TheInTowner
Now In Our 44th Year of Continuous Publication
Next
Issue
May 10
APRIL
2013
Vol. 44, No.10
®
Since 1968 • Serving Washington D.C.’s Intown Neighborhoods
Earthquake Damage Restoration Completed
at Historic National City Christian Church
By P.L. Wolff
A
s we reported a few months following
the August 2011 earthquake (5.8 on
the Richter scale), the John Russell Popedesigned interior of this magnificent church
on Thomas Circle had sustained significant
damage to the ornate plaster ceiling and to
the 7,000-pipe Möller organ. (See, “Historic
Church Faces Earthquake Repairs,” March
2012, issue PDF page 1; http://tinyurl.com/
dxe8qyc).
Now, nearly a year after repairs were started, the extensive artisanal plaster restoration
work has returned this beautiful, soaring
sanctuary to its former glory.
An even bigger challenge was to replace
the 500 organ pipes that had been dented
or crushed by large sections of falling plaster
and other debris so as to render the pipes
unplayable. According the church’s minister
of music, Charles Miller, it took the church
some 16 months to raise enough funds to
cover the $125,000 restoration costs.
photo—courtesy National City Christian Church.
Cont., DAMAGE, p. 4
Marie Reed School Students, Adams Morgan Youth,
DC Soccer Enthusiasts to Benefit from Major Gift
Proposed U Street Liquor Moratorium Heavily
Opposed at Meeting Called by Four ANCs Covering
More Than 70,000 Ward 1 and Ward 2 Residents
By Anthony L. Harvey
photo—thisisbossi, courtesy dcist.
M
arch madness in two of
Washington’s liveliest nightlife
entertainment wards was not over college basketball, although the largest public gathering over the issue of a proposed
new Alcoholic Beverage license moratorium that this reporter has ever attended
occurred in the basketball gymnasium
auditorium at the historic Thurgood
Marshall Center in the heart of the
Shaw/U Street arts overlay district on
March 20th.
Billed as a joint ANC listening session on the moratorium petition submitted by the Shaw Dupont Citizens
Alliance (SDCA) and the Residential
Action Coalition (RAC), the event was
extremely well attended. All of the 100
seats were filled and 40 or 50 persons
were standing in the back of the old, and
beautifully restored, gymnasium; additional attendees came and went during
the more than two-hour session.
With four adjoining Advisory
Neighborhood Commissions tasked with
commenting on the moratorium petition, presiding were four commissioners representing their respective ANCs
— Kevin O’Conner and Noah Smith
from Dupont Circle 2B’s nine-member
Cont., LICENSE, p. 4
By Anthony L. Harvey
O
n April 2nd during a
bright, sunny spring
afternoon in Adams
Morgan, a large crowd
gathered on the dilapidated athletic playing field at
the bottom of the Marie
H. Reed Community
Learning Center campus
at Florida Avenue and
18th Street to celebrate
the gifting by the United
Arab Emirates (UAE)
and the Manchester City
Football Club to the
District of Columbia of
a new, state-of-the-art, allweather artificial turf grass
field as a replacement for
the present abomination
of an existing, poorly
maintained largely dirt
and ruined grass field.
This magnificent gift comes hand in
hand with a three-year commitment by
the Manchester City Football Club and its
lead sponsor, Etihad Airways, of annual,
photo—Phil Carney—The InTowner.
ten-week training programs at the new field
for Marie Reed students and community
soccer players, and the commitment of the
Cont., SOCCER, p. 5
Features Moved to Website
WHAT’S INSIDE
Around Our Community
3
Foundry Church Volunteers
4
Museums6-7
graphic—SDCA/RAC moratorium petition documentation appendix.
Shown in this map are all the ABC-licensed establishment within & outside of the proposed moratorium zone, denoted by the superimposed circle, as measured from the intersection of 14th & U
Streets, NW
Restaurant Reviews and “Food in the
’Hood” features are now to exclusively
available on our website by clicking
the respective link buttons on our
home page.
RECENT REAL ESTATE SALES: FEBRUARY 2013
The Selected Recent Real Estate Sales monthly feature is now available on its own web page
and may be accessed directly by the link in the middle of the home page or by the button in
the left side panel. This has made possible the introduction of a new format which allows for
easy search by addresses by scrolling down through the list, starting with single family houses,
proceeding to condominiums, and concluding with co-ops.
See in Special Online Content:
n
n
n
n
n
Ecuadorian Embassy Sustained Significant
Earthquake Damage, August 23, 2011
DC Board of Zoning Adjustment Reconsidering
Mt. Pleasant Library Case
Balancing Neighborhood Retail: The 25% Rule
Reconstructing Historic Holt House
When Does My Cast Iron Staircase Need
Attention?
For complete articles click Special
Online Content link at right.
Reservations Recommended
Restaurant Reviews by Alexandra Greeley
and
Food in the ‘Hood
by Joel Denker
These monthly features are appearing exclusively in our website’s Restaurants and Food
in the ‘Hood sections, respectively, and
can be accessed directly by the links in the
middle of the home page or by the buttons
in the left side panel.
Page 2 • The InTowner • April 2013
From the Publisher’s Desk...
HAND RAILINGS & IRON FENCES ON SALE!
