We've fielded some inquiries about about the Shirt Laundry site at 14th and Q streets, so just to clarify a couple of things:
Last June, we wrote about exciting plans for two new restaurants in the Logan/14th Street area: restaurant group The Whisk Group, in partnership with Abdo Development, announced plans to open an upscale Italian restaurant at the current site of Abdo's offices at 1404 14th Street, and to open an Italian bakery-style restaurant at the so-called "shirt laundry" building at 14th and Q streets.
Unfortunately, plans for the restaurant have no been shelved. Last month, the Whisk Group announced that they were pulling out of the project because of unexpectedly high cleanup costs. (Dry cleaners tend to leave a lot of mess in their wake.) This now leaves an open question as to what might end up there, if not a food-serving establishment? Several ideas have been floating around (it's been a poorly kept secret that Walgreen's would like to set up shop in the neighborhood, for instance) but nothing has been announced at this point.
What we *do* know is that while the building continues to sit empty, it continues to look worse and worse (the shot above is clearly from before the graffiti monster began attacking it). Anyone who has walked by the Shirt Laundry site over the past few months can attest that, not only has there been no movement on a restaurant there, but the building has deteriorated and is covered in posters and graffiti, and parts of the roof are blowing off.
The building is owned by one Stephen Jaffe of Potomac. If that name sounds familiar, it may be because he also owns the building across the street (1618 14th Street) that formerly housed the sex club, until the city shut it down following the death of a man inside the building. (We're betting that his wife's upscale clothing store in Bethesda--Pirjo--is kept in somewhat better shape.)
With regards to the other restaurant in the works--the Italian Cinema--we understand that that one is still a go.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
About the "Shirt Laundry" space...
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6 comments:
What's most aggravating is that whoever manages the building has begun to enforce no-parking restrictions. If they're going to help some lady in her Acura have a place to park every night, they could at least spend some time cleaning up the graffiti. Otherwise, let the rest of the neighbors use the parking, too.
Whether it is cleanup costs, renovation costs, etc., the basic issue is that the landlord must have been charging to much and not offering enough in "tenant improvements". So it really comes down to what he is asking for rent. Focusing on the clean-up is a distraction, the costs of soil remediation on the dirt disturbed to trench out new bathroom and kitchen drains is not extraordinary. My point is... Blame the current owner and not the property's for this project not moving forward.
The place is clearly a blighted property. Is it taxed that way? If not how do we get that changed?
I'd love to see a place to grab something casual and healthy. Teaism would be perfect. I love all the upscale restaurants, but if you want something quick or without reservations/a long wait, burgers seem to be the only option (though I'm looking forward to the taqueria opening soon!)
Alternatively, I'd like a Comet Ping Pong :)
Considering the carcinogenic dry cleaning chemicals that are likely in the ground on that site, I wouldn't eat at any restaurant, nor buy food from any store, there. I wouldn't even want retail employees to have to spend 8 hours a day there. Maybe Zipcar would pay to rent spaces there, after the slum landlord tore down the building? I heard that other Zip spaces nearby are likely to be lost soon due to new developments.
The city should haul Mr. Jaffe up and force him to maintain the site at the very least (no doubt we all would like to make him camp out there for a while to give him a taste of his own medicine as it were..). I believe that there are requirements for that in the DCMR.
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