Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2F encompasses the Logan Circle neighborhood. (ANC 2F website)
From Tom Hay. Questions for Tom? Send him an email. You can follow him on Twitter@Tomonswann.
For the first time in well over a year Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2F (ANC) called their monthly meeting to order with a fully seated Commission. Matt Connolly will represent Single Member District 2F05 — the seat had been vacant since the previous commissioner did not seek re-election. Connolly filed a petition for the seat late last year and did not face any opposition.
The first order of business for 2012 was the election of new officers for the ANC. The venerable Charles Reed (SMD 2F01) announced that he could no longer assume the role of chair due to some health issues. Mike Benardo (2F06) is the new chair, Matt Raymond (2F04) was elected vice-chair, Sam Goekjian (2F03) will continue as treasurer and Nick Barron (2F02) will be Commission secretary.
Commission Asks for Permanent Closure of Mood Lounge
The Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration (ABRA) portion of the meeting took up the issue of the double stabbing outside Mood Lounge at 1318 9th Street, NW. Several commissioners and Kimbel recounted blatant and repeated voluntary agreement violations, and public safety concerns associated with the nightclub.
The ANC voted unanimously to ask the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board (ABC) for permanent closure of the establishment. The ABC Board hearing on Mood Lounge is today, Friday, January 13.
Building Security on 1400 Block R Street
During the community forum portion of the meeting, Sherri Kimbell, director of Constituent Services for Councilmember Jack Evans (D-Ward 2), announced that the Section 8 housing complexes on the south side of the 1400 block of R Street, NW now all have the same security company. It is hoped that this will improve communication and safety in the area. The block was the scene of a daytime shooting late last year.
New Restaurant in Well Built Space
Also on the agenda Wednesday evening was the ABRA application for an Italian restaurant to be located in the WellBuilt furniture space at 1541 14th Street NW. Tad Curtz, of Standard BBQ at 14th and S Streets, is behind the new venture. No representative of the planned restaurant was present at the meeting, and none of the commissioners had any additional knowledge of the project. The ANC then voted unanimously to protest the liquor license application. This was done subject to the negotiation of a voluntary agreement. ANCs routinely protest liquor license applications pending a Voluntary Agreement with the establishment, which may stipulate certain conditions for operating.
Well Built is closing its store January 31 and will shift its focus to the commercial sector with a showroom and online presence. (Luis Gomez Photos)
From Tom Hay. Questions for Tom? Send him an email. You can follow him on Twitter @Tomonswann.
Last week we reported on the posting of an Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration application for the space currently occupied by the Well Built furniture store at 1541 14th Street NW.
The news broke just before the Christmas holiday weekend and we could not get in touch with store owner Ann Blackwell about her plans for the store. This week we got more details from Blackwell, whom we profiled last December. It turns out that the retail location will close at the end of January 2012.
Borderstan asked Blackwell if she was going out of business when her 14th Street location closed. She said, “WellBuilt has gone commercial! We will still offer our residential customers our online services and an office/showroom by appointment only — but commercial sales to the office and restaurant sector continue to be our main focus. I have loved having a storefront on 14th and hope to find an office space here.”
Fans of the store, which features high quality, sustainably-produced furnishings, can take advantage of discounts on January 25 and 26, just before the store closes. We will keep monitoring for details on the Italian restaurant that owner Tad Curtz of Standard BBQ plans for the space.
Earlier this week we reported that neighboring Artfully Chocolate (ACKC) at 1549 14th Street NW would be closing this Saturday.
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One of the owners of Standard BBQ has applied for a liquor license at 1541 14th Street NW for an Italian restaurant, current location of Well Built Furniture. (Tom Hay)
From Matty Rhoades and Tom Hay
There is a liquor license application in the window for the space at 1541 14th Street NW — presently the site of Well Built Furniture. The application is from Thaddeus Curtz, one of the owners of Standard BBQ, at the northeast corner of 14th and S Streets NW. Curtz, the operating partner of Standard BBQ, was unavailable for comment or additional details.
However, Curtz did confirm to DC food blogger/writer Russell Warnick on Friday that he has applied for a license for the space. A hat tip to Warnick for his Friday tweet (@russellwarnick) on the application notice in the window. The notice went up Friday; the hearing at the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration (ABRA) is February 21.
The application (photo at right) states under Nature of Operation:
“New restaurant with Italian cuisine and recorded background music. Capacity is 85. Total Occupancy is 105. Sidewalk Cafe with seating of 20 patrons.”
Ann Blackwell opened the high-end specialty furniture store, Well Built, in April 2010 in what was formerly Candida’s World of Books. (See Tom Hay’s profile from December 2010, Well Built: Style Meets Sustainability on 14th Street.) Blackwell was not available for comment regarding her plans for the store.
Well Built has joined a growing number of furniture and home decor stores on the 14th Street corridor between Rhode Island Avenue and U Street. (Luis Gomez Photos)
Well Built has joined the growing list of furniture and home decor stores on the 14th Street NW corridor. It is located at 1541 Q Street, former location of Candida’s World of Books; the space was vacant for two years.
Owner Ann Blackwell says of Well Built on the store’s Web site that that the new furniture store is “born from the idea that design is powerful.” Well Built’s Web site says that all furniture sold will be manufactured within 500 miles of D.C. and that its furniture “uses recycled materials or is highly recyclable” and “made using organic, natural or low-impact materials.”