SUBURBAN WELDING COMPANY
• Repair & replacement of DC-style iron work • Replacement parts for cast iron staircases (new & used)
• Custom fabricating of window & door security bars • Tree box fences • Property fences & sidewalk gates
• DC code approved bedroom window security bars • Welding repairs • Specialty iron fabricating
24 hours, 7-day service • Free estimates
703-765-9344 • www.suburbanweldingcompany.com
NEXT ISSUE—MAY 10
ADVERTISING SPACE GUARANTEE DATE:
FRIDAY, MAY 3
News, Events & Letters Deadline: Friday, May 3
Mail and Delivery Address:
1730-B Corcoran Street, N.W., Lower Level Washington, DC 20009
Website: www.intowner.com
Editorial and Business Office: (202) 234-1717 / email: intowner@intowner.com
Press Releases may be emailed (not faxed) to: newsroom@intowner.com
Display Advertising inquiries may be emailed to: advertising@intowner.com
Publisher & Managing Editor—P.L. Wolff
Associate Editor—Anthony L. Harvey
Contributing Writers—
Paul K. Williams, Ben Lasky
Layout & Design — Mina Rempe
Historic Preservation—Paul K. Williams
By P.L. Wolff
®
Restaurants—Alexandra Greeley
Food in the ’Hood—Joel Denker
Real Estate—Jo Ricks
Photographer—Phil Carney
Webmaster—Eddie Sutton
Some Thoughts About the Mayor’s Proposed Budget
and its Positive Impact for Life in the City
L
ast month in this space the headline summarized our genuine concern about the
need to be prudent about spending by simply stating the obvious: “With Sequestration
Now a Reality the City Council Will Need to be Especially Prudent.” Having now taken a
first look at the Mayor’s proposed budget it appears that our concerns are being addressed.
Yet, at the same time, we are pleased to note that quality of life initiatives so important
to ensuring that this is a city which will retain and grow its citizenry are not being shortchanged.
At the top of our list is the $8 million targeted for making possible the operation of both
the Martin Luther King, Jr. main library and all of the branch libraries across the city on
Sundays. We know this has been an important priority of Ward 2 Councilmember Jack
Evans, who also chairs the Committee on Finance. We are pleased that the Mayor recognizes the importance of making these facilities available to all on a day that for so many
is the only day free, including the ever-increasing numbers of youths being drawn to the
marvelous new and refurbished branch libraries that Chief Librarian Ginnie Cooper has
brought on line thanks to her vision and extraordinary management.
And there is even more good news for our library system: The Mayor has indicated his
commitment to keeping the MLK main library in its Mies van der Rohe-designed building rather than former Mayor Williams’ ill-conceived idea to give up on this internationally famous architect’s single contribution to our city in favor of building anew at the old
convention center site a few blocks north.
Underscoring this commitment, the Mayor has included in his budget $103 million for
the much needed total overhaul of the now 40-year-old mechanical systems and interior
re-design to meet the needs of 21st century users; back in 1973 there was no internet and
the notion of digital media was only a gleam in the eye of visionaries. (For background,
see our extensive report of a year ago, “Disposition or Retention of MLK Main Library
Building Subject of In-Depth Report to Guide DC Library Trustees,” InTowner, March
2012 issue PDF page 1; http://tinyurl.com/dxe8qyc.
Also important is the need to provide support for the District’s myriad, mostly small,
theater companies, arts and cultural organizations, and artist support groups that provide
an urban vibrancy which is an important element in drawing talented and creative people
to become part of our neighborhoods. Beyond this is the dollars and cents reality that what
might be labeled as the “cultural sector” plays a major role in the local economy through
employment and sales –- and not just within the arts community itself; the positive impact
on the hospitality sector is enormous. Consider, for example, how the dynamic presence
of the just the Studio Theatre alone at 14th and P Streets, NW has brought so much restaurant and retail business to not only the 14th Street Arts Overlay district but to U Street
and beyond.
It is unfortunate that it is apparently not possible this time around to include in the
budget the same $6 million or so allocation to the arts and humanities commission that
Councilmember Evans’ committee had been able to provide last year. Nevertheless,
through a proposed more than $2 million increase in the commission’s capital budget,
Evans believes this “countervailing increase” in the commission’s budget will serve as a
partial offset. Further, Evans has called attention to a provision that allows for non-profit
arts organizations to apply for grants from the Mayor’s $15 million One City Fund for up
to $100,000 per year for a total of $300,000.
We share Evans’ “hope” that both the above-mentioned “funding sources will be used to
backfill the other reductions and make sure that our arts community continues to provide
important educational and economic development benefits to our city.”
Copyright © 2013 InTowner Publishing Corp. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without
permission is prohibited, except as provided by 17 U.S.C. §107 & 108 (“fair use”).
Founded in 1968 by John J. Schulter
Member—National Newspaper Association
The InTowner (ISSN 0887-9400) is published 12 times per year by The InTowner Publishing
Corporation, 1730-B Corcoran Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20009. Owned by The InTowner
Publishing Corporation, P.L. Wolff, president and chief executive officer.
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Copyright ©2010, The InTowner Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved. Unsolicited
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the right to edit such submissions for space & clarity.
For over 40 years providing neighborhood news and information to our readers in Adams
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Page 3 • The InTowner • April 2013
AROUND OUR COMMUNITY
The editor welcomes the receipt of information about community happenings, such as
neighborhood and block association activities, church-sponsored events, public meetings
dealing with neighborhood issues, and other events of a non-commercial nature. These may
be emailed to us at newsroom@intowner.com, or sent by regular mail but not by fax. Note
that our reporting focuses on our target neighborhoods, all of which are listed along with
more information regarding the kind & scope of news we can use in the advisory posted at
the top of the website’s Community News page.
