out) contact
the we b m a st e r: bru c e @ vo i c e o fthehill.com, and
he’ll fix it for you. Also let him know if you’re hav-
were in the area of interest for purchase were the
ones, for the most part, who got their lots laid out
first, who knew there were going to be X number
of lots. You did not necessarily have them all g ridded
out for you, nor the alley cut shown on the
land. You had it on a piece of paper. You can do a
whole lot on a piece of paper, but you cannot necessarily
sell it, so you have to have the other things
done as well.
There are all sorts of ins tances in which Mr. Soand-
so wrote the commissioner that he needed to
have his lot line laid out because somebody was
ready to build. That was an exciting day because
the one thing they needed were buildings. The
one thing they were not getting with any degree of
plentitude were buildings.
People were not that interested in coming to the
city to live on a permanent basis. Many of the
workers at the Capitol lived in dormitories that
were built right on the Capitol grounds. Many
people were building… Temporaries. Far [more]
temporary than the ones that used to stand down
on the Mall from World War I and World War II
that the military built. These were almost shanties
that people were living in. The houses on the front
of the street…the primary houses were supposed to
be fireproof, brick or stone, and only back buildings,
i.e., toilets ... Outdoor summer kitchens,
could be framed. There was not enough money to
go around. There were not enough tools, equipment,
enough supplies, enough of anything.
Everything needed to put the city together was
lacking.
So, we have a lot of temporary building early on,
and we have people clustered around nodes of
work. You have people not necessarily needing
their lots laid out. When they did, great excitement
occurred. The lines got laid and the deed got
recorded, and off we went to build a house.
The buildings could be built as close to the lot
line as you wanted, side to side, front or back, and
there was no such thing as a public utility—period.
You were out there on your own. You may as
well have been living in the countr y, except for the
fact you had the city of Washington as a post
office.
You had to furnish your own outhouse.… Many
people found Washington so hot that rather than
building kitchens in their basements they built
outdoor kitchens. Some people built them in their
basements, initially, and then the first time they
went through a summer, they put a summer
kitchen out back for use during the hot weather.
The houses, for the most part, were cube-like.…
They would measure anywhere from one room
that was 11 feet wide, maybe even as little as 10
feet wide, to two rooms, with maybe a central hall,
that would be as much as 30 feet wide. The larger
the house, the more it was the exception. For the
most part, the houses were between 10 and 20 feet
wide. One room, if they were less than approximately
15 feet wide; [if more,] two rooms across
the front and maybe another two rooms across the
back, and maybe not. Then they would g row like
monopoly houses, to the second story or to the
third story.
Some of the houses are g rander. One of those is
the house of William Mayn Duncanson that still
stands on Capitol Hill.… He was an Englishman.
He came with Thomas Law to the United States.
They were illustrious in their careers in India with
the East India Trade Company. They made an
enormous amount of money, brought that enormous
amount of money with them to Washington
and established their homes. The Duncanson
house stands in the 600 block of South Carolina
Avenue.… It faces in a more or less southerly direction.
It is one of the few houses in the city that
does not parallel the street it faces. It parallels in
back, on D Street. We are not exactly sure why this
happened, whether there was an error in alignment
or whatever.
Duncanson was the only man in the city whose
slaves or whose servants wore full livery. And they
took a real ribbing for this. Duncanson built his
house in 1795, 1796. It took about two years to get
it finished. It is the epitome of what would be the
Georgian townhouse. He designed it to be a townhouse
to entertain. And indeed, it is a place where
both Washington and Jefferson dined. He had gilt
ballroom chairs. He had wonderful mirrors, beautiful
silver, lovely, lovely furnishings. He had a
wine seller that was rumored to rival that of
Thomas Jefferson.
And he was one of the men who got caught
belly up in the financial crash when all the mortgages
started coming down, because he had not
pulled his paper, his deeds away, or his mortgages
away, from the combine of Robert Morris and John
Nicholson.
His partner in coming to the United States, in
coming to Washington, Thomas Law, on the other
hand, had separated his paper out and did not go
bankrupt.
Franzén: The Duncanson house is still a residence?
Overbeck: It is what is now Friendship House.…
It was a residence until the 1930s, and an anonymous
angel bought it in the 1930s, about 1935, to
give as a gift to Friendship House. Friendship
House was a very early settlement house.
Friendship House was started down by the Navy
Yard in the early 1900s, in the Hull House manner,
to serve the community of primarily immigrants
who had come to that neighborhood, to teach a
second language, teach people how to become
American citizens, take in the battered, the
abused. It was a live-in social service agency. Like
Hull House
www.voiceofthehill.com 39
Ruthann Overbeck Tapes continued
ing problems with the form, or find something
about this process confusing. We want to make
posting to the calendar as easy as possible so that
you’ll use it—and we can all benefit.
St. Peter’s School Annual PTO
Auction
Saturday, November 3, 2001
With fine food, music and enter tainment from the
1950s, the evening promises to be a fun one with
opportunities to bid on “getaway packages” and
more:
A winter week in the garden spot of Mexico,
Puerto Vallarta! A summer week on pristine, secluded
Shelter Island, New York! A weekend in New
York City, including tickets to a Broadway show!
T h e a t re ticket s — Studio Theatre, Wo o l ly
M a m m oth, Shake s p e a re Theatre , Folger Theatre ,
Signature Theatre, and Classika Theatre and the
P u p p et Comp a ny for kids! Sporting eve n t s —
Redskins, Wi z a rds, Capitals, Hoyas! Lunch e s ,
b ru n ches, and dinners at all your favo ri t e
Washington, D.C. restaurants!
Pardoe Real Estate of Capitol Hill has signed on
for the third year in a row as the event’s patron
sponsor. Among the other area businesses supporting
this annual event are: Phyllis Jane Young of
Pardoe, Tom and Alice Faison of RE/MAX Capitol
Realtors, Riverby Books, Ben & Jerry’s of Union
Station, the Old Post Office, and Dupont Circle,
Capitol Hill Exxon, Jackie Von Schlegl of RE/MAX
Capitol Realtors, Hugh Kelly of Pardoe, Hodgson
Design/Build, Tu n n i c l i f f’s Re sta u rant, and Larry
Chartinietz of Pardoe.
The annual auction raises funds for the activities
of the St. Pet e r’s Interp a rish School (Pre k i ndergarten
through 8th grade). This year, in addition
to funding tuition assistance, proceeds also
will go toward renovation of the schoolís upper
playground. Tickets are $40.00 per person; $45.00
at the door.
For further information on this event, including
donations and tickets, please contact Monica
Snellings at 202 / 544 - 16 34 or Patty Curran at
202/543-8946.
Master Business License Workshop
On Tu e s d ay October 30, 2001, Councilmember
A m b rose and Mr. Leo Pinson, Neighborh o o d
Services Coordinator, will host a workshop to assist
business owners in understanding the new Master
Business License (MBL) procedures in the District
of Columbia. The workshop will be located at Hine
Junior High School, 8th and Pennsylvania Ave., SE
from 6:00-8:00 p.m. The Department of Consumer
and Regulatory Affairs has initiated a new process
for business licensing and renewals, and this will be
an opportunity for you to become aware of those
procedures before you have to comply with the regulations.
The Master Business License Program
streamlines DC government licensing procedures
and requires all District businesses with $2,000 or
more in annual gross receipts to have a DC Master
Business License. The District of Columbia Master
Business License Pro gram (MBL Pro gram) is
designed to improve the regulatory processes that
you must go through to operate your business.
The program provides the following improvements:
• More comp re h e n s i ve customer info rm a t i o n
and instructions on how to apply for and obtain
business licenses and associated permits.
• A reduction in the number of applications and
forms required
• Two-year license renewal periods, instead of
annual renewals
• The issuance of a single license document,
showing all of the types of business activities you
are approved for, rather than multiple licenses.
• Renewal of all license endorsements at one
time, instead of at different staggered periods.
The Master Business License Program created the
Master Business License A for businesses that, prior
to implementation of legislation creating the program,
already needed a license. Generally, these
types of businesses require background investigations,
inspection and certification of the proposed
business locations. The Master Business License B is
for any business that does not re qu i re Mast e r
Business License A and generates $2,000 or more in
gross receipts. For example, a hotel owner who
operates a flower shop in the hotel would only need
a Master Business License A. If someone o ther than
the owner of the hotel owned the flower shop (i.e.,
someone leasing space in the hotel), the flower
shop would need a separate Master Business License
B.
Following a presentation about the MBL, experts
from DCRA will be available to answer any questions
you may have about the licensing of your
business. Don’t miss this opportunity!
40 www.voiceofthehill.com
PROUDLY SPONSORED BY Jackie
PEACHES AND POOH BEAR
K i d s ’ C a l e n d a r Activities of Particular Interest to Kids and Their Pare n t s
Jackie von Schlegel, CBR, GRI
Capitol Hill is our neighborhood, we hope you’ll make it yours.
202-547-5600 (W) • 202-543-4296 (H)
email: jvonschlegel@aol.com / Licensed in DC, MD and VA
REMAX Capital Realtors
Saturday, October 27
n Explore the world by touching, climbing, tasting
and using your imagination at this hands-on museum
dedicated to children. The day’s admission is free,
and sponsored by the Freddie Mac Foundation in
honor of their ten year anniversary.
Time: 10AM-5PM. Location: Capital Children’s
Museum
n A Tribute to Bravery Ceremony and candlelight
vigil to honor the DC Metropolitan Police Department
and the DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services
Department for heroic efforts to protect the District
of Columbia Special Invited Guests: US Pentagon Fire
and Police Departments, New York Fire and Police
Departments, Alexandria, VA Fire and Police
Departments, Arlington, VA Fire and Police
Departments Montgomery County, MD Fire and Police
Departments, Prince Georges County, MD Fire and
Police Departments, Open to the general public.
Public encouraged to bring candles for Candlelight
Vigil.
Time: 4-7PM. Location: Freedom Plaza 1300 Blcok
of Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Sunday, October 28
n EMPDC has its First Annual Eastern Market
Apple Pie Bake-Off.
Location: Eastern Market
n Annual Washington, DC Halloween Dog Costume
Contest! Compete for Prizes in 5 Categories:
Scariest, Funniest, Haute Couture Hound, Best
Disguise, and Best in Show! No entry fee or advance
registration required.
Time: 2PM. Location: Lincoln Park
Wednesday, October 31
n Spooky Stories and Wretched Recipes: Read
spooky stories from Japan in the CCM cave with our
very own witch! The Old Man and the Fox is an old
Japanese tale that will give you delicious chills and
thrills. Come and enjoy some horrifying treats! See
the front desk for times the day of the activity.
