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All very accessible via Metro, bus, bike, foot or taxi.
The theaters I mentioned in my last post are either on 14th or U or within a couple of blocks.
But, back to the Arts Overlay. Perhaps by referring to the Arts Overlay (Chapter 19) (see excerpts below),
you'll see that the purposes of the overlay are much broader than
establishing a theater district. Many of the preferred arts-related, retail and service uses listed can be found here and
more are underway or slated for the future.
(1900.2)
The purposes of the ARTS Overlay District are to:
Encourage a scale of development, a mixture of building uses, and other
attributes such as safe and efficient conditions for pedestrian and vehicular
movement, all of which will be as generally required by the Comprehensive Plan:
Require uses that encourage pedestrian activity, especially retail, entertainment, and residential uses;
Provide for an increased presence and integration of the arts and related cultural and arts-related support uses;
Expand the area's housing supply in a variety of rent and price ranges;
Expand business and job opportunities, and encourage development of residential and commercial buildings;
Strengthen the design character and identity of the area by means of physical design standards;
Encourage adaptive reuse of older buildings in the area and an attractive
combination of new and old buildings; and
Foster eighteen (18) hour activity and increased public safety.
In Chapter 19, you'll find that the following are 'preferred retail and arts-related uses' in the Arts Overlay Zone
are much broader and diverse than live theater:
1907.1 For the purpose of this chapter, the following uses shall be preferred retail and
service uses:
Antique Store;
Apparel and Accessories Store;
Appliance Store;
Auction House;
Auto and Home Supply Store, excluding installations;
Bank, Loan Office, or Financial Institution;
Title 11 District of Columbia Municipal Regulations
Bakery, limited to baking of food sold on premises;
Bicycle Shop;
Barber or Beauty Shop;
Candy Store;
Clinic;
Computer Store;
Cosmetic Store;
Camera Store;
Delicatessen;
Department Store;
Dressmaking or Tailor Shop;
Drug Store;
Dry Cleaner;
Fabric Store;
Florist and Plant Store;
Furniture Store;
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Shop;
Grocery Store;
Hardware Store;
Health or Exercise Studio;
Paint Store;
Pet Store;
Printing, Fast Copy Service;
Public Agency Office;
Public Library;
Radio, Television, and Consumer Electronic Store;
Secondhand Store;
Shoe Repair and Shoeshine Parlor;
Shoe Store;
Social Service Agency Office;
Specialty Food Store;
Sporting Goods Store;
Telegraph Office;
Tobacco Store;
Travel Agency, Ticket Office;
Variety Store;
Video Tape Rental; and
Other similar personal/consumer service establishment or retail use, including
assemblage and repair clearly incidental to the principal use.
1908.1 For the purposes of this chapter, the following uses shall be preferred arts uses and
arts-related uses:
(a) Art Center;
(b) Art Gallery;
District of Columbia Municipal Regulations
(c) Art School, including school of dance, photography, filmmaking, music, writing,
painting, sculpturing, or printmaking;
(d) Artist Housing;
(e) Artist Studio;
(f) Artists' Supply Store;
(g) Arts Services, including set design and restoration of artworks;
(h) Concert hall or other performing arts space;
(i) Book Store;
(i) Cabaret;
(k) Craftsman or artisan;
(1) Dinner Theater;
(m) Drinking Places, including bar, nightclub, or cocktail lounge;
(n) Legitimate Theater;
(o) Movie Theater;
(p) Museum;
(q) Performing Arts Ticket Office or Booking Agency;
(r) Photographic Studio;
(s) Picture Framing Shop;
(t) Record Store, Musical Instruments Store;
(u) Restaurant; and
(v) Television and Radio Broadcast Studio;
On Fri, Jul 10, 2009 at 7:33 PM, lancefromdc <salonial@...> wrote:
Phyllis,
And Washington also has the National Theater and the Warner Theater as well as the Kennedy Center, but specifically I was talking about the 14th Street Arts Overlay district which stretches along 14th Street from near Rhode Island Avenue to just shy of U Street NW.
