RSS FeedPenn Quarter Bodega Neighborhood Grocery
How do you feel about a grocery store for Penn Quarter residents and owned & operated by Penn Quarter residents?
Penn Quarter Bodega Neighborhood Grocery is the brainchild of Mather Studios resident June Blanks. She began planning the concept a year ago and then left a career of National Sustainability Policy to change the food system on a more local level in Penn Quarter. Her food outlet will do more than bring groceries to this otherwise food desert as it is designed to create a community.
The Bodega is partnering with local farmers for fresh foods and with residents and businesses to seek input about what the community wants in a grocer and how the Bodega can give back visibly to the community. The group is planning a series of Neighborhood Meet-Ups over the next six weeks to get a better understanding of what the residents of Penn Quarter want and need.
The Bodega plans on opening a storefront in Penn Quarter in early 2012, with the exact location TBD. The model for the retail outlet and gathering place is a compact, urban grocery store with a full range of products, including fruits, vegetables, meats, local brands, favorite brands, prepared foods, regional wine and beer, and general/household products, complete with a communal table to have a cup of coffee or read the paper.
More information on the grocery and meet-ups can be found on www.PennQuarterBodega.com. The Bodega also has a Facebook page.
History on Foot: Mies van der Rohe
Did you know that the DC Public Library at 9th and G Streets was designed by world-renowned architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe? It is actually the only public library ever designed by the architect, the only building he designed in this city, and the last building he designed before his death in 1969. It is one of a very small number of modern architecture designs in a city full of historic, traditional design.
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library is the central facility for the DC public library, containing several special collections, including the library’s collection of Washingtonian historical records. In 2007, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places, which will help support the city in preserving van der Rohe’s original design.
Van der Rohe is considered a pioneering master of modern architecture. In addition to his iconic “skin and bones” building designs around the world, he is equally regarded and remembered for his design of the Barcelona Chair, a design that has transcended trends and time to remain a sought after look for home and office alike.
DC Link Roundup: Heard In The ‘Hood
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Here’s what we were reading recently about neighborhood news in DC. Have something to add? Leave it in the comments!
NoMa/Union Station – The Capitol City Brewing Company in the Post Office Museum building next to Union Station is closed. The beer has left the building. [Prince of Petworth]
National Mall – We’re halfway through the summer so we might as well break it to you. The security staff at Jazz in the Garden, the weekly Friday night jazz performances at the Sculpture Garden, are being more strict about not allowing outside alcohol into the event. [Broads of the Beltway] & [Broads of the Beltway – Addendum]
Georgetown – Are facade easements genuine tax breaks for homeowners? Maybe not says the IRS. [Georgetown Metropolitan]
Penn Quarter – The Koshland Science Museum at 6th and E St NW gets some love from our town’s largest daily. [WaPo]
Georgetown – A short primer on one of the best venues in DC called The Bayou. Unfortunately, it closed some time ago, but we’ll never forget the nights spent there rocking and rolling away underneath the Whitehurst Freeway. [WaPo]
Shaw – Tom Sietsema reviews Beau Thai, a new Thai restaurant on New Jersey Ave NW within reasonable walking distance of our neighborhood. [WaPo]
Downtown – The due date for bids on redevelopment of the Old Post Office Pavilion (Penn Ave between 11th and 12 St NW) building went breezing by. What do you think it will become? Office, residential, or retail…maybe all three? [Washington CityPaper – Housing Complex]
Mount Vernon Triangle – We understand that burritofication of the space on 5th St NW in CityVista will be done in mid to late-August. Chiptole is taking over one of the retail spots between Busboys & Poets and the Safeway. [PQL Intelligence Network]
Mount Vernon Triangle – A short ditty on the population of the Mount Vernon Triangle. [The Triangle]
Penn Quarter Living is looking for writers. If you enjoy all that the Penn Quarter and downtown DC offer and like to write, drop us a line at: pqliving [at] gmail.com
Riot Act Comedy Theatre Update: Opening August 11
A picture is worth a thousand words they say, and per the photo above it is now clear that the Riot Act Comedy Theater (801 E St NW) will be opening on August 11. Their full website is operational listing Charles Fleischer as the headline act for the opening run with open mic nights taking place on Tuesdays. We previewed the theater’s facilities in a post earlier this month and although this location was originally going to be the performing home of the Washington Stage Guild (circa 2007-8), we’re happy to report that the Guild found a home at the Undercroft Theatre in the Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church at 9th and New York Ave NW.