Photo via creative commons from Anosmia

I stopped by for a drink last night and learned some very interesting news – all of the crazy memorabilia is being removed. Apparently it belongs to a (possibly defunct) museum in Baltimore. I asked the bartender what the new theme would be and he said he wasn’t sure.

And here’s even crazier news from twitter – @HStreetDC writes:

“H St’s @RedandBlackBar and Palace of Wonder will have new partnership: Red and Black Palace. Great new burger joint, bigger bands

and

Joe Englert presenting plans to ANC’s ABL committee to combine Palace of Wonders and @RedandBlackBar.”

I also asked the bartender about this but he said he hadn’t heard about it. Stay tuned for more info as it becomes available.

Update: More from HStreetDC in the comments:

“Englert and Nicklas presented the merger to the ANC6a ABL committee on Tuesday night. They have to tear out a second floor wall between the two places and even out the floor levels to make one big performance space with a good stage. They can get national level bands with the additional space. The burlesque-type acts will still be featured several nights a week.
They’ll add a real kitchen with American food, featuring gourmet burgers. Food probably by Folkman and Cashion.

Why the ABL? Two liquor licenses, two voluntary agreements. They’ll have to merge them and that requires bureaucratic changes.”

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As always, on a scuttlebutt post it is not confirmed but I believe this news has a high likelihood to be accurate. In other words I didn’t just hear this from a random lady at the grocery store… One more caveat is that I’m not exactly sure that this is the correct building. It could be another one from the 1200 block of H Street, NE. So here’s exactly what I heard – the owner of the bar Wisdom (which incidentally we just checked out a couple of weeks ago) has purchased a property next to Granville Moore’s located at 1238 H Street, NE. I hear that he is going to lease out the lower level to Granville Moore’s and the top level will host a bar, presumably similar to the style of Wisdom.

Again I’m not sure if this means The Martini Lounge will no longer exist or if it is a different building. I promise to update with more info as it becomes available. But this is the fun of running a blog – I can share with you interesting rumors as I hear them. I do believe this rumor will turn out to be true but like all scuttlebutt you have to take it with a grain of salt.

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The old Pap & Petey’s located at 421 H Street NE is becoming Toyland. For those that live in the neighborhood they’re having a sneak preview this evening.

Here’s what it looks like through the window:

And in other H Street news it looks like the Rock and Roll Hotel has applied to open up a rooftop deck.

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This rental is located at 809 9th St, NE:

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The flier says:

“Historic Capitol Hill Luxery Townouse, 2 BR, 1½ BA, for rent. ** PRISTINE **. Professionally Decorated, Hardwood Floors, Exposed Bric, granite and SS kitchen. Spacious master bd rm. lots of Closet Space. Large bath rm w/ jacuzzi tub. Central A/C.”

You can find more info and photos here.

Does $2000 per month sound reasonable?

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The one above is from H Street, NE and they’re actually tons of them. I think they look fantastic. I haven’t seen any of this style elsewhere in the city. I did see some more of the larger new ones going up on Georgia Ave near Howard though:

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This rental is located at 661 Morris Place, NE:

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The craigslist ad says:

“661 Morris Pl — Spacious 2 story one bedroom condo, in a small, comfortable building on a quiet side street. Boasts 900 sq. feet of living space and is an easy and safe walk to Union Station (Metro). Features numerous closets and unique layout including a large, sunny livingroom with gas fireplace, spacious Master bedroom (11’x20’), and full bath downstairs plus half-bath on main floor. The kitchen has new appliances, including dishwasher. Central AC and heat and in-unit washer/dryer.

Pleasant location with easy parking, amongst single-family homes on lightly used one-way street.

Cat and Dog friendly building, all utilities except electric included. No smoking.”

Does $1600 sound reasonable for this 1 bed/1.5 bath?

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From emails:

“Monday January 4, 2010 will see the launch of the new weekly event creatively named, Rock & Roll Ping Pong. Ping Pong will be played from 6pm – 10pm every Monday at Rock & Roll Hotel, located at 1353 H St NE.
In January, it will be first come, first serve open tables. Leagues and Tournaments are scheduled to take place starting in February.

Mondays, Starting 1/4/2010
6pm – 10pm”

“We’re looking to tell jokes again this Monday night (Jan. 4) at the Looking Glass Lounge for what is believed to be Petworth’s only weekly comedy night.

Again, it’s at the Looking Glass Lounge, one block south of the Petworth Metro stop on Georgia Avenue.

Sign up is between 7 – 7:45, show between 8 – 10.

$25 gift certificate to the winner of the the best joke from the crowd contest!”

