Halfway House in Anacostia

Art of War Concept: A General waits...until the army's fortifications have been completed, to shelter himself.
________________________________________________________________________________

Now that I have your attention, what I actually meant was “half of a house.” To be more accurate, it is actually ¼ of a house. I’m sure when you take your first glimpse of this ¼ house, you are probably thinking why the heck will the city not just tear it down. It serves no purpose, right? Well the reason why you cannot just tear it down is because:

1. The ¼ house is located within the historic district of Anacostia - 1500 Block of W St.

2. Even if you wanted to tear it down, you need to get special premission from the Historic Preservation Office and the Historic Preservation Review Board to demolish any property in a historic district.

3. It has a ton of value. The after photos will make you a believer in historic preservation.

I guarantee that when you see what this house looks like now, you will think differently about what can be done with these old dilapidated homes in your own Ward 8 neighborhood. Enjoy the photos below…..

See what I mean when I said 1/4 of the house. Because its in a historic district, the
developer had to keep the front of the property intact.

Wow!

I love everything about it accept the fence. I wish they would have
used a wood picket fence instead.

Living Room Area

His and her sinks - always a plus for the fellas to keep her stuff on her side!

Second bath...

Nice size backyard, with a deck and car pad - always great addiitons.

I drove by this past weekend and saw a "Sold" sign! It was only on the market for about a week.
 It was listed for $320K so I'm waiting to find out who is moving into the neighborhood





Seeing the before and after pics, gets me excited about the possibilites of the Big K Property Site.
Should have an update on the future of this site in August 2012



Bellevue Gets a New Library!

ART of WAR Concept:  It is only the enlightened ruler and the wise general who will use the highest intelligence of the army, and thereby they achieve great results. 
_____________________________________________________________________________

Last week, during my lunch break I drove over to the Bellevue Community for the Grand Opening of the William O. Lockridge/Bellevue Library. All I can say is WOW. I always thought the Anacostia Library was nice and new, but I have to say that the residents of Bellevue really got a top notch facility.

This is not your average library, this is an architectural masterpiece. This $13.5 million 22,000 square foot facility will become a tourist attraction for architects around the world to visit and take notes on how to build a building that truly adds value to a neighborhood.

Yes, you have your books, computers and meeting rooms, but what is special are the views.  You get a fantastic view from just about every angle. With the large windows you get so much natural light. I took some photos of the grand opening event, but I encourage you to drive over to Atlantic St in Bellevue to check this out to really appreciate the library.

More great views...

Smaller meeting rooms

Large meeting room for community meetings - sits 100 people

Can't forget about the Kids!

Members of the Community

 

Friends Rodney Bunn (Ward 8 Firefighter) and Jaren Hill with Stefan Jr.

Mr. Trayon White, current Ward 8 School Board Representative

Ms. Wanda Lockridge, wife of the late William O. Lockridge

Mayor Gray giving opening remarks...

Named after the late William O. Lockridge, past Ward 8 School Board Representative
and the Bellevue Community.

Support your DC Public Library. Join the Friends of the Anacostia, Bellevue and
Parklands-Turner Library Committees.

Ward 8 Community Summit - Pics

ART of WAR Concept: Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.    _____________________________________________________________________________

This past weekend, a couple hundred of my Ward 8 neighbors and I participated in Mayor Gray’s follow-up Ward 8 Community Summit at the Malcolm X School in Congress Heights. The goals of the summit included the following:

      1. Provide updates and receive feedback on implementation efforts since July 2011.

      2.   Share several community projects undertaken since July 2011.

3.    Present and receive feedback on five District-government Investment Opportunities for Ward 8

The facilitated conversations centered around a variety of topics such as job training, the St. E’s East Campus development, reuse of vacant properties, public art installation and improved retail in our commercial corridors. I have included several photos of the event. One thing is clear, with the recent approved budget, Mayor Gray is serious about improving the quality of life East of the River.

If you missed this one, there should be another follow-up summit in the Fall. Stay tuned for updates especially around the Big K Property.



Mayor Gray outlining his goals for the next six months



The Gateway Pavilion is supposed a major eatery on the
 St. E's East Campus



r.e.e.l. Member, Ms. Courtney Anderson and others taking it all in.



Teresa Kelly, Bruce Holmes, Ms. Chapman and Others...

 



Dr. Courtney Davis, author of "A is for Anacostia"
participating in the discussion.




Raymond Bell (The Hope Project) and
Catherine Buell (Chair of the Historic Preservation Review Board)



ANC Commissioner Greta Fuller



Ward 8 Staple - Jackie Ward



Mayor Gray enjoying a good laugh

 

My favorite city administrator, Ms. Harriet Tregoning from the
DC Office of Planning



Ms. Vera Abbott from Bellevue
 and representing the AARP





New r.e.e.l. member - Mr. Olu Burrell



ANC 8A Chair Mr. Anthony Muhammad



You ever wonder who authors the Congress Heights on the Rise Blog?
The Nikki Peele



Some of Ward 8's Finest