It's in that area that these large, national chain furniture stores threaten the vision of the mid-town theater district which the city laid the ground work for via the Comprehensive Plan and many other actions including Councilmember Graham's funding of the Source Theater.
The very buildings which would be most appropriate for new theater venues --- the big former car dealership buildings --- are being taken off the market by these national furniture chains with deep pockets. In their wake, they'll leave behind a street that daytimes is a 'furniture row' and evenings could easily turn into another Adams Morgan scene.
The people's visions for this street, as expressed via the Comprehensive Plan, and formalized in the zoning maps, was a local theater district with all the supporting establishments that come with such a vision ... including restaurants and bars serving the theater crowd clientele. Without the large spaces for the theaters to move into, the central vision for that Arts Overlay District will not be possible. You'll have no theater district. Instead, you'll have large furniture stores in the big buildings, and bars and mom and pops in the smaller ones.
Wasn't Miss Pixie's previously situated in Adams Morgan?> There are actually many more theaters in the neighborhood:> On 14th, we have the *Studio <http://www.studiotheatre.org/%20>* (with
>
> multiple stages & classrooms), the *Source <http://www.sourcedc.org/>*, *Miss> *Ganymede Arts<http://www.ganymedearts.org/>'After the Garden')
> Pixie's Back Warehouse* (which presented the world premier of> Theater <http://www.thelincolntheatre.org/>*. (There's also a space for
> * and the black box at the *1409 Playbill Cafe*. U Street has the *Lincoln> J <http://www.washingtondcjcc.org/center-for-arts/theater-j/>*at the JCC and
> lease at Logan that was supposed to be a contemporary performance space and
> was granted a CX license.) Nearby, there's the *Church Street
> Theater,* *Theater
> the *Foundry Players Community Theater<http://www.foundryplayers.com/index.htm>
> *at the Foundry Methodist Church.
> I've also attended plays at the *St. Thomas Episcopal Church*.
>
> In addition to live theater, there are many live music venues including *Jo
> Jo's, Utopia, Twins, The Bohemian Caverns, Nellies, HR-57, The Black Cat,
> 9:30 Club* to name a few.
>
>
>> On Fri, Jul 10, 2009 at 3:50 PM, lancefromdc <salonial@...> wrote:> > --- In DupontForum@yahoogroups.com <DupontForum%40yahoogroups.com>, p d
>
> >
> >
> > Phyllis, all these stores are nice, but they don't add up to the theater
> > district that was envision for that street ... We have bars, restaurants,
> > and an assorted lot of mom and pop stores. But only 2 theaters. (The Howard
> > is in another neighborhood ... far away.) We're lacking the central part of
> > the vision for 14th Street ... the local theaters. And with the furniture
> > stores taking over the very same buildings that are most suitable for
> > upstart local theaters, there's no denying that the coming of a furniture
> > row in getting in the way of the development of this street as promised by
> > the District.
> >
> > Lance
> >
> >> > > > --- In DupontForum@yahoogroups.com <DupontForum%40yahoogroups.com><DupontForum% > > > > > --- In DupontForum@yahoogroups.com <DupontForum%40yahoogroups.com><DupontForum%
> > klein <kleinpd@> wrote:
> > >
> > > There's no need to fear furniture stores taking over
> > > restaurants/bars/taverns at 14th and U.
> > > In fact, restaurants/bars/clubs in the 14th and U vicinity are no where
> > near
> > > being out numbered by furniture stores.
> > > Several new restaurants will be opening soon on 14th Street.
