Meatballs Arriving In Penn Quarter (624/626 E St NW)

At the end of July the twitter account for Douglas Development asked “which NYC restaurant you’d like to see in PQ”. My response was The Meatball Shop. So they are delivering a DC answer to my request =)

Love the neon signage. And I’m sure the wall mural inside that says “Balls” will be popular.

The owner/manager of the establishment did not make any attempt to contact the condo or the residents directly affected by this very tacky and huge pink sign. Can you imagine being the residents that have to view this sign and now have their units bathed in this horrible light?

Unlike some other businesses in this vicinity it is apparent that this business is not interested in being a “good neighbor” or even trying to be neighborly.

For an added dash of tack, the front window is stenciled with the word “BALLS” in 3 feet letters and a small 4 inch stencil of the word “meat” above it.

Real classy touch!

YUM! An inexpensive way to eat Michel Richard’s food!

I spoke to one of the contractors last on Sunday and he said they were slated to open the following Monday (the 24th).

Re: Anonymous’ post, I live in the Clara Barton and agree that the neon sign is pretty damn bright (and I’m quite sure it’s right outside a condo unit’s windows). Don’t think it affects all residents, though. I happen to think it’s kind of awesome.

Erecting that sign essentially undermined the value of the condos around it. I don’t care how good the food is – putting that sign up was hostile and rude.

Calm down NIMBYs. A sign isn’t going to make the condo values drop. It’s in one of the most expensive neighborhoods in the city. As long as your address is in Penn Quarter you’ll be fine. And, I’m pretty sure that the second floor is offices there (there’s a door next to Starbucks on E).

I’m pretty sure there’s a Seinfeld episode about huge neon sign bathing Kramer’s apartment with a red glare. One has to laugh a little.

Kramer: “Kenny?!”

The affected condo unit is NOT an office; it is a residence and I have been told that the gentleman in it is overwhelmed by not being able to see down the street any more and having pink bathed through his thick curtains even in his bedroom. He reportedly noted that it will be difficult to sell or rent this unit.

So those of you who think this is pretty neat, why don’t you offer to rent the one-bedroom unit or purchase it at the going market rate pre-MEATBALLS sign! You can see the condo office who will direct any offers to its president who in turn will direct them to that condo owner I am certain.

The sign, as a sign is quite clever in that the neon shows up only at night. It just happens to be out of scale with the facade and out of place on E Street in this location. One has to look at the entire urban streetscape fabric and not the sign out of context.

There are only two things different from the sign here and the signs one sees on hotels in skid row: The neighborhood is better and the sign isn’t flashing!

Re: MJL’s post, perhaps the sign doesn’t affect you, hence is “awesome,” but it suddenly diminished the quality of life for at least one person in your building. It sounds like your neighbor could use some help, but this isn’t the way to do it.

The place to start with this is the Clara Barton Condo Association. I’d also take it to ANC 6C09 Commissioner Kevin Wilsey, and city council member Tommy Wells. The Downtown Neighborhood Association can help too.

Maybe the owner will really like the meatballs. And the sign could be good mood lighting.

The sign is certainly an odd way to acquaint themselves with the neighbors. If I was the owner next door, I’d be fuming too.

I notice they’re applying for a liquor license. I’m no lawyer, but I’d probably start by opposing their license application – an establishment that is so inconsiderate of the neighborhood with respect to the facade is likely to be just as inconsiderate in keeping the neighborhood quiet and clean when serving alcohol.

This isn’t a stodgy neighbor issue either. While the sign is tacky and out of place, that’s not the gripe. It shines purple neon light directly into someone’s window. I don’t know the condo owner, I’m not affected by the situation, and even I was shocked by their gall. Awful choice in my opinion.

I saw the sign and it opened up my eyes- really wide.

I couldn’t believe how big and out of place it looks. I do think that it is bad for the value of the condos. I also think that I would sue to have it removed if I lived in one of the units directly above it.

I’m excited about the new addition to the neighborhood. But I think Michel Richard needs to take a mulligan on the signage.

The sign is a fun idea, but it’s just too much the way it was executed, esp. for that poor neighbor whose apartment is now apparently bathed in neon pink light (nuisance alert!). The restaurant should have given us all some advance notice to weigh in on this idea instead of just unilaterally deciding to inflict this out-there design idea on our building, and on the street at large. Doing so was rude and narcissistic. (Again, I think the sign is cute in a lot of ways, and I can understand the owners/designers may not have meant any harm and were just clueless, but still….rude the way it was done.)

I can imagine some ways in which the fun, cheeky nature of the sign could be maintained but in a way more respectful to neighbors and the neighborhood, like removing the vertical blade sign and instead placing a neon MEATBALLS sign horizontally, on the facade of the shop itelf or in the shop’s windows. That way it wouldn’t be extending into a condo resident’s personal space.

I second cozmot’s statements. The unit owner, as well as the Clara Barton Board, should take this issue straight to the ANC, City Council and DC Superior Court. The signage is a terrible nuisance to the affected unit(s) and also sets another bad nuisance precedent for PQ in general.

Is the restaurant also renting that vertical space above the actual dining space? Doesn’t the Clara Barton Board have a seat at the table for the Jefferson complex that the restaurant and condos are apart of? Did someone actually approve this sign, and did that process even take into account the sign’s effects on residents? Community input was clearly lacking on this action that completely disregards the quality of life of residential neighbors.

I think it looks tacky- both the sign and the word balls on the window. I guess they wanted to really get your attention when walking by and such but I think this is the wrong kind of attention. I think the owner of that condo definitely has a right to be able to look out their window and night and be able to view the street without having everything covered in colored light. I would be smoking mad if that sign was next to my window!

Hold your horses.. This will be fixed in time…

Anon @ 4:14 am — that’s great advice for the guy who lives in that condo. Just deal with the fact that your walls, ceilings and floors are now pink, it’ll be “fixed in time.”

As a PQ resident, I’ll pass on dining at this disrespectful neighbor.

No problem with the sign, as long CB residents aren’t impacted.

Love the concept, and love Michel Richard’s food – will be nice to have an affordable alternative to Central in the neighborhood.

Any news on when it will open?!

the sign was not lit this evening.

I had heard by yesterday, although that wasn’t the case. Perhaps today or tomorrow (the inside appears ready to go).

Even if the sign isn’t lit up, it’s blocking that guy’s view/natural light that he paid for well before BALLS arrived. Rude, rude, rude. >:(

the sign not being lit wasn’t a slant one way or the other. it was just an additional update.

not having the pink lights on is an improvement for the affected resident. of course, removing the sign is the next improvement.