• Sun., Apr. 14 (6pm): Commemorating
the District’s Emancipation Day holiday,
to be observed on Tuesday, the 16th, will
be a special program at U Street’s historic Lincoln Theatre paying homage to the
seven debates in 1858 between Republican
Senate nominee Abraham Lincoln and
Democratic Senate nominee Stephen
Douglass over slavery and the major issues
of the day.
Free and open to the public, billed as
“Great Debate II” and following last year’s
“Great Debate” format, there will be four
panelists, two representing the liberal point
of view and two representing the conservative point of view. They will espouse their
opinions and expertise on such matters as
the economy, unemployment, healthcare,
education, and gun control.
Serving as moderator will be Ed Gordon,
the host of BET’s “Weekly with Ed Gordon.”
Panelists will include civil rights activist and
MSNBC commentator Rev. Al Sharpton,
author and Republican politician Star
Parker, author and political commentator
Julianne Malveaux, and national spokesperson for the Congress of Racial Equality and
MSNBC contributor Niger Innis.
On April 16, 1862, President Lincoln
signed the District of Columbia
Compensated Emancipation Act which
brought about the release of 3,100 enslaved
persons in DC, making them the “first
freed” at a cost of $1 million to the federal government. Nine months later, on
January 1, 1863, President Lincoln signed
the Emancipation Proclamation.
• Tue., Apr. 16: The District government will be closed in observance of DC
Emancipation Day; this is a local holiday
only and does not apply to the federal gov-
ernment, banks or the Postal Service. Trash
and recycling pickups will resume the next
day and regular day schedules will “slide” to
the next day, including Saturday.
Note, however, that rush-hour parking
restrictions will be enforced and vehicles
violating these restrictions will be ticketed
and towed, notwithstanding that other parking regulations, including expired meters,
residential parking and street sweeping, will
be suspended for the holiday.
• Fri., Apr. 19 & 25; May 3 & 10 (12:151pm): The free, 45-minute Friday lunch
hour pipe organ recital and demonstration
series at National City Christian Church
on Thomas Circle, NW, is resuming after
an 18-month to allow for the restoration of
the sanctuary’s interior decorative plaster
and organ repairs following the August 2011
earthquake. (See, “Earthquake Damage
Restoration Completed at Historic National
City Christian Church,” this issue, page 1.)
On April 19th, organist Kristine Adamaite
will perform the toccata from Charles-Marie
Widor’s Organ Symphony #5 and with
Latvian saxophonist Artis Semanis works by
Galina Grigorjeva and Emils Darzins.
And on the 25th, the church’s organist
and Minister of Music Charles Miller will
present a program featuring works, among
others, by Frederick Delius, Charles-Marie
Widor, and J.S. Bach.
Then in May, on the 3rd, Norwegian
organist Ines Maidre will perform, in addition to Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in D
Major, four works by 20th century Estonian,
Swiss, Polish and Austrian composers. The
next Friday, the 10th, Eric Bowman of
Charles Town, West Virginia will present
This exciting
newperfect?”
hardcover
“You say your cooking has never been
picture
cookbook features nearly 200
recipes from Dupont Circle’s
top chefs, restaurants, business owners, residents and organizations alike, and is
The
Tasteresource
of Dupont
sure to become
a favorite
for you to reproduce those local favorites right in
your own home! Just $20.
Cookbook is Here!
Cont., COMMUNITY, p. 5
Just Say: I Need A Plumber©
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The
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Cookbook
is Here!
Many local
restaurants
submitted
Available
with FREE local
delivery!
Order yours
securely Paramount
online NOW,
recipes: Floriana,
Annie’s
or
buy at One,
local businesses.
This
Steakhouse,
Level
Cafe Dupont
“Want
your
holidays
to
be picture perfect?
ideal
gift
is
a
fundraiser
for
at The
Dupont
Hotel,
Ruth’s
Chrisa book on the beach?
“Would
you
rather
be
reading
HDCMS. and diverse retail outlets in and
ShopSteakhouse,
locally atTwist
the wonderful
at the
Carlyle Suites
Us,
too.
Find
the
perfect
book
at one of these local Dupont
around
Dupont
Hotel,
Black
Fox
Lounge,
DarlingtonCircle.”
Order yours today at www.DupontCircle.biz
bookSkewers/
sellers”
House, SoHo Tea and Coffee,
YouCafe
can also
buy one
at Black
Fox Lounge
(1723
Luna,
One
Lounge,
Fairfax
at
Ct Ave),
KULTURA
books
(1728
Ct
Ave),
The
Embassy
Row,
Pesce,
Al
Tiramisu,
Cafe
Check out: Red Onion Records & Books (1901 18th Street),
Dupont
HotelUrbana
(1500 NH
at Swann
Local
Factoid:
Green,
at Ave),
the and
Hotel
Palomar,
nd Street), Kramerbooks &
Books
forNH
America
22
House B&B
(1808
Ave). Or,(1417
send $20
made
The
Tabard
Inn,
Lashopping
Tomate, The
Burger
Did
you
know
that
at
a
local
retailer returns 68% to the
out to
HDCMS and(1517
send toConn
9 Dupont
Circle,
Afterwards
Ave),
Books-A-Million
(11 Dupont
Joint,
Pizza
Paradiso,
Swann
House
Bed
local
community,
as
opposed
to
just
41%
with the big box stores?
