RSS FeedBarnes & Noble And The Goethe-Institut Are Leaving Penn Quarter
One business and one non-profit are leaving the neighborhood. Barnes & Noble, the big box bookseller at the corner of 12th and E St NW, along with the Goethe-Institut, the German language and cultural institute on 7th St between H and I St NW, have announced that they could not negotiate deals to stay in their space.
The downtown location of Barnes & Noble is the last big box/chain bookstore in DC and it will be closing by the end of the year. This location clocks in at 32,000 square feet.
The Goethe-Institut has been on 7th Street NW for close to 20 years and includes a theater used by many film festivals and programs. The source article from WAMU radio says the owner wanted to raise the rent by 60 percent. It will decamp to another location at 1990 K St NW.
This is more evidence that the rent is just too damn high.
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Comments
That stinks that Barnes & Noble will be closing. It was great to stop there after work before hopping on Metro.
Terrible news. We used to have 4 bookstores in the area. Goethe-Institut is an important cultural institution–what a disappointing set of developments.
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The loss of Goethe will be big. It has been a base for many smaller arts organizations and their consistent programming has helped to keep the neighborhood busy with cultured locals.