Comments on: Good Deal or Not? “Wide open spaces!” Edition (Reader Request)

By: Lester

Lester — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 17:53:11 +0000

I live just around the corner. I love our little neighborhood. This street in particular I’ve always found slightly out of place. Some of the houses seem run down. But, this house looks beautiful. House just across the street has been renovated, and I’ve seen signs of more work. This little street has seen a lot of improvement in the last year. That’s the trend of the neighborhood. Price seems like a lot, but there are so few first rate renovations in the Petworth, it’s hard to compare. This house will be a good barometer of how in-demand renovations are in Petworth. Petworth is also getting a new retail and restaurants near the Metro. That should help lift the Georgia Ave. area from Quincy to Emerson.

By: Leon Jester

Leon Jester — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 11:30:20 +0000

I lived next door at 514 from 1950 to 1971.

516 belonged to the Barnes, from your photo the porch entry has been removed, a retaining wall added with crepe myrtle tree, the brick work painted (it was plain in my day).

Overheads from Google Maps show the apple tree, and possibly the pear tree in the back yard present at the time the pic was taken. There was a Montmorency cherry tree near the house when I lived next door.

It was a nice house, the only one on the street with glass-enclosed under and back porches. Mr. Barnes used it as a greenhouse/conservatory, he had plants there even in the dead of winter. Heat was steam radiator with an oil-fired furnace that had been converted from coal. AC was opening the windows and turning on a fan.

The rather sad set of junk-filled, rat-infested garages in the alleyway appear to have been re-habilitated.

I don’t know what Mr. Barnes paid for the house, I recall my dad saying he’d paid $12k for ours in 1950.

Also from the overhead view — some jackass has cut down the peach and fig trees from 512 and torn down the grape arbour, new garage looks ok though. The maple trees which lined the street have been felled.

Regards from Roanoke VA.

By: Erica

Erica — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 15:12:53 +0000

the developer is Urbiz Development… he also did 912 and 914 Emerson St. in Petworth

By: Happy Pilgrim

Happy Pilgrim — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 04:05:15 +0000

PoP — The “flipper” for this is worth an interview. He is (re)working “North Country” house by house (and making good money). I think this is his 4th house in Petworth in the last 6 months, and the prices keep going up (a good think for our RE values). You or Hip-Chic should track him down.

By: 4nature

4nature — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 22:49:28 +0000

Personally, I found the staging and house very bland. Most of the original character is gone, the grey and white paint everywhere, the brown bathroom tiles, etc… The floors and backdoor were nice, and it looks like a solid job. just boring. I guess a blank slate, but I like my house with its old wooden doors and push-button light switches.

By: Opal

Opal — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 20:41:54 +0000

We are actually going to check it out tomorrow with our realtor and might do drive/walk by tonight. But if we like – will defn stop by again Sunday to get more scoop on the neighborhood. Thanks for everyone’s responses!

By: Matt N.

Matt N. — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 20:19:29 +0000

Opal,

Feel free to stop by 510 Buchanan on Sunday if you’d like to talk about the neighborhood.

By: Dupont Worker

Dupont Worker — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:36:50 +0000

Yeah, great neighborhood. Residential but totally walkable to ‘stuff’. People are, by and large, friendly. Plus, Upshur Park Pool in the summer is pretty awesome.

By: caballero

caballero — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 04:52:23 +0000

I just looked at the photos again. The house is staged nicely, and the photographer did a good job, which normally means that the photos actually do the house justice. Based on that, and not knowing the particulars of that block, I do think this house is a good deal. Maybe even a great deal. Be prepared for competition.

By: caballero

caballero — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 04:14:58 +0000

My wife and I moved into Petworth last fall. So far, it has been fine….extremely (and I mean extremely) quiet at night, and no hassles. I have walked from Adams Morgan, U Street, and Columbia Heights during the wee hours (like 2:00 a.m.) a few times and I didn’t encounter a soul during the last 15-20 minutes of the walk, as I got into Petworth. Maybe that will change with the warm weather, but there certainly aren’t roving bands of punks and crazies like in other parts of the city; at least, not in my part of Petworth, which is only a few blocks west of the house in question. My wife and I normally take the metro to and from work, and during the winter, of course, we always came home after dark.

On my block, there is only one house where the residents are a little shady (young guys on the back porch smoking grass); it is a mix of old-timers, immigrants, and a few young families (new arrivals like ourselves). A lot of first-time homebuyers from my company have moved into Petworth during the past few years, and all of them like it.

It is mostly residential, so don’t expect much nightlife. That said, we do visit local restaurants(e.g., Moroni Brothers and Taqueria Distrito Federal on Kennedy St….will try Fusion soon) and coffee shops (Qualia), bars (Domku and Looking Glass), dry cleaners (Kilroy), and Yes! Market. There is enough within walking distance to meet your basic needs, and by metro, Columbia Heights is only two minutes away (U St is four minutes and Chinatown is 10 minutes). The green line is a great metro line…..reliable and has good stops.

The neighborhood is showing strong signs of improvement (along Georgia Ave around the metro, for example, there is a lot of development planned or underway), and we are excited about living here for the next 10 years, at least.

Come live in our neighborhood!