NW, Wash DC 20036.
Circle),
Second
Story
Books
(2000
P
Street)
and Breakfast and Restaurant Nora.
Dial A Plumber, LLC®
Dial:
“Didn’t get what you
wanted for the
holidays? Buy it
yourself! ”
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Many local restaurants submitted recipes: Floriana, Annie's Paramount
Steakhouse, Level One, Cafe Dupont at The Dupont Hotel, Ruth's Chris
Steakhouse, Twist at the Carlyle Suites Hotel, Black Fox Lounge, Darlington
Dupont
Streets
lots of exciting
projects,
including
House,
SoHoMain
Tea and
Coffee, has
Skewers/Cafe
Luna, One
Lounge, Fairfax
at
Dupont
Main
Streets
has
lots
of
exciting
projects
that
began
the
Connecticut
Avenue
median
(north
of
the
Circle),
and
Embassy
Row,
Pesce,
Al
Tiramisu,
Cafe
Green,
Urbana
at
the
Hotel
Palomar,
Dupont Mainlast
Streets
has lotsthe
of exciting
projects
that
have
been
fall, including
Conn
Avenue
median
(north
of
the
The construction
Tabard
Inn, La Tomate,
The20th
Burger
Joint,
Pizza
Paradiso,
Swann
House
the
Triangle
Park
at
and
Q
Streets.
We
have
also
completed
or
are
beginning
this
fall,
including
the
recently
completed
th
and Q Streets.
Circle), and the
Triangle
Park atand
20 Restaurant
Bed
Breakfast
Nora.We have also
undertaken
a and
storefront
program,
window
Conn
Avenue amedian
(north
ofimprovement
the Circle),
and
the Triangle
Park at
undertaken
storefront
improvement
program,
window
display
th and Q Streets scheduled to begin December 6th. We are also
20
display
improvement
program,
and
even
a
mobile
display
improvement program, and even a mobile display for our temporary
undertaking
a storefrontvacant
improvement
grant program, window display
windows!
for our temporary
vacant
windows!
improvement grant program, andYou’re
even a Invited!
mobile display for our
The
Historic
Dupont
Circle Main Streets
temporary vacant windows!
Annual Meeting will be held at the Black Fox
Lounge at 1723 Conn Ave beginning at 6
PM on Thursday, January 20th. Come and
learnthan
what
Did you know there are more
365Main
shops,Streets has accomplished,
and
hear
an
exciting
businesses, and restaurants in the Historic announcement about the
Connecticut
Avenue median project!
Dupont Circle Main Street corridors,
one for
Councilman
Jack Evans will be our featured
each day of the
year?
guest, and will briefly present remarks and
answerofyour
questions. Refreshments and
Visit the commercial corridors
Dupont
Circle to shop in our 365+ clothing
stores, provided, cash bar.
appetizers
365+
retail shops, fitness centers, salons, saloons, restaurants, lounges, lounging
areas, and yes, even a gift shop or two.
365+ 365+
Visit www.DupontCircle.biz for a complete business listing.
Be on the Circle or Be Square.
Did you know there are more than 365
Did
youbusinesses,
know thereand
arerestaurants
more than 365
shops, businesses, and restaurants in
shops,
in the
the Historic
Historic Dupont
Dupont Circle Main Street corridors, one for each day of the year?
corridors, one for each day of the year?
Visit the commercial corridors of Dupont Circle to shop in our 365+
Page 4 • The InTowner • April 2013
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From p. 1
commission, one from Logan Circle 2F’s
eight-member commission, and one from
the super-sized Cardozo-Shaw ANC 1B,
represented by Matt Raymond and Marc
Morgan, respectively, who were co-chairing
the session,
Following the introduction of a police
department sergeant and an Alcoholic
Beverage Regulation Administration
(ABRA) attorney, Joan Sterling, SDCA’s
president, on behalf of both petitioning
organizations summarized the reasoning in
support of the proposed five-year moratorium on new ABC liquor licenses within the
petitioners’ 1800-foot zone.
Those purposes include: the alleged “concentration” of liquor licenses and its asserted
negative impact on peace, order, and quiet;
parking; the increase in the cost to taxpayers
of city services in areas of high liquor license
concentration; the inability or unwillingness of the city’s consumer and regulatory
affairs department (DCRA) to enforce the
arts overlay restrictions on the number of
licenses in each block of the neighborhood’s
arts overlay district; and the impact on the
availability of commercial and retail spaces
in the zone due to the high cost of commercial rents in the area, caused — additionally
asserted the petitioners — by bars and restaurants driving up commercial rents.
Sterling further asserted that the proposed
moratorium zone already has 107 liquor
licenses with 13 more in the pipeline, a
greater number than Adams Morgan’s same
size zone. She further called for a reduction
in the number of liquor licenses through
attrition. [Editors note, the same 1800-foot
Adams Morgan moratorium zone has 90
ABC license holders.]