Location: Capital Children’s Museum
n 12th Annual Hill-o-ween. Hundreds of balloons,
face painting, hayrides and more.
Time: 5pm-8pm. Location: Acrosss from
EasternMarket
Tuesday, November 6
n Toddler Storytime for 3-5 year-olds with an adult.
Join us for stories, songs, poems, films and more.
Time: 10AM. Location: Northeast Neighborhood
Library,330 7th St., N.E.
n Arts & Crafts for the Kids
Time: 7PM. Location: Southeast Librar y
Wednesday, November 7
n Story Time
Time: 10am. Location: Southeast Librar y
Saturday, November 10
n Saturday Cinema for preschool-elementary age kids
featuring short films based on children’s literature
Time: 11AM. Location: Northeast Neighborhood
Library,330 7th St., N.E.
Tuesday, November 13
n Mem Fox event is rescheduled! Ms. Fox, children’s
author and self-described “missionary for literacy,”
will discuss with parents and educators about her
latest book, “Reading Magic,” and the importance of
reading aloud with children.
Time: 6:30PM. Location: Northeast Neighborhood Library
is located at 330 7th St., N.E.
n Arts & Crafts for the Kids
Time: 7PM. Location: Southeast Librar y
Wednesday, November 14
n Story Time
Time: 10am, Location: Southeast Librar y
Saturday, November 17
n Saturday Cinema for preschool-elementary age kids
featuring short films based on children’s literature
Time: 11AM, Location: Northeast Neighborhood
Library,330 7th St., N.E.
Tuesday, November 20
n Arts & Crafts for the Kids
Time: 7PM , Location: Southeast Librar y
n Toddler Storytime for 3-5 year-olds with an adult.
Join us for stories, songs, poems, films and more.
Time: 10AM. Location: Northeast NeighborhoodLibrary,
330 7th St., N.E.
Wednesday, November 21
n Story Time
Time: 10am, Location: Southeast Librar y
Saturday, November 24
n Saturday Cinema for preschool-elementary age kids
featuring short films based on children’s literature
Time: 11AM. Location: Northeast Neighborhood Library,
330 7th St., N.E.
Tuesday, November 27
n Toddler Storytime for 3-5 year-olds with an adult.
Join us for stories, songs, poems, films and more.
Time: 10AM, Location: Northeast Neighborhood
Library,330 7th St., N.E.
n Arts & Crafts for the Kids
Time: 7PM, Location: Southeast Library
Wednesday, November 28
n Story Time
Time: 10am, Location: Southeast Librar y
www.voiceofthehill.com 41
C a p i t a lK i d s
Idon’t live in Capitol Hill, but I wish I did. I real -
ized this recently when I came to the Hill to
check out the Renovator’s House Tour, organized
to benefit Watkins Elementary School. On
this picture perfect autumn Saturday, it seemed
that everyone had let go of the workweek stress and
replaced it with a small-town mellowness. As I
walked down the street to purchase my ticket for
the tour, I encountered friendly people everywhere
— families with kids, people walking dogs, friends
and roommates having yard sales. People said hello
or smiled.
A house tour sounded intere sting, but I wa s
apprehensive. I get nervous going to my own art
openings because of the “scene” and here I feared I
might really be out of my element. I don’t own a
home; I am young and I don’t have a glamorous
career. But as I arrived to the first house, my insecurities
faded. I joined right in to the progression of
families with kids, older adults and young homeowners
as we traipsed through the diverse and creatively-
renovated homes on the tour. The connectedness
of the community became increasingly evident.
Young ch i l d ren recognized the rooms of
f riends. Pa rents ta l ked about soccer games and
schoolwork.
This tour was not about perfection, but rather
about the energetic spirit that seems to permeate
Capitol Hill. The first house I entered—12 Ninth
Street, SE—is beautiful with its bright red dining
room, tiled fireplace and kitchen with exposed
brick walls. Outside is a roofless brick garage used
for bike s torage and a basketball hoop. A magnolia
tree’s stray branches now enter where the roof once
was. This house’s twin—10 Ninth St re et, SE —
shows the range of possibilities for this type of
space. The downstairs rooms are very white with
lots of art on the walls. A huge sectioned window
overlooks the garden and deck area from the breakfast
bar.
One of the true surprises along the tour was 125
Twelfth Street, NE. Though the outside maintains
its turn-of-the-century appearance, the inside is a
work of modern architectural art. The kitchen has
dark granite countertops and a wonderful sitting
area with enlivened with animal-print pillows. A
winding staircase exposes all three floors and opens
to a divine roof deck with a barbecue and sitting
area.
The next two houses—another set of twins—
again illustrate the diversity of the neighborhood.
The home at 1323 No rth Carolina Avenue, NE
houses a family full of children. Each bedroom
reflects its inhabitant, while the dow n sta i rs
remains traditional and homey. Its twin—13 21
North Carolina Avenue, NE—feels more modern
with its track lighting and open floor plan. It has,
perhaps, one of the best roof decks in the city — a
simple wooden square containing only two lounge
chairs and an umbrella, accessed by a wooden ladder.
The inhabitants studied Italian at a table in the
backyard, while visitors streamed through.
A different experience unfolded at each of the
houses, according to its own unique character. At
157 Kentucky Avenue, SE a tour guide handed out
SweetTarts to visitors—a reference to the bright colors
found in every room of the house. With the
chartreuse dining room and the pink living room,
it was easy to catch the association. At 350 Eleventh
Street, SE a young girl greeted guests with music
from her violin.
With ideas for all kinds of spaces and budgets,
the tour provided much inspiration for th o s e
involved in, or preparing to take on renovation
projects of their own. Katherine Coyle, one of the
organizers, called it “an idea tour.” The houses fea -
t u re more re a l i stic re n ovation ideas than what
Renovators House Tour Debut Nets
$25,000 for Watkins Elementary
They came early and often…here the crowds wait patiently outside Gregory and Stephanie Cavanaugh’s home at
242 Kentucky Ave., SE, for the first annual Renovators House Tour.
A whimsical mosaic at 900 South Carolina Ave. SE
42 www.voiceofthehill.com
might be featured in a glossy architectural magazine,
though the results might fool you. At 242
Ke n t u cky Avenue, SE, Gre g o ry and St e p h a n i e
C avanaugh installed a hospital sink in th e i r
kitchen, which is just as attractive as a traditional
kitchen sink, but cost a lot less. Another couple—
Kris Swanson and Roy Mustelier—invited friends
over for beer and to help work on their house, better
known as “The Corner Store” at 900 South
Carolina Ave. SE. In less than three months they
had completed their renovation project.
Perhaps it is this willingness to help that in one
sense defines the Capitol Hill neighborhood. Coyle
called it “a cooperative atmosphere” where people
watch out for each other and each other’s families.
She described a renewed interest of parents in sending
kids to D.C. public schools instead of private
schools and the positive impact this in turn is having
on the neighborhood schools. Another tour
organizer and Watkins parent, Jackie Sink, said that
the D.C. public schools are improving rapidly and
that it’s a shame that they have a less-than-glowing
reputation. She recounted a story of a local student
who recently got a scholarship to Cornell. “These
kids go on to achieve,” she said.
The idea for the tour began when the parents of
Watkins Elementary needed to come up with a idea
for a fundraiser for the school — something other
than the standard wrapping paper sale or silent
auciton. Coyle said they wanted “a different way to
raise money that would be fun.” Once the house
tour idea had been set into motion, the community
rallied; Sink said she and her co-organizers were deluged
with offers to help. “You put out the word and
they just come out of the cracks,” Sink said. Over
130 people volunteered to work at the featured
houses, including students’ family members, teachers
and school administrators. Five local businesses
( Trover Books, Antiques on the Hill, Gru b b ’s
Pharmacy, Remax and Randolph Cree) offered to
sell tickets at their stores. Other businesses contributed
by sponsoring one of the houses on the
to u r. This generosity helped to underw rite th e
fundraiser so that 100% of the ticket sales could be
donated to Watkins. Over 850 tickets were sold and
the fundraiser met its goal of $25,000. The proceeds
will be used to hire an assistant for the guidance
counselor at Watkins.
Courtney Bell is a Washington writer and artist whose
work is on display in the Capitol Hill Art League exhib -
it currently at the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop.
Although not a Hill resident, she’s now on the lookout
for an apartment in the neighborhood.
Arguably one of the best roof decks in the city at 1321 North Carolina Avenue.
The twins at 1321 and 1323 North Carolina Ave. NE
cordially invites you to attend our
OPEN HOUSE
Tuesday, November 6, 2001 • 7:30 p.m.
Prekindergarten-8th Grade Enrollment for Fall 2002
• Field Education • Computer Lab • Spanish and French
• Art/Music/Drama • Physical Education • After School Program
• Summer Camp • Transportation • Founded 1969
Accredited by Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
& Association of Independent Maryland Schools
210 South Carolina Avenue, SE • Washington, DC 20003
For additional information or to schedule a visit call
202/547-2244 ext. 120
Visit us at our web site: http://www.chds.org
Capitol Hill Day School
Numbers 10 and 12 Ninth Street SE
www.voiceofthehill.com 43
Autumn is a beautiful time of year on Capitol Hill.
The swe l t e ring humidity that is summer in
Wa s h i n g ton is replaced by a pleasant, cool
breeze. The lush, green leaves that shade our
p a rks tra n s fo rm into colorful fall fo l i a g e .
Eastern Market’s produce offerings gradually
shift from ears of corn and ripe tomatoes to
c risp fall apples and hearty squash. Our
clothing morphs into stylish sweaters and
boots—dingy cut-off shorts and logo T-shirts
are thankfully packed away.
The fall months offer plenty of interesting
distractions for grown-ups, but it is not the
best season to be a kid.
For our neighborhood’s younger residents,
autumn means an end to lazy summer months
and the beginning of the school year. The season
provides fewer hours of daylight for playing
outside, and what was a time for deliciously drippy
ice cream cones now means 31 flavors of…soup.
Despite fall’s numerous trespasses aga i n st th e
young, the season of rust and gold is not entirely
without merit. One single day at the end of October
redeems all three of the season’s miserable months.
That day, of course, is…HALLOWEEN!
There are plenty of kooky, spooky activities going
on in observance of The Big Day. The numerous
happenings on the Hill are a great w ay to supplement
your family’s Halloween celebration. Or, if
your little ones aren’t quite old enough to make the
t raditional door- to-door rounds, these activities
offer a great alternative to trick-or-treating.
