Mother Nature Takes Its Toll on Historic Anacostia

Art of War Concept: Swift as the wind. Quiet as the forest. Conquer like the fire. Steady as the mountain
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“I’m Going to Huff and Puff And Blow Your House Down!” It looks like Mother Nature took its toll on Historic Anacostia last night. Driving down MLK Ave SE this morning, I noticed the brick facades currently owned by the District Government were scattered across the street. This blows!

This special neighborhood as already lost a ton of its historic charm over the years and it just lost another three (3) historic building facades. I guess I can’t blame the government for this one...even though I'm sure somebody at DHCD is smiling. Here’s hoping the new administration will take some serious thought and care in the future of this neighborhood and understand historic preservation is the key to keeping it a special place and not just another place in the City.

What once was...

As of yesterday with the hopes of returning to Glory

And Now this Morning

Historic Homeowner Grant

Art of War Concept: Opportunities multiply as they are seized.

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What is it going to take to revitalize downtown Anacostia? Various ideas and initiatives have been proposed, but there is one program that has had a tremendous immediate impact. Look no further than the Office of Planning's Historic Homeowner Grant. It has been 5 years since members of the Historic Anacostia Block Association (HABA) began the discussion on how to take advantage of this grant opportunity. The program affords homeowners who live in any of the city's historic districts to apply for up to $35k to fix-up the facade of their homes.

From new windows, doors, siding and new paint jobs, this program has done wonders for our neighborhood. Each renovation feels like an overnight transformation of our community and builds on our sense of pride. Since its inception, HABA has brought nearly $1.5 million in grant funds to our neighborhood!

A couple of long-time neighbors of mine recently took advantage of the program and I wanted to show off some of the pics.

BEFORE - U St

 Kinda blah...

 

 

AFTER - U St

 

Big Blue!

 



New windows, paint job and porch!

 Definitely adds to the curb appeal

 

Before - 16th St

 

 Trust me, the potential is there...

 

 After - 16th St

Even with a basic white paint job, the curb appeal is
much more inviting.