By and large, Sterling’s pleas fell on
deaf ears. Sixty-three persons in attendance
spoke, each for 90 seconds, the co-chairs
having announced that an hour-and-a-half
remained for audience comments. While
just 13 spoke in favor of the proposed moratorium, 47 persons voiced opposition, along
DAMAGE
From p. 1
Complicating the overall restoration work
was the necessity to remove some 3,500 of
the organ’s pipes to allow for the erection of
scaffolding needed to facilitate the architectural inspections and structural work.
Every
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Washington,
DC 20009
1731 New Hampshire
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NW
www.CarlyleSuites.com
Washington, DC 20009
See pdf archive on home page
for 11 years of past issues
with two or three were neutral.
Those opposed expressed disagreement
with the proponents assertions, and nearly
always asserted the opposite — namely,
that the community’s bars and restaurants
gave a vibrancy and attractiveness to the
neighborhood’s residents and, in fact, made
the neighborhoods in the zone safer, and
that localized problems could be worked
out between residents and proprietors. The
opponents also challenged the idea that the
proposed five-year moratorium would be
temporary, noting that nearby moratoriums
in Dupont Circle and Adams Morgan were
always renewed rather than being allowed
to expire. The fact that these moratoriums
were soon to be considered for renewal was
also stressed.
And, while opponents voiced no calls for
“fundamental changes in city permitting
protocols,” as has been reported elsewhere,
there was an oblique reference, using the
example of the Hank’s Oyster Bar expansion
controversy, to such matters and several very
general complaints about city regulations;
otherwise, the subject was barely mentioned
by any of the speakers. There was also little
if any mention of what might be done by
the community and the DC government
to attract more neighborhood-serving retail
establishments, a concern to many in both
the proposed and existing moratorium districts.
Both the Logan Circle and the CardozoShaw ANCs have now voted unanimously
in opposition to the proposed moratorium,
Logan Circle by a vote of 7-0 with one commissioner being absent, and Cardozo-Shaw
by a vote of 10-0 with two commissioners
not present. Earlier in March, the Shaw
East ANC 6E voted to oppose the moratorium; Dupont Circle’s ANC will vote on the
matter next month at its May 8th meeting.
On March 20th, the ABC Board ordered
that a hearing on the moratorium petition is
to be held May 22nd at 1:30pm.
Copyright © 2013 InTowner Publishing Corp. All
rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part
without permission is prohibited, except as provided
by 17 U.S.C. §§ 107 & 108 (“fair use”).
the four marble columns in the front of the
sanctuary and from a four-foot-long hole
in the ceiling above the pulpit. This was
followed by the fabrication of reinforced
plaster castings of the old capitals and installation of the new plaster which was then
painted to match the existing colors of the
church.
The firm of Lawless and Associates Pipe
Organ Company
of Greencastle,
Pennsylvania spent
most all of last
month re-installing the cleaned
and repaired organ
pipes in time for
Holy Week and
Easter services.
Additional tuning
and related work
will be completed
in time for the
resumption of the
weekly
Friday,
45-minute lunchtime recital series
on April 19th, at
12:15 pm.
photo—courtesy National City Christian Church.
Copyright © 2013
InTowner Publishing
Corp. All
rights
reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without
permission is prohibited, except as provided by 17
U.S.C. §§ 107 & 108 (“fair use”).
One of the seriously damaged capitals as seen shortly after the earthquake.
The complex plaster restoration work
by the Baltimore firm of Hayles & Howe
started with the removal of the remaining
damaged plaster capitals from the tops of
Page 5 • The InTowner • April 2013
SOCCER
From p. 1
DC Public Schools in partnership with the
DC Department of General Services to
renovate and refurbish the area surrounding
the field with new seating, fencing, lighting,
and modern safety features.
The $500,000 facility and its surrounding embellishments will be constructed
between now and late summer with plans
for the field’s formal opening set for August
— in time for the start of the 2013-‘14
school year.
Speaking at the event, UAE Ambassador
Yousef Al Otaiba, a Georgetown University
graduate and no stranger to Adams Morgan,
the Ambassador observed, “I can’t imagine
a better place for this new field, right here
in the heart of Washington, DC. Marie
Reed Elementary School and this park are
cornerstones of Adams Morgan and we are
excited to construct a field that will give kids
more access to soccer and benefit the entire
community.”
In accepting the gift, Mayor Gray commended the UAE and Manchester City’s
generosity: “The District of Columbia is
honored,” said Gray, “to be chosen by
the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates
and the Manchester City Football Club
to receive such a wonderful gift for the
students of Marie Reed Elementary and
the community at large.” Continuing, Gray
noted that “the renovation to the soccer
field and after-school soccer program will
photo—Phil Carney—The InTowner.
enhance the quality of life for our community and brings an international presence to
our vision of ‘One City.’”
Manchester City Football Club officials
were on hand to elaborate on the club’s
“City Soccer in the Community” program
and its installation in five other U.S. cities, including new fields last year at Haas
Park in Chicago, the Hank Kline Boys &
Girls Club in Miami, and the Lexington
Academy in New York City’s Harlem section; another recent new field constructed
in 2011 was for the Boys & Girls Club of
East Los Angeles.
In front of the speaker’s stand for the
groundbreaking was raised, slanted platform
photo—Phil Carney—The InTowner.
COMMUNITY
From p. 3
a program featuring works by 20th century American and
English composers, a French composer of the second half
of the 19th century, and J.S. Bach.
These performances all take place inside the soaring John
Russell Pope-designed sanctuary (reminiscent of a great
Christopher Wren church in London) featuring National
City’s magnificent 7,000-pipe, five-keyboard Möller organ.