Activities are taking place the entire week leading
up to the event, which means double the fun, double
the candy, and, of course, double the cavities. So
walk soft ly and carry a big to oth b ru s h — i t’s
Halloween on the Hill!
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 21
Capital Children’s Museum Halloween
Party for museum members, 3rd and
H Street, NE.
Members of the Capitol Children’s Museum are
treated to a special Halloween party from 3 to 6 PM
today. The museum gives members an opportunity
to eat, drink and be scary while enjoying numerous
Halloween activities. The party includes a celebration
of Day of the Dead, a celebration of the lives of
those who have passed away, spooky stories told in
a cave by a witch, and a Mad scientist lab! Be sure
to wear your costume and enter the costume contest!
For more information contact the museum
at 679-4149.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 26
Haunted Mansion 2001: Friendship
House, 619 D Street, SE
For one day only, F riendship House becomes a
haunted house! Haunted Mansion 2001 features
a haunted house, ghost sto ries, bobbing fo r
apples, and a Halloween dance just for kids! The
party is on the grounds of Friendship House from 6-
10 PM. The rain date is Halloween night. For more
information contact Friendship House at 675-9050.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 26
Films on the Hill: Capitol Hill Arts
Workshop, 545 7th Street, SE
The Capitol Hill Arts Workshop’s Films on the Hill
series presents a special Halloween Double Feature:
Dracula (1931) and Dracula’s Daughter (1936). Older
children who do not scare easily will love this gruesome
twosome presentation. After all, they deserve
to see the original version of this age-old tale acted
out sans Winona Ryder. Show time is 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are $5 at the door only. Contact CHAW at
547-6839 for more information.
Please join us for the Capitol Hill
Baseball and Softball League Fundraiser
Saturday, October 27, 2001 from 4-8 pm
American Legion Hall, 3rd and D Streets, SE
$20 donation at the door only
Kids in baseball shirts are free!
More info? 202-546-7000 ext. 251
Kooky and Sp o o k y …
The Hill is crawling with Halloween events
44 www.voiceofthehill.com
LOG ON
for FULL
DETAILS!
www.
chaw.org
Hot Stuff on the Hill!
SAVE THE DATES
December 14, 15, and 16
The Second Annual Winter Wonderland Weekend
It's never too early to make plans for the holiday season! Join us for the 2nd
annual Winter Wonderland Weekend, featuring performances of the Jazz & Hip
Hop nutcracker, the return of the season's premiere holiday party, the SNOW
BALL, and the 16th annual Winter Revelry Holiday House Tour. Come to one
event or come to all three. Package discounts available. Tickets on sale now.
Jazz & Hip-Hop Nutcracker: December 14, 15, 16
The Snow Ball: December 15
Winter Revelry Holiday House Tour: December 16
Call 202.547.6839 for more info or to reserve your tickets today!
THIRD ANNUAL PUMPKIN CARVING WORKSHOP
Saturday October 27 10:00am-12:00pm. $5/person ($10 maximum per family)
You must register beforehand. B.Y.O.P. (bring your own pumpkin)
THEATER ALLIANCE: GOSPEL AT COLONUS
Opening Nov 29
by Lee Breuer
directed by Paul-Douglas Michnewicz, Musical Direction by James Foster
Nov 29, 30, Dec 6,7,13,14,20,21 at 7:30 pm and Dec 22 at 3:30 pm
Tickets: $20 on sale now.
CAPITOL HILL ART LEAGUE: FACING REALITY
On exhibit November 1-30 in the gallery at the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop
Opening reception/Gallery talk with guest judge, Astrid Kleivdal: Thursday Nov
1, 7:30-9pm
Free to the public; all are invited.
FILMS ON THE HILL
Nov 9: Marlene Dietrich Festival I: THE WOMAN THAT MEN YEARN FOR (1929),
7:30 pm • Nov 10: Marlene Dietrich Festival II: KNIGHT WITHOUT ARMOR (1937),
7:30 pm • Nov 16: American Silent Comedy: NOW OR NEVER (1921) and HOT
WATER (1924), 7:30 pm • Admission to each film is $5 and is payable at the door
only.
WINTER 2001 CLASSES: Adult evening classes in Photography, Drawing,
Drama, Ballroom, Cha-Cha, Tae Kwon Do, Ceramics, and MORE! Winter session
runs November 12-January 28. REGISTER NOW!!
202-547-6839
545 7th St., SE /Washington, DC 20003
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 27
Halloween Dance and Haunted Yard:
Christ Episcopal Church, 620 G
Street, SE
A night of Halloween fun that the entire family can
enjoy! Christ Church’s Halloween Dance (for big
people) and Haunted Yard (for little people) is sure
to be a big hit with grown-ups, kids, and maybe
even a sullen teenager or two. The jazz band DC
Swing provides swing tunes while you dance the
night away. Costume contests, games and apple
bobbing for the kids takes place in the “Haunted
Yard.” Childcare is provided (that’s right, child
care) while you dance. Costumes are encouraged.
The party gets started at 7 PM. For more info, call
Christ Church at 547-9300.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 27
Pumpkin Carving Workshop:
Capitol Hill Arts
Workshop, 545 7th
Street, SE
Be the envy of your neighbors by
placing beautifully carved jack o’lanterns on
your porch—not those painted on jobs that have
become popular in recent years. The Capitol Hill
Arts Workshop’s Third Annual Pumpkin Carving
Contest provides all of the tools you need – including
snacks to much on while you work. All you
need to bring is yo u rself, your family, and th e
pumpkin of your choice. CHAW Director and master
pumpkin carver Jeffe ry Watson leads th e
workshop from 10 AM until 12 PM. Fee: $5 per
person ($10 max per family) Call 547-6839 to
register before October 26.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30
Southeast Branch Library
Halloween Party: Southeast
Library, 7th and D Streets,
SE
The Southeast Branch Library is
open late tonight as they host a
very special Halloween party
for kids of all ages. Face
painting, fo rtune telling,
scary sto ries, and
H a l l oween cra fts are all
part of the package. And for
tots who are still a little young fo r
spooky stories (or older kids who prefer fairy tales to
horror stories), the library gives a showing of the
classic filmstrip, “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie
B rown!” The party runs from 7 until 8:45 PM.
Contact the Library at 727-1377 for additional info.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31
Capital Children’s Museum Halloween
Festivities, 3rd and H Street, NE
In addition to their members only part y, th e
Capital Children’s Museum hosts events all day on
Halloween that are open to the general public. A
witch reads Japanese tales like “The Old Man and
the Fox” in the cave and treacherous treats are available
for your enjoyment. Check in at the museum’s
front desk on Halloween Day for a full list of activities.
Contact the museum at 675-4120 for more
details.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31
A Halloween Pumpkin Patch Party:
Northeast Library, 7th and Maryland
Ave, NE
The Northeast Library hosts A Halloween Pumpkin
Patch Party for pre-school and elementary school
aged children. The library provides candy, cider,
and cookies in a pumpkin patch setting – complete
with a bale of hay and a real scarecrow! The festivities
take place from 2-4 PM on the lawn of the
library, weather permitting. Call 727-1365 for additional
info.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31
Tyler Elementary and Potomac
Gardens Halloween Party: Antiques
and Contemporary Leasing, 709 12th
Street, SE.
Antique and Contemporary Leasing hosts its annual
party for students of Tyler Elementary school and
residents of Potomac Gardens. The bash is open to
Tyler and Potomac children up to Grade 6. Kids get
their picture taken with a witch and receive a special
goodie bag to take home. Costumes are encouraged.
The party takes place in the parking lot in
front of the store from 3-5 p.m. Contact the store
for more info at 547-3030.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31
Hill-O-Ween: Eastern Market, 7th
Street and North Carolina Avenue, SE
Now in its 10th year, this Hill-O-Ween celebration
promises to be one of the best ever. The Pardoe Real
Estate-sponsored event features face painting, balloons,
candy, hay rides, and much, much more!
Tunnicliff’s Tavern passes out Halloween grab bags.
The festivities take place from 5-8 PM—ending in
plenty of time to hit the streets for some quality
trick-or-treating. For more information about Hill-
O-Ween, contact Don Denton at Pardoe Real Estate,
546-7000 X 226.
Happy Halloween!
NOTE!
Please
designate
the Arts
Workshop
in the
Combined
Federal
Campaign
CFC #7660
Friday 11.09.01
Live long and prosper—by
eating a healthy breakfast.
Take the time to
chew too.
Saturday 11.10.01
There’s a time to buy and
a time to sell. If you’re
buying after 1:40 PM ñ
don't spend much.
Sunday 11.11.01
Find a veteran…if you
have to visit a cemeter y.
Say “Thanks!”
Monday 11.12.01
Make time this eve for
silence.
Tuesday 11.13.01
What’s your preference—
a poke in the eye, or a
kind word? When you're
scared ñ which do you
practice?
Wednesday 11.14.01
Look for things lost.
Thursday 11.15.01
Start something new. And
think BIG!
Friday 11.16.01
Just before lunch, consider
this: What's the quickest
way to start a
Peace?
Saturday 11.17.01
Around 7:30 PM make
plans. Later, sneak a
peek outside. Wish upon
a falling star.
Sunday 11.18.01
Get some duct tape. Use
it to pull your lips into a
smile that will last all
day.
Monday 11.19.01
When you get to work,
walk like a giraffe. Notice
if anyone notices.
Tuesday 11.20.01
How many friends do you
have? Invite everyone to
join you for a nite of bowling.
Wednesday 11.21.01
After lunch think about
your personal contribution
to world peace. Return to
this thought from time to
time this afternoon, &
through the eve til you
drop into slumberland.
Thursday 11.22.01
Do you overeat when
you're emotional?
Between chews think of
something you might do
for children going to bed
hungry anywhere in the
world.
www.voiceofthehill.com 45
S TA R RY
DAYS
Eastern Time Edition
Your Astrological Guide
to the Pursuit of
Happiness
by Ajai
Got something you want
to do? This calendar
helps you get things
done, and it works for
everyone! There are more
Planets in Astrology then
just your Sun Sign, and
the Planets are moving.
The movement of the
Planets signals appropriate
times for different
activities. Part of what
makes this calendar
unique is that it is written
for a particular geographical
area; it is specific to
this Time Zone. There ar e
special times of the day,
every day. These
moments are important
to every one of us regardless
of our birthday, and
using this calendar can
help us all in our Pursuit
of Happiness. May you be
happy.
