Dp 10 12 2016

Page 1

The Dupont Current

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

SunTrust plan drops height, still criticized

‘Red top’ disability rule to take effect next year

CHILI CHAMP

■ Parking: New meter policy

to set aside spaces downtown

By MARK LIEBERMAN Current Staff Writer

The developer of a controversial condo building project at the corner of 18th Street and Columbia Road NW in Adams Morgan returned to the neighborhood with revised design plans last week — but despite a slightly more positive reception than before, many critics remained unconvinced. Advisory Neighborhood Commission 1C (Adams Morgan) voted unanimously last Wednesday to once again oppose the project on the current site of the SunTrust Bank building and plaza at 1800 Columbia Road NW. Although developer PN Hoffman’s latest version is significantly less tall and offers revised architecture, commissioners contend the plans continue to be at odds with historic district guidelines and the overall character of the neighborhood. ANC 1C chair Ted Guthrie said he thinks the new plans are an improvement on the old ones but remains convinced that the building is “too damn big.” See Hoffman/Page 7

By BRADY HOLT Current Staff Writer

Motorists with disability license plates or placards will soon have to pay for metered parking downtown, following the D.C. Department of Transportation’s decision to implement its “red top” meter program within the central business district starting in January. Under the program, one meter per block — “when and where

Brian Kapur/The Current

■ Preservation: Buildings

Last weekend’s annual Taste of DC featured fare from over 60 of the area’s most popular restaurants, and offered samples of more than 50 brews and 50 wines. During the event, renowned competitive eater Joey Chestnut won the Ben’s Chili Bowl World Chili Eating Championship.

By MARK LIEBERMAN Current Staff Writer

Brian Kapur/The Current

The Carnegie Institution says its Van de Graaff device is outdated.

of Terrestrial Magnetism. “Part of the reason that it’s gotten to this state is that we’ve been struggling to figure out what to do with this,” Carlson said recently. He and his team have decided they don’t think the structure is

feasible” — will be painted red and reserved as a handicap parking space. At that meter, eligible drivers will receive twice the maximum time of an ordinary meter on that block, but must pay the standard rate (currently $2.30 per hour) for their time. At any other downtown meter, all motorists are subject to the normal rates and time limits. The red tops will replace a system that transportation officials allege has been fraught with abuse: Today, a vehicle with a disability plate or placard can park for free at twice the posted time at See Meters/Page 13

Tenleytown duplexes eyed for landmark designation chart area’s history, group says

By MARK LIEBERMAN Current Staff Writer

Bid to preserve 1938 generator sparks debate A Van de Graaff generator, built in 1938 on the Carnegie Institution of Washington campus in Chevy Chase, once served as a neutron producer during World War II. Later, it helped researchers understand the phenomenon of nuclear spin. Dormant since 1975, the cylindrical structure is now beset with a crumbling paint job, failing rainwater control system and eroding glass block and brick exterior. The institution has determined that it would cost around $200,000 to bring the generator back into shape, according to Rick Carlson, director of Carnegie’s Department

Vol. XV, No. 20

Serving Dupont Circle, Kalorama, Adams Morgan & Logan Circle

salvageable, and on Aug. 19 they submitted a raze permit for the generator building, with the intention of making other investments instead at the 5251 Broad Branch Road NW campus. Not everyone agrees, though. At the Sept. 26 meeting of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3/4G (Chevy Chase), DC Preservation League executive director Rebecca Miller made a case for designating the structure a historic landmark, calling it “highly significant to development of scientific research for U.S. as a whole” and a “unique engineering accomplishment.” Subsequently, the organization submitted a Historic Preservation Review Board landSee Carnegie/Page 10

Residents walk past a pair of duplex buildings on Chesapeake Street NW in Tenleytown every day without a thought. But a recent proposal from the Tenleytown Historical Society hopes to use them to highlight the neighborhood’s historical evolution. Constructed in 1909, the twostory brownstone buildings have four separate addresses: 4112, 4114, 4116 and 4118 Chesapeake. The duplexes are identical, and each has two homes that are mirror images of each other, according to the landmark designation application submitted to the Historic Preservation Office in August. Overall, the properties provide evidence of a significant step in Tenleytown’s transition from village to suburban neighborhood, the application says. The assessed value of each of the four residences is listed just below $700,000, according to city records. Three of the four were

Brian Kapur/The Current

The duplexes at 4112-4118 Chesapeake St. NW have been nominated for historic status.

purchased for $750,000 apiece earlier this year, and the fourth — 4118 — has been owned by Valerie Verra since 2007. Attempts to reach the property owners for comment this week were unsuccessful. Each duplex includes a common roof and a recessed portion in the center of the facade, an attic above the recessed portion, and a house-length front porch. While some minor aspects, including the roof shingles, have changed over the years, the appearance of the facades is consistent with the original design. See Tenleytown/Page 10

NEWS

EVENTS

NEWS

INDEX

Georgetown condos

Hirshhorn exhibit

Adams Morgan traffic

Calendar/20 Classifieds/30 District Digest/4 Dupont Circle Citizen/11 Exhibits/21 In Your Neighborhood/18

Gypsy Sally’s building eyed for expansion, conversion to waterfront residences / Page 3

Icelandic artist’s pieces include performance art, videos and other media types / Page 21

ANC seeks city study of current conditions, expected changes amid development / Page 5

Opinion/8 Police Report/6 Real Estate/17 School Dispatches/14 Service Directory/28 Week Ahead/3

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