For more information, call the church’s music office at
(202) 797-0103 or send an email to cmiller@nationalcitycc.
org or visit www.nationalcitycc.org.
• Sat., Apr. 20 (2-4pm): The Mayor’s series of fiscal year
2014 budget “town hall” community meetings will be coming to the Sumner School & Archives (1201 17th St., NW).
According to the press release from the Mayor’s office, these
meetings are intended “to introduce District residents to,
and receive feedback from them on, his Fiscal Year 2014
Proposed Budget and Financial Plan. The $10.1 billion
budget . . . expand[s] affordable housing, strengthen[s]
education and workforce development, and safeguard[s]
public safety without raising new taxes or fees.” We are
informed that the proposed budget was developed “based
featuring a large sample patch of the artificial, woven turf grass; it will be used for
the all-weather surface of the new soccer
field and was an immediate hit with the
Marie Reed students in attendance. These
same students wasted no time by practicing their soccer moves with adult trainers
while awaiting the start of the afternoon’s
celebration.
Also in attendance
were Adams Morgan
ANC
commissioners, Kalorama Citizen
Association and Reed
Cook Neighborhood
Association members,
Square 150 activists,
community business
owners, and parents
and teachers of Marie
Reed students — many
of whom had been
present at the previous
week’s ANC special
meeting and community forum held by the
ANC to hear the soccer field proposal from
the Manchester City
Football Club. A large and enthusiastic audience attended that special meeting, and
expressed overwhelming support for the proposal as well as a collective and hearty “thank
you” for the UAE and Manchester City Club
gifts.
The ANC’s resolution of support, which
passed unanimously, included a further
resolved provision “that ANC 1C calls on
the District of Columbia Public Schools, the
Department of Parks and Recreation, and
the Department of General Services to work
closely with the community to ensure that
on extensive feedback from community organizations and
from all 13 members of the D.C. Council. . . .” According
to the Mayor, “These town halls will help us further refine
this budget and ensure it provides the maximum benefit to
everyone in our city.”
photo—courtesy Phil Carney
March 24th at Foundry United
It was the afternoon of Palm Sunday when 165 volunteers came
together for Dupont East’s Foundry United Methodist Church’s
Great Day of Service, partnering with Stop Hunger Now, to
assemble 20,000 meals for the needy.
the perimeter of the field is renovated in a
manner befitting the new field (and in particular that the railroad tie bleacher system is
replaced with an improved bleacher system);
and priority of use will be given first to the
school children during the school day, then
to local youth for free soccer instruction, and
thereafter to the local community.”
Anthony deGuzman, Chief Operating
Officer for the DC Public School System,
announced at the ANC session that he would
be the city’s coordinating officer among those
city agencies for this important project and
reiterated that statement to this reporter at
the groundbreaking ceremony the following
week.
Jake Lloyd, Communications Coordinator
for the local soccer organization DC Scores,
in attendance at the April 2nd event, recollected to The InTowner, that his well-known
organization began its DC soccer program
in 1994 on the Marie Reed athletic playing
field. DC Scores and the Adams Morgan
Youth Leadership Academy were both named
in the ANC resolution as local organizations
that City Soccer in the Community should
work with “to ensure that the programming
for the field connects effectively with [Adams
Morgan] local youth.”
photo—courtesy DC Public Schools.
Concluding remarks were provided
by Marie Reed school principal Eugene
Pinkard: “This will be a game-changer for
our students and our school community. The
soccer field will transform our curriculum
and make a valuable space into a world-class
facility.”
Copyright © 2013 InTowner Publishing Corp. All
rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part
without permission is prohibited, except as provided
by 17 U.S.C. §§ 107 & 108 (“fair use”).
• Mon., Apr. 22 (3:30-5pm): The Dupont Circle Village
will be hosting another of its monthly Live and Learn
Seminar programs, open to the public, this month in the
north conference room of St. Matthew’s Cathedral (enter
from the rear via the driveway to St. Matthew’s Center parking between the Cathedral and the Rectory, 1725 Rhode Is.
Ave., NW).
The program this month addresses the many benefits
and advantages of exercise for seniors. Dr. Loretta DiPietro,
Chair of the Department of Exercise Science at George
Washington University, will explain current findings in the
clinical and psychological benefits of exercise. She will also
demonstrate specific exercises. Professor DiPietro is a widely
published researcher with particular interest in the role of
physical activity in the health of older adults. She has been
awarded grants from the National Institute on Aging and
the American Cancer Society and has lectured on exercise
around the world. For reservations, contact Linda Harsh,
(202) 234-2567, or by email to lindajkh@mac.com. The talk
is free for Village members and $10 for others.
Copyright © 2013 InTowner Publishing Corp. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited,
except as provided by 17 U.S.C. §107 & 108 (“fair use”).