Friday 10.26.01
What you accomplish
today might be tied to
your ability to manage
your emotions. What we
practice is a clue to
where we excel.
Saturday 10.27.01
Like a motorist merging
with traffic from an onramp,
check out the energy
around you after lunch.
Sunday 10.28.01
There is a potential for
excitement after 11 PM
so choose your early nite
time activities according
to your desires. Example:
if you want some ZZs
maybe don't watch TV
this eve.
Monday 10.29.01
Just after 9 am, become
quiet. Tune into your intuition,
your personal onsite
24/7 guidance system.
Tuesday 10.30.01
The Planet Uranus turns
Direct at 5:55 PM. Shift
your gears. Look around.
Be alert all day.
Opportunities can show
up in the least expected
places.
Wednesday 10.31.01
Try this b'fast alternative
to a donut: Fresh fruit!
Pause for a couple of minutes.
Sit quietly. Enjoy
your refueling experience.
Thursday 11.01.01
The Moon is Full. Be a
good and goofy giggler, a
zealous giggler. May your
giggling incite giggles.
Friday 11.02.01
Slow down. The Planet
Jupiter is about to go
backwards. Take some
time to reflect upon
America's values ñ values
to be celebrated, and val -
ues we can improve.
Saturday 11.03.01
Reach out, in the early
eve, literally touch someone.
Touch and say nothing.
Observe. Just touching
can be a powerful
form of communication.
Sunday 11.04.01
Later this afternoon, go
for a walk. Take someone
along. Just walk. Don't
talk. Later when you're
done with your walk, talk.
Talk about your ancestors;
how they inspired
you.
Monday 11.05.01
When you get up, stay
with your normal routine.
Around 11:00 AM stop
talking. Focus on your
tasks.
Tuesday 11.06.01
Support your home. Be a
patriot! VOTE!
Wednesday 11.07.01
Use the words of compassion
this afternoon.
Thursday 11.08.01
Join a choir. Don’t let any
concepts about your
voice stop you. Get out
there and sing with a
group! You might be surprised
how much fun
you’ll have.
Saturday, October 27
l Macbeth . Shakespeare’s
powerful play of
political intrigue, naked
ambition and calculated murder
unfolds amidst the thick,
sultry heat of 60s Louisiana
where good-old-boy politics
and southern hospitality go
hand in bloody hand.
Featuring Capitol Hill’s own
Michael Tolaydo in the title
role with Lucy Newman-
Williams as Lady Macbeth.
Directed by Joe Banno.
Folger Theatre. Today at
2:00 and 7:30 pm. Through
December 2. Wednesdays
and Thursdays at 7:30pm.
Fridays at 8:00pm.
Saturdays at 2:00 and
8:00pm. Sundays at 2:00pm
and 7:30pm.
l Explore the world by
touching, climbing, tasting
and using your imagination
at this hands-on museum
dedicated to children. The
day’s admission is free, and
sponsored by the Freddie
Mac Foundation in honor of
their ten year anniversary.
10AM-5PM Capital
Children’s Museum
l The Congressional
Cemetery Association will
sponsor a yard sale to bene -
fit the cemeter y. Saturday,
October 27th in front of
Antiques on the Hill at the
Eastern Market. 11AM at
Antiques on the Hill
l Eastern Market Histor y
Tours. $5 non-members and
free to members. 2:00PM Go
to EMPDC’s Membership
Table Near the Main
Entrance
l EMPDC’s Harvest
Dance. $15 suggested donation.
Entertainment by Land
Of Malls 8:00PM at Market
5 Gallery North Hall
l Hill Halloween Fun at
Christ Church: Halloween
Dance and Haunted Yard for
the kids sponsored by Christ
Episcopal Church at 620 G
St, SE on Saturday, October
27 at 7 PM. The jazz band,
DC Swing, will play swing
tunes while you dance the
night away. Costume contests,
games and apple bobbing
for the kids will also be
available with child care
while you dance. costume.
For more info call Christ
Church at 202-547-9300.
7PM
l The United States
Naval Academy Gospel Choir.
For more information pleas
call 202-544-1415 2PM at
Ebenezer Unite Methodist
Church, 4th & D Sts., SE
lSlabtown District
Convention, a play by Nannie
Helen Burroughs. 3PM at
Ebenezer United Methodist
Church, 4th & D Sts. SE
Refreshments after the performance.
For more information
please call 202-544-
1415
lMore Halloween Horror
from Films on the Hill: The
Bride of Frankenstein
(1935).Tickets: $5 at door
only. 7:30pm at Capitol Hill
Arts Workshop, 545 7th
Street, SE
Sunday, October 28
Eastern Market’s First
Annual “American as Apple
Pie” Bake-Off. Stop by
Eastern Market’s Fine Sweet
Shop Bakery for an entry
form. Only 30 entries will be
considered. Judges will pick
three pies as 1st, 2nd and
3rd. 2pm at Eastern Market
l The Lesbian & Gay
Chorus of Washington, D.C.
(LGCW) musically celebrates
the first five years of inspired
musical leadership of Ray
Killian. $25 includes light
fare, cash bar, and the music
of Ernie Lijoi BILLBOARD’s
“Unsigned Artist of the Year”
in 2000. 4-6 PM at Banana
Cafe, 8th and E St. SE,
upstairs. Net proceeds benefit
the LGCW and $10 of the
admission cost is taxdeductible.
202-546-1549 or
www.lgcw.org to make reservations.
Space is limited. l
Annual Washington, DC
Halloween Dog Costume
Contest! Sunday, October
28, 2001 2:00 pm, Lincoln
Park, 12th and East Capitol
Streets, Capitol Hill,
Washington, DC! Compete
for Prizes in 5 Categories:
Scariest, Funniest, Haute
Couture Hound, Best
Disguise, and Best in Show!
No entry fee or advance registration
required. 2PM at
Lincoln Park
Monday, October 29
l Music for Winds and
Piano—Enjoy scintillating
chamber music for wind quintet
and piano featuring
works by Prokofiev and
Poulenc. Refreshments following
concert. $10 donation
requested. 7:30 PM at
Capitol Hill United Methodist
Church, 421 Seward Squar e
SE (at 5th & Penn)
l Folger Poetry David St.
John Monday, 5:00 pm (seminar/
supper/reading); 7:30
pm (reading/reception).
Tickets: $40 for seminar,
supper and reading or $10
for reading. 5:00pm Folger
l A HISTORY OF AMERICAN
ART (Number 4 of 5
part lecture/slide series
with Emery Battis). Fee:
$15/lecture. 202.547.6839
to reserve tickets. 7:15
Capitol Hill Arts Workshop -
545 7th Street, SE
Tuesday October 30
l Dracula (Universal,
1931). Dir George Melford.
With Lupita Tovar, Barry
Norton. (95 min, 35mm,
Spanish without subtitles).
Bela Lugosi’s Dracula is, of
course, the standards by
which all others are judged,
but tonight you can see
Carlos Villaras as the Count
by way of comparison.
Universal filmed simultaneous
English and Spanish lan -
guage versions of Dracula,
and even used the same sets
(the Spanish version was
shot at night; please note
that our print is missing reel
3 and is NOT subtitled). 7PM
Library of Congress Pickford
Theater
l Kingman Island Update
and Briefing at Spingarn High
School. 6:30-8:30. Come
learn about how wetlands
are restored along the banks
of the Anacostia River and
the timeline for future
improvements to the Island
including public access to
the Riverwalk and Trail system.
l Master Business
License Workshop: Councilmember
Sharon Ambrose &
Ward 6 Neighborhood
Services Coordinator, Leo
Pinson invite you to a Master
Business License Workshop.
Presenters from DCRA will
instruct you on what you
need to know in order to get
your Master Business
License. Don’t get caught
without yours! 6:00pm-
8:00pm at Hine Jr. High
School 335 8th Street SE
l CONCERT Eighth
Blackbird, a six-member
instrumental group, presents
a program of all contempo -
rary American works for the
Founders Day concert in the
Coolidge Auditorium of the
Jefferson Building, at 8 p.m.
See entry for Oct. 3 for ticket
information. Contact:
(202) 707-5502. 8PM
Library of Congress
Wednesday October 31
l All Quiet on the
Western Front (Universal,
1930). Dir Lewis Milestone.
With Lew Ayres, Lewis
Wolheim, Slim Summerville.
(138 min, 35mm). For the
first time in seventy years,
audiences can fully experience
the aural and visual
power of this film. 7PM,
Pickford Theater of the
Library of Congress
l Spooky Stories and
Wretched Recipes: Read
spooky stories from Japan in
the CCM cave with our ver y
own witch! The Old Man and
the Fox is an old Japanese
tale that will give you deli -
cious chills and thrills. Come
and enjoy some horrifying
treats! See the front desk for
times the day of the activity.
Capital Children’s Museum
l Get Your FLu shot.
Sponsored by the Visiting
Nurses Association, shots
are$18 for flu and $25 for
pneumonia. Proceeds benefit
the VNA. 10am-1pm Grubbs
Pharmacy 326 East Capitol
Street.
Thursday November 1
l Rita Mae Brown, noted
author of many books and
the groundbreaking semiautobiographical
1973 novel
Ruby Fruit Jungle , is the
guest speaker of LC-Globe.
The presentation (“Did I Say
That?”), which is open to the
public, will take place in the
Mumford Room on the 6th
Floor of the Madison
Building, Library of
Congress, from 1 to 2 PM.
l An Evening with Rober t
Fulton. In 1950, Rober t
Fulton, III traveled with his
father cross-country in their
Airphibian, a “roadable” aircraft.
The ultimate transformer
of its day, the
Airphibian could conver t
from plane to automobile in
five minutes. Mr. Fulton will
talk about his childhood with
his inventor father, Robert
Edison Fulton, Jr. and their
“off-road” adventures with
the Airphibian. Call 202-357-
4473 for more information.
7:30PM Langley Theater,
National Air and Space
Museum
lANC 6A Meetings: 1st
Thursday, 7:00 pm J.O.
Wilson Elementary School
7th & K Streets, NE 7:00PM
J.O. Wilson Elementar y
School
Friday November 2
lSaints, Rejoice! The
Alexandria Choral Society
presents choral “feasts” to
celebrate All Saints and All
Souls. The ACS will perform
16th- to 20th-century works
including the classic
Requiem by Herbert Howells,
and works by Victoria, Byrd,
Barber and Tavener, as well
as Daniel Pinkham’s recent
cantata Let the Saints
Rejoice and Fissinger’s Lux
Aeterna. For more informa -
tion and to order tickets, call
202-543-1397, ext. 4.