> > > Plus, *Cork* will be opening a market/wine store and new development
> > > sites<
> > http://communitymattersdc.blogspot.com/2009/07/images-of-proposed-projects-in-vicinity.html
> > >(including
> > > Utopia and Whitman Walker)
> > > will include generous spaces for new retail and restaurants. In addition
> > to
> > > antique and contemporary
> > > furniture stores, we have several theaters (and the Howard Theater
> > > restoration is underway),
> > > clothing stores, pet boutiques, doggy daycare, flower/garden/plant shops,
> > > high end stereo equipment, galleries, restaurants, taverns, bars, fast
> > food,
> > > cafes, ice cream,
> > > gelato, cupcakes, frame shops, shoes, artists studios, copy shop, coffee
> > > shops, books, yoga studios, gyms, government offices, gifts/cards,
> > > groceries, pharmacies,
> > > hardware, sweet shops, kitchen & home accessories, hair & nail salons,
> > shoe
> > > repair, dry cleaners, bicycles, banks, tax service, architects' offices,
> > > pawn shops,
> > > churches, etc.
> > >
> > > So, don't worry. Enjoy the variety.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > On Fri, Jul 10, 2009 at 1:04 PM, lancefromdc <salonial@> wrote:
> > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > My main concern is that if this becomes a "furniture row" (which
> > appears to
> > > > be happening with ever increasing volocity), then we will negate the
> > > > possibility of this becoming a mini-"Off Broadway" area for DC as
> > envisioned
> > > > when the Arts Overlay was put in place. Par of what drew me to buy my
> > home
> > > > where I did was this vision that was put out there for us that 14th
> > would
> > > > become a place with lots and lots of local theaters (like Studio and
> > Source)
> > > > and galleries and restaurants and, yes, even bars ... A center
> > nightlife
> > > > draw to DC. If these furniture stores keep coming in at the pace they
> > are
> > > > coming, we can kiss all those expectations goodbye. We will instead
> > have a
> > > > place that suburbanites schlep to during the day to buy their big name
> > (but
> > > > marketed as 'cheaper') furniture such as CB2 (more marketed as
> > 'greener')
> > > > Room and Board ... And a place which is dead and devoid of the artistic
> > > > nightlife we were promised. We've got to start saying 'no' to more
> > furniture
> > > > stores or anything unrelated to promoting this area as an area for the
> > arts
> > > > and entertainment.
> > > >
> > > >
> > 40yahoogroups.com>,
> > > > "lancefromdc" <salonial@> wrote:
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Apparently, CB2 (a low-end Crate and Barrel company store) is
> > coming to
> > > > 14th Street. It follows the lead of Room and Board which is supposed to
> > open
> > > > next Spring. (Many residents opposed Room and Board's apparent
> > 'outbidding'
> > > > of that space from Tryst which had been in negotiations to lease that
> > > > building for a 24 hr dinner and restaurant for that spot.)
> > > > > >
> > > > > > 14th Street is supposed to be an Arts Overlay District, meaning it
> > is
> > > > supposed to be developing with stores related to the arts (i.e.,
> > theater,
> > > > galleries, etc.) and the kind of establishment that fit in with the
> > arts
> > > > objective (i.e., restaurants, bars, etc.) It looks like it may instead
> > just
> > > > turn into one big outdoor IKEA with lots of low end furniture stores
> > ...
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Lance
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > >
> > http://washington.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2009/07/06/daily41.html
> > > > > >
> > > > > I don't think of CB2 or Room & Board as "low end." A simple slipcover
> > for
> > > > a sofa at R&B will run you $350 or more. Hardly 'low end.' I welcome
> > the
> > > > additional furniture stores to DC - and look forward to patronizing
> > them
> > > > like I do the ones we already have on 14th and U streets. Why should we
> > have
> > > > to schlep to Rockville or Tysons to buy furniture? These store will
> > increase
> > > > the options to us city dwellers - especially those of us without cars.
> > > > However, I do grant that too many of any one thing in an area can be a
> > bad
> > > > thing. I don't think we're at that point, yet, though I would welcome a
> > > > Tryst or similar place.
> > > > > -J
> > > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> >
> >
> >
>
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