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I mentioned a few new places coming to H St. NE last Monday. At the time I said I had a few more that were new to me as well. Pictured above at 1016 H Street, NE will be Liberty Tree. The alcohol application says it will be a seafood and brick oven pizzeria.

And at 1110 H St. NE will be a new restaurant (to be named later) featuring Asian cuisine.

And finally is the new spot, Vendetta, that is coming to 1350-1362 H St. NE. I think I may have mentioned it before because I was pretty psyched to see that it’s jukebox will feature opera and Italian music.

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Speaking of getting to H Street, NE, it never ceases to amaze me how many “coming soon” signs I see when I hit the area. I’m sure some folks have heard of these spots but I got some emails about them so I thought I’d throw them out there (more to come later in the week).

First, which I think is the coolest, is the Star and Shamrock Tavern slated to come next door to the H Street Country Club at 1341 H Street, NE. Sounds awesome, but I don’t quite get the Star of David unless there will be some Israeli folk music as well…

And just a few storefronts away at 1339 H Street, NE will be Dangerously Delicious Pies (which I’ve received a ton of emails about). They were slated to open in the fall so hopefully it won’t be too much longer of a wait.

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Photo by PoPville flickr user mediaslave

On Friday DCist reported that the H Street, NE shuttle was to cease operations on Sunday:

“The popular free shuttle that serves the up and coming H Street NE corridor will be forced to cease operation on Sunday, Dec. 6, thanks to its funding from the city having dried up.”

However, on twitter this morning Ward-6 Council Member Tommy Wells wrote:

“Just spoke with the Mayor re H street shuttle. Very promising.”

I just rode the shuttle for the first time a couple of weeks ago and found it very convenient. What do you guys think – should the shuttle be saved? Should it continue to be free? Should the city pay for it?

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I thought these were awesome. Never seen anything quite like them before. I like the fact that it’s titled as well, “The birds”. They were found off H Street, NE.

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IMG_3468, originally uploaded by Prince of Petworth.

Just received from MPD Cmdr David Kamperin at 12:47pm:

“That’s correct- this just occurred a few minutes ago. Subject shot multiple times. Street closed as its a crime scene. Will reopen as soon as processed.

Last information was subject being transported to local hospital.”

More from MPD:

“Correct – a person was seriously injured as a result of being shot as he was getting on a Metro Bus near 14th and H Street NE. After the shooting occurred the bus driver drove out of harms way. This investigation is ongoing and not much can shared at this point. Any witnesses or anyone that has information to offer please contact the Metropolitan Police Department’s Confidential Tip Line on 1-800-673-2777″

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News Channel 8 is reporting that MPD is closing the H Street Martini Lounge, located at 1236 H St NE, due to fight that occurred injuring two, off duty firefighter patrons. The lounge will be closed for 96 hours.

I know this has happened at many bars/lounges across the city – they are closed for a short time after a violent incident. My question – does the closing make sense?

In other crazy H St. News – Frozen Tropics has published a letter from Joe Englert explaining the situation behind the Argonaut’s (1430 Maryland Ave NE) closing for tax reasons:

“Argonaut was closed down tonight because of a serious miscommunication with DC Tax and Revenue.
A few weeks back, a DC Tax and Revenue officer phoned me and told me that three of my establishments owed tens of thousands of in back Sales and Use Taxes.”

He says he will pay the bill in full “tomorrow”.

Thanks to reader emails for the heads up.

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From a press release:

“H Street Country Club (1335 H Street NE) will be the proud home of the DC Amateur Skee-ball League (DCASL). Beginning Nov. 15, teams of five will battle the best DC has to offer for a chance at glory, skee-ball greatness and discounts on drinks and food. The League will host games at H Street Country Club every Sunday and Tuesday night for five weeks. Once a week, each team will play two games to determine final rankings. The season will culminate with a one-day playoff and championship challenge.

The first DCASL champion will hoist the DC Skee-ball Cup in January 2010 and cement its name in history forever. The league is looking for teams now. To join, team captains can email the DCASL Commissioner at caddy@thehstreetcountryclub.com. The deadline to sign up a team is November 2, 2009.”

A couple of weeks ago I wrote that a new restaurant, Souk, was coming soon to 1208 H Street, NE. Thanks to a reader for sending the word that they’ve opened. There’s already a couple of positive review up on Yelp.

THRILLER on H
Dia de los Muertos
Friday, October 30, 2009

From an email:

“Come join us in the Atlas District on H Street for a night of fun under the stars on October 30, 2009, as we honor the memory of Michael Jackson by dancing together to his iconic Thriller video.

Thriller on H is part of H Street’s celebration of Dia de los Muertos, the traditional holiday celebrating our departed friends, relatives, loved ones, and the important people in our lives.