8:00PM. St. Mark’s
Episcopal Church, 3rd & A
Sts. Streets, SE
lABENDMUSIK concer t
series, with Douglas A.
Beck, organ. Program will
include J.S. Bach’s Toccata
and Fugue in D minor and
Toccata from Symphony V,
Charles Marie Widor. Works
by other composers include
Arvo Part, William Albright
and Daniel Gawthrop. A freewill
offering will be received
at the door to benefit ELCA
Disaster Relief for Afghanistan.
7:30 PM Lutheran
Church of the Reformation,
212 E Capitol St.
lSt. Peter’s Interparish
School Annual PTO Auction
“The Getaway Lounge.” One
night only for fine food,
music and entertainment of
the 1950s. Proceeds from
live and silent auctions go to
benefit the activities of St.
Peter’s Interparish School
(preK through 8). 6:00PM
St. Peter’s Church of Capitol
Hill Parish Hall 313 Second
Street, SE, Parish Hall
l Floorcloths Workshop
(Part I of III): with Sandra
Anderson. Capitol Hill Arts
Workshop, 545 7th Street,
SE. 10:00 am - 12:30 pm.
Fee: $85/three classes.
202-547-6839 to register.
NOTE: Students must register
for all three sessions of
this workshop.
Monday November 5
l Star Chefs Raise Money
for Worthy Cause. Not on the
Hill, but close by. Taste 28
dishes prepared by 28 of
D.C.’s top chefs and help
support the March of Dimes
at the Marriott at Metro
Center 775 12th Street, NW,
6:00PM Registration, Silent
Auction opens 6:30PM.
Honorary chair, Wendy
Rieger of Channel 4, has
also arranged to auction
both herself and news
anchor, Jim Vance, for an
evening! $100/person inclusive,
$75 is tax deductible.
For tickets, contact Chantel
Saunders at 703.824.0111,
ext. 18 or email csaun -
ders@modimes.org
lWorld War II Shorts and
Documentaries: Gary Cooper
on Behalf of Army and Navy
Emergency Relief (3 min,
35mm) Der Fuehrer’s Face
(Disney, 1943). Dir Jack
Kinney. (6 min, 35mm)
Victory Bond Advertisements
(16 min, 35mm) Private
Snafu: Booby Traps (Warner
Bros., 1944). Dir Bob
Clampett. (5 min, DVD). Air
Force Training Film: Variable
Timed Fuses (10 min,
16mm) Army/Navy Screen
Magazine: Mail Call, Strictly
GI (1944) (10 min, 16mm)
and more. Pickford Theater,
Library of Congress
lFolger Poetry Renaissance
Man: A Celebration of
Sterling Brown Across the
Arts Monday, 5:00 pm (semi -
nar/supper/ reading); 7:30
pm (reading/ reception).$40
for seminar, supper and reading
or $10 for reading.
Tuesday November 6
lThe Dark Horse (Warner
Bros., 1932). Dir Alfred
Green. With Bette Davis, Guy
Kibbee. (73 min, 35mm).
Considered a poor man’s
John Barrymore is his own
day, Warren William is now
recognized as one of the
quintessential performers of
the pre-Code era. His sleazy,
amoral yet likable persona
graced a series of rough and
tumble Warner Bros. pictures
during the early sound peri -
od. The Dark Horse stars
William as a ruthless campaign
manager who promotes
a simple-minded rube
for governor. 7PM Location:
Pickford Theater, Library of
Congress
l Sharon Robinson,
Jackie Robinson’s daughter
and director of educational
programming for the Office
of the Commissioner of
Major League Baseball, will
discuss her book, Jackie’s
Nine: Jackie Robinson’s
Values to Live By (Scholastic
Inc., 2001), at the Library of
Congress at noon, Tuesday,
Nov. 6, in Room 119, first
floor, Thomas Jefferson
Building, 10 First Street S.E.
Part of the Center for the
Book’s “Books & Beyond”
series of author talks, the
program is free and open to
the public. No tickets ar e
required. The talk is co-spon -
sored with the District of
Columbia Center for the
Book, which is located at
the District of Columbia
Public Library. Noon Librar y
of Congress
l Macbeth . Folger
Theatre. See October 27 for
details.
Thursday November 8
l Special Presentation:
The Anacostia Waterfront
Initiative: Draft Framework
Plan. 6:30 - 8:00 pm
National Building Museum.
Join D.C. planning director
Andrew Altman and the AWI
consultant team for their
presentation of the preliminary
river-wide framework
plan for the Anacostia waterfront.
For more info please
call (202) 272-2448. For
more information, visit
www.anacostiawaterfront.
net
l Macbeth . Folger
Theatre. See October 27 for
details.
Friday November 9
l PEN/Malamud Award
Memorial Reading: Sherman
Alexie and Richard Ford
Friday at 8:00 pm. Reception
follows. Tickets: $25. 8PM
Folger
l Films on the Hill: The
Woman That Men Yearn Fo r
(1929) preceded by a shor t
stop-motion film, The
Footrace Between the Hare
and the Hedgehog (1921)
Description: Part I of the
Marlene Dietrich Centennial
Films. Marlene’s first starring
role. A pre-Sternber g
Marlene Dietrich is a mysterious
femme fatale who lures
a Frenchman away from his
young bride and into a shad -
owy intrigue. Silent with
piano accompaniment by Ray
Brubacher. 7:30 Capitol Hill
Arts Workshop
l Petersen String Quartet
with John Ferrari, Percussion
“...imagination to make the
familiar sound new.” Haydn:
Quartet in B-flat Major, Op
76, no. 4 (“Sunrise”)
Schulhoff: Five Pieces for
String Quartet Thomas Oboe
Lee: “Morango Almost A
Tango” (Washington
Premiere) Pavel Hass:
Quartet no. 2 for String
Quartet and Percussion.
7PM Coolidge Auditorium,
Library of Congress
l The 2001 South Asian
Literary Festival, Spectrum
of Words through the 11th at
the Wyndham City Center
near the Foggy Bottom
metro stop. Meet South
Asian writers and filmmakers,
share their experience
46 www.voiceofthehill.com
www.voiceofthehill.com 47
G E N E R O U S LY S U P P O R T E D B Y
P a t ron Sponsor: Pardoe Realty ERA
Phyllis Jane Young, Pardoe Realty ERA
Tom & Alice Faison, RE / M A X Capital Pro p e rt i e s
L a rry Chartinietz, Pardoe Realty ERA
Ben & Jerry ’s—Old Post Office Pavilion, Union Station,
Dupont Circle, Georg e t o w n
Capitol Hill Exxon
Hodgson Design/Build
Hugh Kelly, Pardoe Realty ERA
Jackie Von Schlegl, RE / M A X Capital Pro p e rt i e s
Merlino Constru c t i o n
Riverby Books
Tu n i c l i ff’s Ta v e rn
Join us for
Cocktails,Dinner,
Dancing, Live and
Silent Auctions.
Benefiting St. Peter’s Interparish School
November 3, 2001
6:00pm-11:00pm
St. Peter’s Church Hall
313 Second Street, SE
For Tickets Call 544-1618
$40.00 / 45.00 at the door
The power of the word…The power of redemption…The power of Greek drama
The power of the
Gospel at Colonus
Directed by Paul-Douglas Michnewicz / Music Direction by James Foster
November 29 & 30 December 6, 7, 13, 14, 20, 21 at 7:30 pm. December 22 at 3 pm
Tickets $20 Group rates available
Info and reservations 202-547-6839 www.chaw.org
A Theater Alliance Production
presented by the Atlas Theater Project
with Douglas Memorial United Methodist Church
Made possible by a CHAMPS Foundation grant
and encourage the aspiring
ones. Visit www.salfdc.org.
l Macbeth . Folger
Theatre. See October 27 for
details.
Saturday November 10
lNewman Gallery &
Custom Frames, in celebration
of its 17th anniversar y
of providing top quality con -
servation picture framing
and fine art to Capitol Hill,
showcases the pastel drawings
of Michael Turpentof
and etchings and pencil
drawings of Ilia Petkov.
Refreshments will be served
from 5-7pm Newman Galler y
& Custom Frames, 513 11th
St., SE
l Garden Resources of
Washington and the Harvest
Hosts 2001 Harvest Party
celebrating community and
youth gardening in the city.
Meet community gardeners
from across the city and help
create September 11th
Remembrance Gardens.
8:00pm Lutheran Church of
the Reformation, 212 East
Capitol
l Films on the Hill:
Knight Without Armour
(1937) preceded by a car -
toon, Abdul the Bulbul Ameer
(1941). Part II of the
Marlene Dietrich Centennial
Films. A little-seen British
film, set during the Russian
Revolution. Marlene’s costar,
Robert Donat, is a
British spy who plans to
assassinate a high government
official but falls in love
with his daughter (Marlene)
instead. 7:30. Capitol Hill
Arts Workshop
lWe need your blood!
Join us for our blood drive,
sponsored by the Red Cross,
from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm.
10:00 AM Parish Hall of
Christ Church, 620 G St. SE
l Floorcloths Workshop
(Part II of III): with Sandra
Anderson. 10:00 a -12:30
pm. Fee: $85/three classes.
202-547-6839 to register.
NOTE: Students must register
for all three sessions of
this workshop. Capitol Hill
Arts Workshop, 545 7th
Street, SE
l Macbeth . Folger
Theatre. See October 27 for
details.
Sunday November 11
l Macbeth . Folger
Theatre. See October 27 for
details.
Monday November 12
l Films on the Hill: A spe -
cial film for Veterans’ Day:
The Road Back (1937, a
sequel to the famous antiwar
film, All Quiet on the
Western Front. Preceded by
Peace on Earth (1939) the
only cartoon ever nominated
for a Nobel Peace Prize. 7:30
Capitol Hill Arts Workshop.
545 7th St., SE
Tuesday November 13
l ANC 6B Meeting. 921
Pennsylvania Ave., SE. 7:00
543-3344
lLet Yourself Go: Songs
by Irving Berlin. A Recorded
Sound presentation. At long
last a collection of Mr.