Page 6 • The InTowner • April 2013
At the Museums
By Anthony L. Harvey*
THE PHILLIPS COLLECTION
21st & Q Sts., NW; tel., 387-2151
Tue.-Sat., 10am-5pm; Thu., to 8:30pm;
Sun., 11-6pm
Special Exhibit + all galleries: $12
($10 seniors/students)
Permanent coll. only: weekdays by donation
I
n an enchanting and emotionally engaging exhibition — “Angels, Demons, and
Savages; Pollock, Ossorio, Dubuffet,” one
that rights an historical wrong by showing
the magisterial paintings of the relatively
unknown Alfonso Ossorio in the context
of works by his far more famous friends,
colleagues and collaborators — Jackson
Pollock and Jean Dubuffet — the Phillips
Hans Namuth (photographer), Alfonso Ossorio at the Creeks (1952). Seen in this photograph to the left of the doorway is Jean Dubuffet’s Francis Ponge (noir sur fond) of 1947
and to the right his Les Petits Yeux Jaunes of 1951; through the doorway on the far wall is
seen Alfonso Ossorio standing next to Jackson Pollock’s Number 1, 1950 (Lavender Mist).
Alfonso Ossorio, Red Family (1951).
Collection, in coordination
with New York’s Eastern
Long Island Parrish Art
Museum, has created a
ground-breaking exposition of the important role
played by Ossorio in the
development of abstract
expressionism in both New
York and Paris.
The exhibition also
debunks such romantic
conceits articulated by the
New York art world as the
notion that Pollock worked
as a solitary genius flinging
paint as though in a nonrational trance, and that
the New York abstractionists turned their backs on
the “school of Paris” and
European traditions generally, creating in place of
the world of Matisse and
Picasso an entirely new
and American — i.e., New
York City — school of art.
Instead of this illusory version of reality, “Angels,
Demons, and Savages”
reveals the wealth of ideas
and traditions, and creativity possessed by these three
extraordinarily gifted artists and
of how their uniquely created
works drew from and further
influenced the work of all three.
The reasons for this exhibition
are eloquently expressed in the
words of co-curator and Phillips
Collection Director Dorothy
Kosinski in the museum’s winter 2013 magazine. Reflecting
on accounts of her first meetings with Ossorio and his brothers in the early 1980s while
working at the Bruce Museum
in Greenwich, Connecticut,
Kosinski recounts: “I was mystified by how such a major figure could be so unknown in
the history of abstract expressionism. Personally and intellectually, I was intrigued by his
intense mysticism, spirituality, the mixture of cultures, his
Philippine background — this
Alfonso Ossorio, Perpetual Sacrifice (1949).
very sophistic and somewhat flamboyant
gay figure, with his over-the-top home and
estate, the Creeks, in the Hamptons. He was
a neighbor of Pollock and he owned many
of Pollock’s works, but Ossorio was also a
prolific artist, Dubuffet wrote about him
and he showed Dubuffet’s “art brut” collection in the States. It’s a story that is so rich
and nobody knows about it.”
And the felicitously titled “Angels,
Demons, and Savages” exhibition corrects
this grievous oversight by showing examples
of Ossorio’s stunning paintings and collages — his self-styled “congregations” — in
the company of great works by Pollock and
Dubuffet.
The exhibition opens with Ossorio’s mesmerizing Full Mother, a densely composed
concoction of swirling waves of colorful oil
and enamel paint on a richly figured canvas
ground with a lush, tropical cover overlaying
background images of crucifixion and fertility. As displayed, it plays off of Dubuffet’s
hilarious and elaborately created work titled
Jackson Pollock, Collage and Oil (ca. 1951).
Corps de dame — Château d’Étoupe [Body
of a Lady—Castle of oakum] and his childlike painting L’Homme au nez menu (Man
with Small Nose). Immediately nearby in
the initial gallery is Pollock’s boldly stroked
Number 7, 1952, a powerful abstraction of a
man’s head.
Ossorio’s brilliant Red Family, his deeply
spiritual Perpetual Sacrifice, and his heavily layered, mystical Five Brothers, a work
acquired by Duncan Phillips shortly after
Ossario painted it, constitute a marvelous trinity of equally powerful works. The
exhibition also includes examples from the
full range of Ossario’s novel and ingenious works. These hang well with Pollock’s
famous Number 1, 1950 (Lavender Mist),
sold to the National Gallery of Art by
Ossario in the 1970s, and Pollock’s stunning
watercolor, ink, and gouache on paper,
Pattern from the Hirshhorn Museum and
Sculpture Garden. And Dubuffet’s in-yourface painting, Paysage au chien (Landscape
with Dog), which no doubt enraged the artist’s vociferous New York critics for its lighthearted and playful crudeness, will get an
appreciative chuckle from serious viewers of
this path-breaking exhibition.
An exemplary, hardbound catalog, complete with marvelous full color illustrations
of every work on display, is available in the
museum gift shop. This informative catalog
contains both curatorial introductions and
appreciations of the works in the exhibition
as well as explanatory essays on the layering techniques used by these artists and the
extraordinary range of materials incorporated into their creations. On view through
May 12th.
NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART
4th & Constitution; (202) 737-4215
Daily, 10am-5pm / www.nga.gov
G
erman born Albrecht Dürer, who
brought the talents and humanistic
efflorescence of Renaissance Italy to northern Europe with his incomparable paintings, drawings, watercolors,
woodcuts and engravings, the
accomplishments of which
earned him the appellation
of “the Apelles of the North,”
is currently being celebrated
at the National Gallery with
a spectacular display of 140 of
his best drawings, watercolors,
and prints. Drawn primarily
from the incomparable royal
— now public — collections
of the Austrian treasure house
known as the Albertina in
Vienna, named for an AustroHungarian imperial aristocrat
who was a fine arts collector,
the exhibition consists of 120
works from Vienna together
with 20 comparable and related works from the National
Gallery’s own collections. No
exhibition in North America
has ever been blessed with
such an assemblage of Dürer
masterworks, and Washington
is the only venue.
