The GeorGeTown CurrenT
Wednesday, May 3, 2017
Dupont seeks funds sooner for Stead Park
Dumbarton House to reopen after renovation
C’EST MAGNIFIQUE!
■ Georgetown: Museum got
new exhibits, HVAC system
By MARK LIEBERMAN Current Staff Writer
Leaders of the Friends of Stead Park group were thrilled to learn last month that Mayor Muriel Bowser allocated $11 million for renovation of the Dupont Circle park’s dilapidated recreation center. But they were less excited when they heard that the funding wouldn’t be available until fiscal years 2021 through 2023. As the D.C. Council reviews Bowser’s fiscal year 2018 budget proposal, Friends of Stead Park and other neighborhood groups are lobbying for the recreation center’s funds to be pushed ahead two years earlier. The friends group has enough money in reserve to bankroll design work and pre-construction permitting, but the actual work can’t proceed without city funding. The friends group has been working since last year on preliminary recommendations for the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation to renovate the park’s 800-square-foot recreation center, which hasn’t seen an upgrade in 15 years or an expansion in more than 20. Right now, the small space boasts a dilapidated pingpong table and a computer room with equipment that malfunctions often. Proponents envision a building with flexible programming options for seniors and children, as well as public meeting space, which the Dupont and Logan Circle neighborhoods currently lack. “We’ve been waiting three years already, and now we’re being asked to wait five more years,” Friends of Stead Park vice president Kishan Putta said in an interview. “That’s too long to wait, especially when we have everything going for us in terms of a track record.” The friends group was successful with a similar request of the council in 2013 to advance $2 million for enhancement of outdoor See Stead/Page 14
Vol. XXVI, No. 38
Serving Burleith, Foxhall, Georgetown, Georgetown Reservoir & Glover Park
By BRADY HOLT Current Staff Writer
Susann Shin/The Current
The 14th annual Georgetown French Market, one of the District’s most anticipated shopping weekends, transformed the neighborhood’s Book Hill area into an open-air market over the weekend. The three-day event invited more than 40 local merchants, restaurants, salons and galleries to display their discounted items and unique finds.
When the Dumbarton House was struggling with an aging and trouble-prone air conditioner, staff at the historic home and museum knew it was time for a mechanical upgrade. But in a building that was constructed in 1799 and holds collections of antique furniture, artwork and other items, a seemingly simple replacement wouldn’t do. In addition to everyday concerns about cost and energy efficiency, Dumbarton needed to balance the humidity and temperature requirements of the building with those of its artifacts, while also ensuring comfort for visitors and staff. Meanwhile, changes to the ductwork had to be done with great care to avoid disturbing the historic rooms, which were designed long before such considerations were necessary. All in all, executive director Karen Daly told The Current, the planning alone took three years.
Photo by Love Life Images
The historic 1799 home has been a museum since 1932.
Actual installation has kept Dumbarton House from allowing general admission since October. But the work is paying off, and the 2715 Q St. NW museum announced Friday that regular public admission will resume June 1 — with many improvements. “We look forward to welcoming the community and visitors to Washington, D.C., back to reconnect with this piece of American history,” Daly said. When the public returns to the Dumbarton House, visitors will also notice programmatic changes the staff made during the sevenmonth closure. Notably, some space on the second floor no lonSee Reopening/Page 14
Bread Furst owner wins national award as ‘Best Baker’ By MARK LIEBERMAN Current Staff Writer
Bread Furst owner Mark Furstenberg was the only D.C. chef to earn a competitive 2017 James Beard Foundation Award, a nationwide honor for outstanding food service, at a dinner ceremony Monday night in Chicago. He beat out bakers from New York, San Francisco, Chicago and Portland, Ore., to achieve the “Best Baker” distinction at the Beard awards. In one case, Furstenberg triumphed over a bakery that bears his handiwork — he helped found Brooklyn’s Bien Cuit, whose owner Zachary Golper was a fellow finalist this year. In the three years since Furstenberg opened Bread Furst at 4434 Connecticut Ave. NW, the bakery has quickly become a local favorite, and a beacon for what community members hope will become a more active business dis-
Photo by Huge Galdones for James Beard Foundation
Beard winner Mark Furstenberg opened his 4434 Connecticut Ave. NW bakery in 2014.
trict in Van Ness in years to come. A longtime Washingtonian, Furstenberg, 78, followed a winding path to find his calling as a baker, originally starting his career with several decades in politics — including a stint in John F. Kennedy’s presidential administration
and a few years as a Washington Post journalist. He broke into the local culinary scene in the 1990s with a chain of Marvelous Market bakeries, the first one in Chevy Chase. He sold the bakeries in 1996, and the next year opened the Bread Line cafe downtown at 1751 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, earning acclaim — and Beard nominations — before selling the establishment in 2005. Next Furstenberg sought a neighborhood bakery, bringing Bread Furst to Van Ness in 2014, less than a week after the last Marvelous Market closed its doors. The newly minted award winner wasn’t available for comment in time for publication — he was traveling back to D.C. from Chicago on Tuesday, after enjoying a ceremony hosted by “Modern Family” actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson. His bakery’s general manager Eun Yim told The Current on Tuesday morning that the See Award/Page 5
NEWS
SPORTS
SHOPPING & DINING
INDEX
Maret traffic
Tigers maul Falcons
Adams Morgan kabobs
Calendar/15 Classifieds/23 District Digest/2 Exhibits/17 In Your Neighborhood/8 Opinion/6
Northwest school seeks relief from monitoring requirement but city agency objects / Page 3
Wilson’s burgeoning girls lacrosse team uses a second-half surge to defeat top rival Field / Page 9
Family-owned Afghan chain set to open first D.C. restaurant on Columbia Road / Page 11
Police Report/4 Real Estate/13 School Dispatches/10 Service Directory/21 Sports/9 Week Ahead/3
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