Berlin’s song lyrics will be
published by Knopf later this
year. Celebrate this occasion
with an evening of Irving
Berlin songs on recordings
and film, hosted by MBRS
staffer David Novack. 7PM
Pickford Theater, Library of
Congress
Wednesday November 14
l Restoration Society
Preservation Café: Thermal
Comfort in Capitol Hill Row
Houses. The Capitol Hill
Restoration Society’s popular
Preservation Café will
return to its Caffe Italiano
location for the November
session. Capitol Hill architect
Robert Weinstein will be
the speaker. 6:30 p.m. Caffe
Italiano is located at 1129
Pennsylvania Ave. SE
l Open House for
Diversity. Edmund Burke
School is committed to building
a strong multicultural
community. To learn more
about Burke, the School is
hosting an Open House for
Diversity for families who
represent the cultural diversi -
ty of the metropolitan area.
African-American, American
Indian, Asian, Latino, Middle
Eastern and multi-racial
familites are especially
encouraged to attend this
event. 6:00pm Edmund
Burke School, 2925 Upton
St., NW
lCBS News Special: Hill
943 (CBS, 1968). (54 min,
16mm) Dear America:
Letters Home From Vietnam
(HBO, 1988, 85 min, video).
CBS report of three soldiers
in Vietnam as their company
attempts to take a hill, fol -
lowed by the acclaimed HBO
documentary from 1988.
7PM. Pickford Theater,
Library of Congress
l Macbeth . Folger
Theatre. See October 27 for
details.
Thursday November 15
l Holiday (Columbia,
1938). Dir. George Cukor.
With Katharine Hepburn,
Cary Grant, Lew Ayres. (90
min, 35 mm). Adapted from
a 1928 play by Philip Bar ry,
this second screen version
gave Hepburn and Grant their
finest romantic pairing. 7PM
Pickford Theater, Library of
Congress
l Concert by the allfemale
Irish group Cherish
the Ladies specializing in
Celtic music. Coolidge
Auditorium at 8 p.m. Tickets
are available from Ticket-
Master beginning Oct. 3.
8PM. Library of Congress
Friday November 16
l Films on the Hill:
Dishonored (1931). Part III
of the Marlene Dietrich
Centennial Films. Based
loosely on the infamous but
inept spy, Mata Hari. A
campy plot and extravagant
performance by Marlene
make Dishonored an offbeat
gem, the least appreciated
of the von Sternberg/
Dietrich collaborations. 7:30
Capitol Hill Arts Workshop,
545 7th St., SE
Saturday November 17
lMusic in the Great Hall
Masterworks Chorus and
Orchestra: Old Worlds and
New Saturday, 8:00 - 9:30
pm Masterworks Chorus and
Orchestra and the
Montgomery County Youth
Chorus, under the direction
of Dr. Stanley Engebretson
and Ronald P. Frezzo, will
perform sections of J.S.
Bach’s Mass in B Minor ,
selections from Leonard
Bernstein’s Chichester
Psalms, and David
Fanshawe’s African Sanctus .
$25 front seating: $20 rear
seating, seniors, and
Museum members.
Registration required. tickets,
301 840.0008 or visit
www.masterworkschorus.org
8pm National Building
Museum
l Floorcloths Workshop
(Part III of III): with Sandra
Anderson. 10:00 a -12:30
pm. Fee: $85/three classes.
202.547.6839 to register.
NOTE: Students must register
for all three sessions of
this workshop. Capitol Hill
Arts Workshop, 545 7th
Street, SE
Monday November 19
l They Were Expendable
(MGM, 1945). Dir John Ford.
With Robert Montgomer y,
John Wayne, Donna Reed.
(136 min, 35mm). American
PT boats defend the
Philippines during WWII.
Real-life Naval officer
Montgomery stars. A brilliant,
if overlooked, film. 7
pm Pickford Theater, Librar y
of Congress
Wednesday November 21
l Films on the Hill: A
George Sanders double fea -
ture: They Came to Blow Up
America (1943) AND Action
in Arabia (1944) Description:
An intriguing WWII drama,
with George Sanders infiltrat -
ing the Nazi espionage
efforts to discover the identities
of spies working in the
US. Topical then and topical
now. Capitol Hill Arts
Workshop, 545 7th st., SE
l Macbeth . Folger
Theatre. See October 27 for
details.
Monday November 26
lBroadway Favorites
Musical Program. Jon
Kalbfleisch (musical director
for Signature Theater and
Capitol Hill UMC), choir,
soloists and special guests
perform some of your
favorites from the Great
White Way. Refreshments follow.
$10 donation requested.
202-546-1000 7:30pm
Capitol Hill United Methodist
Church, 421 Seward Squar e
(at 5th & Penn. Ave SE)
l The Lost Battalion
(MacManus, 1919). Dir
Burton King. With Gaston
Glass, Helen Ferguson. (79
min, silent, 35mm). True
story of a battalion of the
U.S. Army’s 77th Division
that was surrounded by
German forces and held out
for six days, re-enacted by
the actual participants. Also
a war bond short produced
by Charlie Chaplin. 7PM
Pickford Theater, Library of
Congress
Tuesday November 27
l Music in the Great Hall.
The United States Navy Commodores
Tuesday, 12:15 -
1:15 pm The U.S. Navy is
premier jazz ensemble will
perform a concert of swing
music, bebop, and contemporary
jazz. Free. 12:15PM
National Building Museum
Wednesday November 28
l The Bridges at Toko-Ri
(Paramount, 1954). Di.r
Mark Robson. With William
Holden, Frederic March,
Grace Kelly. (104 min,
35mm). Top notch film based
on the James Michener
novel. Holden stars as vet
called back into action flying
jets in Korea. 7 pm Pickford
Theater, Library of Congress
l Macbeth . Folger
Theatre. See October 27 for
details.
Thursday November 29
l Opening Night! Gospel
at Colonus. Directed by Paul-
Douglas Michnewicz, musical
direction by James Foster.
The retelling of the story of
Oedipus at Colonus through
Gospel music. Presented by
Atlas Theater Project and
Theater Alliance. 7:30 pm at
Douglas Memorial Unted
Methodist Church., 11th and
H Streets, NE. Tickets $20.
Call 202-547-6839.
l Only Angels Have
Wings (Columbia, 1939). Dir.
Howard Hawks. With Richar d
Barthelmess, Rita Hayworth.
(117 min, 35mm). We mour n
the passing of Cary Grant
who died 15 years ago today
with two evenings of films
preserved from their original
camera negatives. In Only
Angels Have Wings, Grant
plays a mail pilot in South
America whose life and
those of his buddies is
turned upside down by the
arrival of showgirl Jean
Arthur. Quintessential
Howard Hawks. 7pm
Pickford Theater, Library of
Congress
l Macbeth . Folger
Theatre. See October 27 for
details.
Friday November 30
lArsenic and Old Lace
(Columbia, 1944). Dir. Frank
Capra. With Josephine Hull,
Jean Adair. (124 min,
35mm). Frank Capra’s frantically
paced adaptation of the
Joseph Kesselring play is a
treat, with Grant starring as
man who discovers his spinster
aunts are poisoning
lonely gentlemen callers, and
attempts to rectify the situa -
tion quickly so he can go on
his honeymoon. Peter Lorre
and Raymond Massey are
particular delights in a cast
brimming with memorably
over-the-top performances.
7 pm Pickford Theater,
Library of Congress
lGospel at Colonus contiues.
7:30. See Thursday,
November 29.
l Macbeth . Folger
Theatre. See October 27 for
details.
48 www.voiceofthehill.com
What are you
doing (Second)
Saturday Night?
November 10
Several Second Saturday
establishments will be offering
special savings and dis -
counts on November 10th
getting you geared up for the
holiday season. These discounts
and other offerings
are a way for 2nd Saturday
participants to say “Thank
You” for supporting the businesses
of Our Nation’s
Neighborhood, Capitol Hill.
And, on your ‘walk about the
Hill’ stop by and get to know
the two newest 2nd
Saturday participants, My
Little Secret located at 615
Penn Ave SE, and Results
The Gym, 315 G St SE. Also,
come and see and hear mem -
bers of the Washington
Men’s Camerata as they
stroll through various 2nd
Saturday locations singing
the night away…so, round up
a friend or two and ask
“what are you doing
Saturday Night, November
10th?” Discounts/specials
will be offered from 4pm-
7pm. Some establishments
have extended hours and will
be offering discounts until
closing.
Art Works, 623
Pennsylvania Avenue, SE
Visit the new location. 10%
off anything. Scott Fertig, a
painter, illustrator and cartoonist
will have recent
works on display and will be
doing customer sketches!
Refreshments.
Bird-In-Hand Bookstore &
Gallery, 323 7th St SE
10% off Books. “Botanicals”
linoleum cut prints by artist
Janet Dowling.
Refreshments.
Alvear Studio design &
imports, 705 8th St SE
10% off selected items. “
Two Woman Show,” new oils
by artist Karlisima Rodas;
and San Antonio artist Betsy
O’haugerty displaying her
rock and tiled furniture line.
See the new shipment of
Mexican furniture and artifacts.
Reception from 6:00-
9:30pm. Refreshments.
Capitol Hill Arts Workshop
(CHAW), 545 7th St SE
Opening art exhibition
“Facing Reality,” a juried
show by members of the
Capitol Hill Art League.
Refreshments.
Taylor and Son’s Fine Art,
660 Pennsylvania Ave. SE
10 % off selected items.
“Thanksgiving America,”
show featuring Chad Alan
tapestry tablescapes, Carol
Splis “Ethnic Children,” and
introducing new galler y
artist Bill Schmidt, known
for his colorful, painterly
landscapes. This show will
feature his fall pumpkin
stands. Refreshments.
Newman Gallery and
Custom Frames, 513 11th
ST SE
17 year anniversary celebration,
showcasing pastel
drawings by Michael
Turpenoff and etching and
pencil drawings by Ilia
Petkov. Refreshments.
The DancingHeart Center
for Yoga, 221 5th St NE
Come nourish your mind and
soul! Receive the healing
gifts of massage therapists,
counselors, Reiki practitioners,
and Yoga teachers. The
evening will include songs,
chants, and meditations of
peace. Refreshments provided.
5:00-8:00pm.
Results the Gym, 315 G St
SE
Come see the awesome gym
on the Hill! 10% off Proshop
items. “Festive
Abstractions” new works by
artist Kimberly Casey. Show
will run November 9-
December 26.
The Village, 705 N.
Carolina Ave SE
10% off selected items. Alan
Braley will display his latest
pieces of art. Refreshments.
My Little Secret, 615
Pennsylvania Ave SE
Second Floor
10% off new line of lingerie.