Planned and executed as a
labor of love between two great
picture galleries, the exhibition and its accompanying
magisterial catalog simultaneCONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
Page 7 • The InTowner • April 2013
Dürer, The Triumphal Chariot of Maximilian I (1518).
MUSUEUMS
From p. 6
ously serve two primary goals: first to provide the sheer, magical pleasure of viewers
being able to experience the original works
handsomely lighted and displayed in spacious galleries, and secondly, through the
the etchings, engravings, and woodcuts that
spread his fame so widely beginning in the
early 16th century and continuing to this
day.
A comprehensive review of the exhibition would require highlighting at least 40
or 50 of Dürer’s iconic western European
artworks that are being shown. From the
portrait drawings and watercolors — espe-
Dürer, The Covered Bridge by the Haller Gate in Nuremberg (1496-’98).
catalog’s scholarly contents which explain cially his depictions of lowly plants and
in an historical context Dürer’s personal and grasses and realistic landscapes and city
artistic evolution resulting in the production scenes to those of the religious themed etchof these exemplary works. These twin goals ings that seem to combine the harsh realism of the German tradition of deprivation
are marvelously achieved!
The works are arranged chronological- and death with the contemporary Italian
ly, with the exhibition’s first show-stopper Renaissance tradition of the physical beauty
being the famous self-portrait drawing, cre- of the body and the religious and mythical,
ated by the artist when he was just 13 and imaginary landscape — to the mysterious,
approaching the break in his goldsmith’s mystical engravings and woodcuts and inefapprenticeship with his father to begin fably moving etchings, Dürer’s work rivets
an apprenticeship in the workshop of his this viewer’s emotional and visual response.
hometown Nuremberg’s most prominent Thus, rather than focus on the most famous
painter, Michael Wolgemut. There Dürer of these works — e.g., Praying Hands,
added to his goldsmith’s design and metal Melencholia I, Knight, Death and Devil,
working experience that of the full range Nemesis (the Great Fortune), Adam and Eve,
of fine arts skills — especially those of An Elderly Man of 93 Years (with the model
painting, drawing, gilding,
composition, the selection
and grinding of pigments,
and the skills necessary for
successful altarpiece construction. For Dürer it was
the beginning of a life-long
search for knowledge and
a continuing willingness to
be open to the experiences of travel, the close and
life-long friendships with
the humanists of the day
— from Erasmus to that of
his closest friend Willibald
Pirckheimer and his cherished relationship with
Martin Luther — and his
obvious delight in the most
ordinary as well as that of
the most unusual of persons
and phenomena.
The exhibition and its
accompanying catalog also
explain Dürer’s search for
the perfect proportions of
the human figure and his
fascinating accomplishments in the creation of Dürer, Innsbruck Castle Court with Clouds (1496 or later).
who posed for the portrait,
Dürer reported, being a very
cheerful old man), and one of
the gay liberation movement’s
favorites, The Men’s Bath — I
will point the viewer to several
of my own favorites, which are
perhaps lesser known works.
These include: Saint
Eustace, an engraving of a
densely composed, crowded
medieval forest landscape
depicting a kneeling Roman
soldier next to his saddled and
bridled horse with a pack of
hunting dogs at the bottom of
the picture plane, while above
the soldier is drawn an hallucination of a stag with a crucifix
of Christ on the cross placed
on the stag’s antlers — a tour
de force of a study in proportion and realistic draftsmanship; Endres Dürer, an enigmatic pen and ink drawing of
one of Dürer’s two surviving
siblings, who is shown looking away from the artist; The
Desperate Man (Study with
Dürer, Saint Eustace (ca. 1501).
Dürer, The Great Piece of Turf (1503).
Five Figures), an emotionally jarring and
almost frightening depiction of a tormented
man surrounded by five mysterious figures
— four men and a woman — in an etching for which artists and scholars have no
plausible explanation; Felix Hungersperg,
a pen and ink drawing of Dürer’s close
friend in Antwerp and fellow music lover
who played the lute, this being one of two
portraits Dürer made of Hungersperg who
was often mentioned in Dürer’s diary —
here depicted as a rakishly dressed bon
vivant with a glass left eye, the result of one
of the soldiering injuries he suffered while
fighting for the Emperor Charles V; and
finally, a powerfully and empathetically
drawn in black chalk portrait titled Head of
an African,” a man probably met by Dürer
when he was traveling in Italy and spending
extended periods of time in Venice.
An explanatory and illustrated free leaflet
accompanies the exhibition, and the terrific catalog is available for purchase in the
Dürer, Felix Hungersperg (1520).
Gallery’s gift and book stores. “Albrecht
Dürer: Master Drawings, Watercolors,
and Prints from the Albertina” continues
through June 9th.
Copyright © 2013 InTowner Publishing Corp. All
rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part
without permission is prohibited, except as provided
by 17 U.S.C. §107 (“fair use”).
*Anthony L. Harvey is a collector of contemporary art, with an emphasis on Washington artists. He is a founding member of the Washington
Review of the Arts. For many years he was the
staff person in the United States Senate responsible for arts and Library of Congress oversight by the Senate’s Rules and Administration
Committee and the House and Senate’s Joint
Committee on the Library.