Why Mt. Vernon Triangle Needs A Blog – A Neighborhood In The Making

My question is, how did the Cave relocate from 15th street in the CBD to right next to The Sonata, here in Mt. Vernon Triangle? Was the rent really that much cheaper?

The Cave was in the Woodward, the building now being renovated into luxury apartment rentals. All of the businesses in that building were kicked out for the renovation. GP, would the new Woodward be part of our neighborhood? Not sure where that would go.

andy: I did add the Woodward to our residential map on the sidebar.. I’m guessing we can report on Woodward happenings.

While we’re on the topic, WaBizJo reports: The owner of Busboys & Poets just signed a letter of intent to open a restaurant in the CityVista project at 5th and K streets NW in the summer of 2008

I think an even better idea is to add Mount Vernon Triangle to Gallery Place Living. The areas are hardly distinct and are stronger together.

There’s already a triangle blog. It’s quite good, too.

http://lifein.mountvernonsquare.org/index.cfm

Jonathon: Mount Vernon Square is the northern neighbor of mount vernon triangle.

No doubt, Life in Mt Vernon Square is an excellent blog and does report on some Triangle happenings.

I realize The Cave was in the Woodward building but just surprised that they were able to find space in East End… didnt think it was a viable business although I have never been in so who am I to say. Anyone been in there?

does anyone have a rendering of that office building which is going up. also does anyone know what would have motivated a steel frame structure? i have noticed most of the building downtown use concrete.

Anon: I haven’t seen any renderings for the office building. The original plan for the building on that corner was to be a mirror image of the Sonata on the other side of the street. It doesn’t look like it’s going to look anything like the Sonata.

Also, the steel frame construction is an older style of high-rise construction. You can see in the pic that workers are putting molds around the steel beams and pouring concrete around them.

Newer buildings use rebar in a [usually] cylindrical pattern and fill that in with concrete. One driver for using the rebar+concrete style is that you can create funky shapes and curves, not easily (maybe impossible) with normal steel frame construction. Also, I’m sure rebar construction materials are cheaper (less metal is used), but labor more expensive (more exotic molds are needed).

We desperately need something like Busboys and Poets in our neighborhood. There is no cozy place to get brunch, work on your laptop, or read the paper.

I think they also own Luna Grill and Diner. Any idea what they are hoping to open?

THANK YOU for posting this. My husband and I have been wondering what the heck this building will be.
Now, pardon my ignorance, but what is The Cave?

It doesn’t look like they are leaving openings for windows in this new office building. Am I missing something? What’s the deal?

MVSNA here. we are actually voting on our new bylaws tomorrow evening which will include boundary expansion into the Triangle. (DNA & MVSNA will happily overlap) So Triangle subjects will definitely be part of the LifeIn blog. But if anyone starts another one, the more the merrier!

gp awesome news about busboys & poets. between that, the safeway, starbucks & the hardware store, I’m in happy home improvement crack juice heaven.

Si, agreed! I’m happy to see MVT retail shaping up to be quality establishments.

This is in contrast to places like Columbia Heights – which is trying to fend off “Ross Dress For Less” from leasing a space that residents want a grocer to occupy.

We recently stopped in The Cave on a Saturday afternoon. While the wares were interesting and some of them were quite beautiful, the prices were unbelievably high. I can’t imagine ever actually purchasing something there.

Also, we visited the City Vista sales office yesterday and the salesperson confirmed the Busboys and Poets deal.

When the Downtown Neighborhood Association incorporated last year, Mount Vernon Triangle, along with the development on Mass Ave were included within our association boundaries. A key reason was the type of buildings that were being developed – large multi-family condos and apartments. As each new building takes shape, elects a board, and begins the transition process from developer to owner controlled, the similarities of issues provide opportunities for sharing experience.

I see the GPLiving blog as broader than Gallery Place – it covers an emerging neighborhood that includes Gallery Place/Chinatown, Penn Quarter, Mass Ave, Mt Vernon Triangle and our part of the West end. There may be a need for other blogs, but this blog is doing a great job as our “blog of record” for Downtown.

oh! i almost forgot. While delivering newsletters to the Sonata, I noticed the building next to the Cave (which is perpetually having a liquidation sale?)…guys were working on the inside & there is an ABC notice in the window – from 2004. Not sure what the deal is.

On a somewhat related note from up at The Whitman (South of Shaw, West of Mt. Vernon Sq/Triangle, North of Chinatown/GP), anyone know any word on the convention center “headquarters” hotel? Last I saw consutruction was supposed to start this winter, but there’s been total “radio silence” on the project for over a year since the DC Council passed the land-swap legislation. Anyone have any new info?

I walked by the Cave this evening and saw a sign pointing towards the door announcing “total liquidation.”

needs? we’ve been writing about what’s happening in the East End and Mt Vernon Triangle in the Life in Mt Vernon blog for over a year. sorry to burst your bubble but that turf has been ours since the the 80’s when the closest metro stop was judiciary square and just because some new group(DNA) is claiming it doesn’t mean anything. so there!

Keep the blog to GP/PQ, we’ve got so much activity going on here there’s plenty to cover. What’s in Mt. Vernon Triangle anyway other than crime, homeless and condo buildings full of empty units.

The last anon note should not have been posted.

As a resident of PQ/Gallery Place, we want our Mt Vernon neighbors to know we don’t all share the view of the previous post.

Agree, that anon comment was uncalled for, but with all these mv folks posting I would be really curious to hear if they have any new info on the second stage of the dumont becoming a hotel or apartments. The Dumont folks have refused to offer any information about sales in that section and the last word on the street was that they’re talking to hotel management companies.

second half of the Dumond has been purchased by Korman Properties out of Philadelphia for corporate housing

http://www.kormancommunities.com/