Don’t be shy; we all have
secrets so check this one
out. Modeling new line of
holiday lingerie.
Refreshments.
Capitol Hill Bikes, 709 8th
ST SE
Gobble Gobble… it’s a turkey
sale! 10% off apparel.
Refreshments.
Backstage, 545 8th St SE
10% off everything. Didn’t
get your Halloween fix? …
visit this store to dress it up.
Gallery 325, 325 7th ST SE
Artists featuring media of
paintings, mixed media, photography,
sculpture and
ceramics.
Khan-el-Khalili, 321 7th ST
SE
20% off everything except
oils. Cleopatra would have
loved this boutique store of
fine Egyptian artifacts…. see
for yourself.
Woven History & Silk
Road, 311 7th ST SE10% off
new Tibetan Furniture.
Widest selection of handmade
rugs on the Hill.
Trover Books and Card
Shop, 221 & 227 Penn.
Ave. SE
10% discount on
Merchandise (card shop) and
20% discount Penguin classics
(book shop).
Capitol Hill Books, 657 C
St SE
10% off Books. Browse
through wide selection of
books while you enjoy
refreshments.
Restaurant and Food
establishments:
Anatolia Turkish Café, 633
Pennsylvania Ave. SE
10% off dinner.
Hawk and Dove Pub &
Restaurant, 329 Penn. Ave
SE
2 for 1 dinner entrée.
Ben and Jerry’s Ice cream,
327 7th ST SE
10% off ice cream cones.
Stompin’ Grounds Coffee
House, 7th and Penn. Ave.
SE
Enjoy a hot cup of Joe. 10%
off and Groove to live tunes.
Starbucks Coffee, 237
Pennsylvania Ave. SE
If you haven’t had a sample
of Raspberry Mocha chip
Frappuccino now is your
chance.
Contact Chris Alvear, Alvear
Studio with questions 202-
546-8434
New Exhibitions
at the Arts and
Industries
Building of the
Smithsonian
Cherokee Nation: A
Portrait of a People
October 26, 2001 - April 9,
2002
55 images by photographer
David Fitzgerald offer insight
into contemporary daily
Cherokee life in Oklahoma.
Also, wonderful stories of
the people photographed
complement the exhibition
through interpretive labels
and a video. Organized by
the Oklahoma Historical
Society, State Museum of
History, in association with
the Smithsonian Institution.
The Smithson Land Express
November 15, 2001 - March
15, 2002 (new opening &
closing dates)
On view is a garden railway
consisting of two engines
modeled on two engines in
American History Museum’s
collection. The trains travel
on separate tracks through
Smithson Land, a land of
wonder and imagination. The
whimsical terrain is landscaped
with structures and
plants consistent with the
scale of the garden railway
and features special hideaways
and mysterious places
of the Smithson Land creatures.
Organized by
Horticulture Services
Division and the Office of
Exhibits Central.
Silent Screens: The
Decline and Transformation
of the American Movie
Theater
November 21, 2001 -
January 31, 2002
On view are photographs by
Michael Putnam of aban-
doned single-screen movie
theaters, which punctuated
small-town America’s main
streets and city neighborhoods
since the 1920s but
are now nearly gone.
Young Americanos:
Photographic Visions of
Our Community (new title)
September 21, 2001 -
November 15, 2001
On view are photographs by
children from 5 major U.S.
cities that offer a special
perspective on the Latino
community and explore
neighborhoods, playgrounds,
homes, families and friends,
customs and beliefs, and
dreams and realities.
Brain: The World Inside
Your Head
July 14, 2001 - January 2,
2002
This child-friendly, interactive
exhibition explores the basic
workings of the brain and
reveals brain function from
neurons and synapses to
electricity and chemistr y.
Other topics addressed
include:
• the differences between
human and animal brains
• brain evolution and devel -
opment
• the revitalizing nature of
sleep
• the differences between
individual brains, including
brain disorders, accidents,
and irregularities
• the nature of pain and how
medications work in the
brain
• the relationship between
depression and creativity
• the mind and the nature of
consciousness
• the history and future of
brain research, including
treatment of brain disorders
in the era of genome map -
ping and molecular medicine
Game Face: What Does a
Female Athlete Look Like?
June 27, 2001 - January 2,
2002
Photographs and text are
used to trace the evolution
of women’s athleticism
before and after Title IX, the
June 23, 1972, law enacted
to prevent sex discrimination
in federally funded educational
programs and activities.
Images of women of various
ages, races, and physical
abilities, taken by documentary
and fine arts photographers,
are combined with
testimonies by professional
and nonprofessional athletes
to convey the diversity of
their activities and achievements
Postal Museum
As Precious as Gold
Until September 30, 2002
The discovery of gold in the
Canadian Klondike territor y
set off the 19th century’s
last great gold rush.
Thousands of stampeders,
most of them Americans,
raced to the gold fields in
Alaska and Canada. This
exhibit examines the great
Klondike Gold Rush and the
unforgettable role of the mail
carrier in providing contact
between those so far from
home and the families they
left behind.
The Columbians
March 8 - October 9, 2001
The Museum’s Rarities Vault
is home to a special exhibit
of an entire set of sheets of
the 1893 Columbian
Exposition stamps, the first
commemorative stamps
issued.
Stampin’ the Future
May 23 through August
2001
This exhibit features 99 win -
ning art designs that were
actually issued as postage
stamps from children in near -
ly 30 countries. The lucky
winners were selected from
a group of nearly four-million
participants worldwide, with
120,000 in the United
States alone. All designs
were submitted as entries in
Stampin’ the Future, a contest
originally sponsored by
the United States Postal
Service (USPS) in 1998. The
competition invited children
8 to 12 years old to enter
designs based on their
dreams, hopes and visions of
the 21st centur y.
Forwarding Address
Required
through May 8, 2002
The exhibit traces the close
correspondence between
Japanese American children
sent away to internment
camps and Miss Clara Breed,
a librarian in San Diego.
Following the attack on
Pearl Harbor and the out -
break of World War II, more
than 120,000 Nikkei, or persons
of Japanese descent,
living on the West Coast
were sent to isolated inter nment
camps. While other
civil rights and liberties were
restricted during this time,
the U.S. Post Office was
committed to providing the
internees with regular mail
service. The Miss Breed letters
were loaned to the
National Postal Museum by
the Japanese American
National Museum, Los
Angeles, California.
The Great One: Roberto
Clemente
April 1 - January 31, 2002
To be celebrated on a stamp
once is a tremendous feat.
Roberto Clemente Walker
has been so honored twice,
in 1984 and 2000. Roberto
Clemente was born in
Carolina, Puerto Rico on
August 18, 1934. An athlete
of tremendous ability and
pride, Clemente is remembered
today as one of the
game’s best all-around right
fielders, with one of the best
arms in baseball.
Library of
Congress
World Treasures of the
Library of Congress
A permanent, rotating exhibition
dedicated to the
Library’s international collections,
“World Treasures” features
materials from various
corners of the globe opened
in June. The first thematic
presentation, “Beginnings,”
explores accounts and depictions
of the creation or
beginning of the world;
explanations of the earth
and the heavens; myths and
legends concerning the
founding of civilizations and
societies; and examples of
early writings. Among the
items on display are examples
of the earliest known
movable type, from Korea
(predating Gutenberg by 200
years); an Albrecht Durer
etching depicting Adam and
Eve; African book art incorporating
key beliefs of
Ghanaian folk culture; the
first printed geography book,
Ptolemy’s Geographica
(1480s); a 14th centur y
miniature illuminated manuscript
of the Magna Carta;
the first book printed in the
Americas; and a cuneiform
tablet from 2500 B.C. The
exhibition is made possible
by a grant from the
Document Company Xerox.
The Floating World of
Ukiyo-E: Shadows, Dreams
and Substance
through January 5, 2002
This major exhibition features
more than 100 rar e
and historically important
woodcuts, drawings and
books selected from some
2,000 prints in the Library’s
collection of Ukiyo-e and its
pre-19th century Japanese
art books-one of the largest
such book collections outside
of Japan. The art of
Ukiyo-e, commonly translated
as “pictures of the float -
ing world,” dates to early-
17th century Japan. An illustrated
companion exhibition
catalog, published by Harry
N. Abrams Inc. in association
with the Librar y, is available
for $49.50 in major book -
stores and the Library’s
Sales Shops. The exhibition,
catalog and related programming
were made possible by
the generous support of
Merrill Lynch. The United
States-Japan Foundation provided
support for the conservation
of the prints and
books in the exhibition.
abundance of clips from
radio, films, television, and
Hope’s 1969 USO tour.
www.voiceofthehill.com 49
Call us at
2 0 2 - 5 4 3 - 3 6 3 5
www.ramassociates.com
Khan El-Khalili
321 7th Street, SE
202-543-5295
1-800-397-9441
Mohamed & Venetta Khattab
Owners
????Hand Made Egyptian Gifts & Oils
Imported from Cairo
Application Service Providers to Capitol Hill.
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classifieds and more
Two Treasures - One Gate, On Capitol Hill
at Eastern Market Metro
Vegetable Dyed, Hand-Spun Wool
Tribal and Village Rugs
Tribal & Village Art
Open Tue-Sun 10-6
311-315 7th St., SE • Washington, DC
www.wovenhistory.com
202.543.1705
Appraising • Repairing • Cleaning •
Acquiring
Bi-monthly shipments from our own looms
®
50 www.voiceofthehill.com
• classifieds •
Classified Ad Placement Form
First Name ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Last Name ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Address_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
City/State/ZIP_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Phone Number__________________________________________________________________________Email_________________________________
Category
h Apartments/Rooms h Autoh Booksh Children’s Items h Electronics
h Furnitureh Office h Marketplace h Other ____________________________________________________________________________________
h Personals h Positions h Services h Tools
h Website h Newspaper h Both
Classified ads are $25.00 for print edition and $10.00 on the Web. Visa and MasterCard are accepted.
Please describe the item and please be concise, there is a 200 website character limitation (there is no limit to print ads)__________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Please enclose payment with order. Mail to Voice of the Hill, 120 11th Street, SE, Washington, DC 20003. Or fax information
(credit card payment only) to 202-547-5133. Telephone 202-544-0703.
Credit Card Number (Visa and MC only)_________________________________________________Exp. Date________________________________
Name on Card__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Signature ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Positions
Help Wanted:
Receptionist/Clerk
30 hrs. per week (9 AM - 3
PM). Duties: phone, filing,
office organization/management,
some research/writing
(memos, etc.). Requires
detail-oriented person;
prompt, consistent work
habits essential for firm deal -
ing in international trade
consulting. Submit resume to
info@smithbrandon.com.