Thriller on H will take begin at 9:00 PM in the parking lot of the Auto Zone at 1207 H Street, NE, with music, door prizes, and a Moonwalk contest.

It is sponsored by Joy of Motion Dance Center, the Atlas Performing Arts Center, H Street Main Street, and the Auto Zone.

Don’t know the moves? No worries! Take the Thriller Class at Joy of Motion at the Atlas at 7:00 PM to learn the steps to this famous dance. The workshop is $20 for adults, $10 for kids.

Then head over to the parking lot with us to join the crowd at Thriller on H!

Register for the Thriller Class at http://www.joyofmotion.org/concerts.php

While we encourage you to learn the dance moves, there is no need to attend the workshop to participate in the performance and the fun at this family-friendly event.

Costumes are recommended.

We’ll post the video on YouTube so you can remember the night!

Come early or stay late to enjoy the great restaurants and entertainment venues in the exciting Atlas District of the H Street Corridor. There are special events, menus, discounts, and programs to increase your fun and enjoyment, as you see H Street decorated for Dia de los Muertos.

The fun will continue throughout the week and weekend. Wear your best costumes and join the fun!”

And finally a new art gallery – INDUSTRY GALLERY OF 21STCENTURY INTERNATIONAL DESIGN

From a press release:

“Industry Gallery, a gallery specializing in 21st century design, today announced plans to open in January 2010. Industry Gallery, based in the Atlas/H Street Historic District of Washington, DC, will focus on international artists who create functional art from industrial materials. The gallery will hold temporary, single artist exhibitions representing a broad spectrum of international design trends. A complete exhibition schedule will be announced shortly.

Industry Gallery will offer unique and limited edition works that blur the boundary between experimental art and practical design.”Many of the artists I will show have works in major museums collections, and are producing pieces that are highly soughtafter by collectors in the rapidly expanding area of contemporary design,” said Craig Appelbaum, director of Industry Gallery, who has been a collector and private dealer. “In the past decade the field has grown considerably as measured by the increasing number of museum exhibitions, international art fairs such as Design Miami and S.O.F.A., and attention by major international auctions houses including Christie’s, Phillips and Sotheby’s.”

Industry Gallery will occupy 4,300 square feet at 1358 Florida Avenue, NE, in the same building as Conner Contemporary. “Conner has helped make Washington, DC a destination for contemporary art connoisseurs, collectors and curators – my intention is to make this city a destination for aficionados of design, too,” said Appelbaum. In addition to single artist exhibitions, the gallery will maintain an inventory of works by noted artists such as the Campana Brothers, Shiro Kuramata, and Atelier van Lieshout.

A special event will be held in the new Industry Gallery space featuring Fixation, curated by Pinkline Project and Ten Mile Square, in conjunction with the opening of Koen Vanmechelen at Conner Contemporary on Saturday November 7, 2009 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.”

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Danny Harris is a DC-based photographer, DJ, and collector of stories. In September, he launched People’s District, a blog that tells a people’s history of DC by sharing the stories and images of its residents. Every day, People’s District presents a different Washingtonian sharing his or her insights on everything from Go Go music to homelessness to fashion to politics. You can read his previous columns here.

Ed. Note: This story has been cross posted at People’s District but I found this perspective to be very powerful and certainly worth sharing and discussing.

“I’m 76-years-old. I was born in this neighborhood and lived here all of my life. I’ve seen a lot of changes on H Street, some for the better and some for the worse. But, I have lived with them. I just go with the flow because I know I can’t do nothing about it.

“In my days, I’ve seen a lot of good changes, but a lot of wrong changes too, especially now. I’ve seen people forced out of their homes so others can move in. Since they rebuilt H Street, we basically lost our rights and now we have to fight for them. And why? We grew up here. Basically, everybody here is struggling, except the owners of those establishments on H Street.

“These clubs, restaurants, and places for carry out, they don’t help the neighborhood at all. They should have opened restaurants where anyone can enter, a place that fits the old and the new. But, it’s not like that, we can’t afford these places. You know what I’m saying?

“And, the police are coming around all of the time now that these places are here and harassing us. We ain’t doing nothing but hanging out, been doing that for 30-40 years with no problems. We around every day, some of us work and some of us don’t, but we don’t bother nobody.

“At night time, the streets are flooded with nothing but white people. I guess we get our time during the day and they get their time at night, except that we get harassed during the day by the police, too. At night, I go in the house and let them enjoy the street. If I am out here at night as a black man, I am like an endangered species. It don’t bother me, but that is the change that I see.”

Read more about the development of H Street NE here.

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