(11/1)
Full Time Nanny Needed
Asap..
Looking For Loving Person To
Care For Our 1 Year Old Son
In Our Home. Great Hours,
Excellent Pay. If You Are
Looking For The Perfect
Nanny Position—This Is It!
Located Just Off Of Lincoln
Park...Please Call 202 841
3189 Or 202 543 3684
(11/1)
Help Wanted:
Reader/assistant
3 weekdays plus Sunday (?)
for low vision elderly
poet/political junkie. Duties
would include newspaper
reading, handing mail & email
correspondence & other
secretarial work. May also
include occasional trips to
corner grocery and post
office. Drivers license desir -
able. Part-time, flexible,
$9.00/hr. Call 543-1746.
(11/1)
Help Wanted: Personal
Trainer
Looking for someone located
on Hill to come to home
once/twice a week to begin.
Reasonable wage, flexible
hours for a qualified person.
Experience w/sports injuries
or physical therapy good.
Elderly person wants to stay
strong. Call 543-1746.
(11/1)
Buy, Sell, Rent
Garage Rental
Private garages near 12th &
E NE. Wide alley access, perfect
for extra car, boat, trail -
er. ATTENTION CONTRACTORS!
Avoid parking tickets
and keep your materials
nearby! Single and Double
Units Available. From
$150—Month-to- Month
terms—Call 202/548-0586
(11/1)
Beach Vacation/Golf
Reserve for this season or a
fall golf outing. Cher ry Grove
Section, No. Myrtle Beach,
South Carolina. 3BR 2BA
home, 1 block from beach
with dock and channel at
back door. Over 100 golf
courses nearby, and more
mini-golf than you can play.
Rent the Robeys’ beach cot -
tage.…call 202/546-7410
for rates or www.voiceofthehill/
cricket
Offstreet Parking
Parkeing available in spaces
behind building at 630 11th
St., NE. $50/month. 301-
229-7544.
Books
Want to purchase
Quality used books. Single
volumes or entire library!
Call Steve at Riverby Books
202/544-1925
Books Bought and Sold.
We want what you can give,
we pay what we can afford.
Capitol Hill Books. Capitol
Hill’s used bookstore across
the street from Easter n
Market. 657 C Street, SE
202/544-1621
Classified ads
get results!
Just part of what makes life on the Hill so special. Saturday October 13 was the date of the first annual Capitol
Hill Fest. Playing dress up made it all that much more fun…as shown here on 8th Street, SE
1Full moon
All Saints Day
ANC6A, 7PM, J.O. Wilson
Elementary
4Let’s go to the ZOO! Don’t
miss seal training demos at
11:30 and LUV those
pandas! 12-4
Fly airplanes in great hall
of National Building
Museum. Wow!
2Trading up? Thinking smaller?
Hearing about cheap
$$$? Call me...my business
is to help you
with anything
pertaining to
real estate!
202-262-
7253!
3St. Peter’s PTO Auction,
7PM, 2nd & C Sts., SE St.
Peter’s Church
CHAW, Floorcloths
Workshop (1 of 3) 10-12:30
547-6839
528 Star Chefs
Feast and
Auction 6PM,
Marriott
Metro Center,
703-824-
0111 ext. 18
Folger Poetry Renaissance
Man, 7:30pm
8Anacostia Water Front
Initiative: Draft Framework
Plan at the National
Building Museum, 6:30-
8pm 202-272-2448
9Waterfowl Festival, the annual
celebration of ducks and
geese in photographs
and paintings. Easton, MD
410-822-4567 Fri & Sat 10-
6pm, Sun 10-5pm
10 Happy Bithday, USMC
National Ski and Snowboard
Expo, Capitol Center, preview
the latest, Fri & Sat 10-9pm,
Sun 11-6pm 703-644-9899
Christ Church Blood Drive,
10am, Christ Church 620 G
St., SE, 10-3, sponsored by
the Red Cross.
11 Wreath Laying
Ceremonies at 11am,
Arlington National
Cemetery & 1pm at the
Vietnam Veteran’s
Memorial, 202-619-7222
12 Children’s Book Week, Nov
12-18, Have you checked
out a book today?
CHAW, Films on the Hill,
Veterans Day special, The
Road Back (1937)
13 Let Yourself Go, Irving
Berlin at his finest, Pickford
Theater, LOC
ANCB Meeting, 7PM 921
Penn. Ave., SE
14 Hamlet, Shakespeare
Thearer, 450 7th St., NW
15 Take a moonlight walk to
the Air and Space Museum
to see
“Voyage:
A Journey
Through
Our Solar
System”
16 Ramadan, the Islamic
month of fasting begins and
lasts until Dec 15th
17 The Indian Art Show at the
DC Armory, November 17-
18
Folger Elizabethan Garden
Tour. View the herbs and
flowers grown in
Shakespeare’s time 10 &
11am at the Folger
Shakespeare Library 201 E.
Capitol St.
19 The Gettysburg Address
(1863)
Arlo Guthrie, at the
Kennedy Center
20 Long lunch at the Phillips
Museum, “Impressionist
Still Life,” and National
Gallery of Art, West Bldg,
Renaissance Portraits of
Women...fab!
21 1935 First commerical
crossing of the Pacific
Ocean by airplane...”THE
CHINA CLIPPER”
22 Thanksgiving
Grab your sneakers and
join the Road Runners at
the TJ
Memorial,
12 pm
426-6821
23 The US Botanical Garden
reopens 202-245-2726 Don’t
miss the Meditation
Garden which
will included
the
Stickymonkey
and Bushy
Scullcap
24 NSO Pops Kennedy Center
Concert
25 Ride the Rails. Union
Station model train display,
come see the prototype
for Phyllis’ train
26 Come sing and hear your
Broadway favorites conducted
by Signature’s Jon
Kalbfleisch. 7:30, Capitol
Hill Methodist Church, 421
Seward, 202-546-1000
27 Jazz in the Great Hall of
National Bldg Museum, by
the US Navy Commodores,
the Navy’s premiere jazz
ensemble 12:15
28 The Jewelry of Arline
Fisch, at the textile museum,
202-667-0441
29 DC Tree Lighting,
Union
Station,
presented
by the
country of
Norway
30 Blue Moon
Winter Antique Show at the
DC Armory
Scottish Christmas Walk
Weekend begins at 418 South
Washington Street at
the Campagna Center, 703-
549-0111
18 Happy Birthday
Mickey Mouse
6Election Day
Books & Beyond, Sharon
Robinson aka Jackie’s
Daughter, discusses
Jackie’s Nine: Jackie
Robinson’s values to live by.
LOC, Noon
EQUAL HO
OPPORT
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
7Brown bag it—Jazz concerts
every Wednesday at
the Corcoran Gallery of
Art, 202-639-1700
Office 202.262.7253 • Home 202.544.4236
email: phyllisjaneyoung@realtor.com
Licensed broker in DC, MD and VA.
PHYLLIS JANE YOUNG
PARDOE Real Estate ERA
G ET ON BOARD
WITH PHYLLIS!
Look at
Phyllis
below!
605 Pe n n s y l vania Avenue, SE / 202-547-3525 / www. p a rd o e . c o m EQUAL HOUSING
OPPORTUNITY
The average sales price through August of this year was
$314,000 on Capitol Hill. At the same time, the number of sales
has continued to decline. From 902 in 1999 to 794 in 2000 and
projected 676 in 2001. The gross dollar volume (average sales
price times number of settlements), because of escalating prices,
has remained strong. $184M in 1999. $190M in 2000. $200M in
2001(projected).
However, the only thing any of us are interested in is “what has
happened since September 11?” First, it is impossible to definitively
spot trends in a 30 day snap shot of this marketplace.
Second, you have to keep in mind that we have doubled sales
prices on the Hill over the past 5 years and, at the same time, the
upper bracket market, or what used to be the upper bracket market
($300,000 and above) has exploded. In 1997 (through
August), 6% (20) of our settlements were for more than
$300,000. Only one for over $500,000. Through the first eight
months of this year nearly 50% (218) of our settlements were
for more than $300,000. Forty five were for more than
$500,000! This is what the numbers tell us. Comparing
September 18 through October 18 2001 vs. the same period in
2000 and a look at year to date figures through August.
2001 2001 2000
Through Aug Sept 18 – Sept 18 –
Oct 18 Oct 18
NEW LISTINGS:
Capitol Hill 84 84
DC (Single Family) 650 569
DC (Condo/Coop) 333 232
AVERAGE SALES PRICE:
Capitol Hill $314,000 $372,063 $268,200
DC (Single Family) $341,000 $326,606 $319,310
DC (Condo/Coop) $219,000 $236,033 $177,505
2001 2001 2000
Through Aug Sept 18 – Sept 18 –
Oct 18 Oct 18
MEDIAN SALES PRICE:
Capitol Hill $295,000 $339,000 $219,900
DC (Single Family) $211,000 $225,000 $189,000
DC (Condo/Coop) $155,000 $180,000 $139,600
CONTRACT ACTIVITY:
Capitol Hill 48 76 -37%*
DC (Single Family) 408 450 - 9%*
DC (Condo/Coop) 231 231 —
*This compares to a 15% rate of decline Jan – Aug 2001 on Capitol
Hill; DC SFH settlements were looking to be nearly even with 2000.
As our market has tightened and inventories decline, sales have declined
due to lack of inventory not lack of buyer interest.
Upper Bracket Contracts(Numbers in ( )
represent a % of total new contracts)
CAPITOL HILL:
Greater Than $300,000 218(48%) 30 (63%) 26(35%)
Greater Than $500,000 45(10%) 8 (17%) 6 (8%)
DC SINGLE FAMILY:
Greater Than $300,000 1285(45%) 164(40%) 161(36%)
Greater Than $500,000 622 (19%) 80(20%) 69(15%)
Greater Than $1,000,000 127 (4%) 10(2.5%) 19 (4%)
Conclusions: Like any other market, the residential real estate
market does not go straight up forever. We have had an
incredible run. Even more incredible considering the
state of the overall economy over the past 18 months.
There are no definite shift in trends. Inventories are
a little higher. Market a little less frenetic. Upper
brackets a little quieter. We have defied the odds and
will probably continue to do so but don’t be surprised
at a little weakness here and there.
Don Denton
Capitol Hill Residential Real Estate
Market Has Continued to Roll in 2001