CTEVELAND PARK vol-.8, NO.2 NEWSLETTER OF THE CLEVELAND PARK HISTORICAL SOCIETY FALL 1994 Connecticut Avenue Shopping Area Spntced Up By Sam Friedman, Community out the many potholes in the service ever, the merchants did succeed in get- Projecls Coorilinator road and the broken sidewalks and ting a loading zone in front of Brookville and Eleni Constantine, Presidenl disintegrating curbs that pose a hazard Supermarket and additional parking Cleaeland Park Historical Society to pedestrians-many of them senior spaces in the commercial area. Also, it citizens-who shop in the area. Mayor is now legal to park in front of the Kelly also saw the median strip be- Uptown Theatre on weekdays during If you haven't been shopping in tween the service road and the main non-rush-hour times. Cleveland Park's Connecticut Avenue Avenue with its weed-fi lled tree boxes, But the city has also changed the commercial area recently, you're in for damaged street light bases, and dishev- parkingregulations so that all metered va pleasant surprise. Over the surlrner, eled brick paving. spaces along Connecticut between Por- the efforts of merchants-and the city- Early in September, the service ter and Macomb require quarters on resulted in significant improvements road, sidewalk, and curbing ontheeast Saturdays. Formerly, we only had to on both sides of the Avenue. Much of side of Connecticut between Ordway feed the meters on the west side of this activity stems from revitalization and Macomb were repaired, the tree Connecticut on Saturdays; now it is efforts initiated two and three years boxes weeded, and mulch and the brick both sides. A benefit of this is that, ago by the Cleveland Park Historical paving rese t. Mr. Shipman reports, "We except for Sundays, tour buses can no Society; now individual merchants have come even had a street sweeper Continued onnextpage taken up the ball. They deserve our through." We thank the city and the thanks, support, and encouragement. mayo/s Ward 3 Constituent Services Coordinator Harriet Quinn for quickly Repaving and Repair responding to the neighborhood's pub. While many of us were away in Au- lic service needs. gust, Mayor Sharon Pratt Kelly walked through the Connecticut Avenue com- Changes in Parking Regulations mercial area on a Saturday morning, Since March 1992, Cleveland Parkmer- asking merchants and neighbors what chants on Connecticut, led by Lou the areaneeded and what she could do. Statzer of Uptown Bakers, have tried to fim Shipman, rnnager of Brookville get the city to change the metering on Supermarket, walked the mayor along the Avenue in order to provide more the east side of the Avenue from parking. The effort has taken much Ordway to Macomb Street, pointing longer than expected. The merchants' goal was to simplify the metering in the commercial area and have half-hour- only metered parking on a short por- tion of the service road, between Macomb and CVS Pharmacy, to allow for brief stops. The half-hour parking still has not been implemented. According to Charles Whalen of the city's Bureau of The Macomb Sheet Playgrormd is an active Parking Services, there is a backlog for haven for Cleveland Park children and o0rers new parking signs such as these. How- from all over the city. See story, page 7. CLEVELAND PARK VOICES Connecticut Avenue Spruced Up Historic Preservation Resources in Washington Continued from page L By Sam Friedman longer park along the Avenue in Cleve- land Park, as they previously could do In pursuit of information about tions for exterior work on individually on the east side on Saturdays. building permits, comprehensive plan- landmarked properties and properties ning and zoning changes, technical ex- in historic districts, such as Cleveland Stseetscape Improvements pertise, funding, and landmark desig- Park. HPRB also designates properties Several merchants on the west side of nations, there are several citywide and to be listed on the D.C. Inventory of Connecticut in Cleveland Park have national organizations that serve as re- Historic Places and recommends to the improved the streetscape with new sources, educators, advocates, and ac- D.C. State Preservation Office which of plantings and maintenance of existing tivists for history, preservation, and those properties should be nominated ones. planning in Washington, D.C. They to the National Register of Historic Between the sidewalk and the Av- may not be household names, but their Places. enue in front of 3520 Connecticut, the work provides many benefits to Cleve- D.C. S tate Historic Preservation Of- long tree box stretching fromthe apron land Park and other neighborhoods, fice. In the states, including our neigh- of the firehouse to the Metro entrance is and they deserve our support. Here are bors Maryland and Virginia, the State now a lush garden of pachysandra some you might want to know about. Historic Preservation Office is respon- ground cover, plus five pots of annu- D.C. Historic Preservation Divi- sible for all National Register programs als, including pink impatiens. The sion. The historians, architectural his- "Section 106" review of historic prop building front itself has been terraced torians, and archaeologists of the His- erties owned by the Federal govern- and lined impa- with planters of red toric Preservation Division serve as staff ment (to ensure thatexterior workcom- tiens. A plaque in the curbside garden to three D.C. government entities: the plies with theNational Historic Preser- reads: "These landscape improvements D.C. State Historic Preservation Officer, vation Act), and the administering of have been graciously created by Mr. & the Mayor's Agent, and the Historic Federal funds available for grant and Mrs. D.E. Tsintolas." Credit for these Preservation Review Board. For infor- historic survey activities.In the Dstrict, enhancements goes to Steve Tsintolas, mation about additions or alterations Robert Mallett, GtyAdministrator, is the whose family owns the building. Steve to buildings in the Cleveland Park State Historic Preservation Officer. participated intheCleveland Park Main Historic District, contact Stephen The Historical Societyof Washing- Street Committee which, spurred by Callcott, 614H Street NW, Room 305, ton, D.C. (HSW) promotes the study of .:- CPFIS, explored the possibility of mer- Washington DC; 202-727 -7360. local history through programs, publi- chants, commercial property owners D.C. Historic Preservation Ir.eview cations, a research library, and exhibi- and neighbors working together to re- Board. Under D.C. law, every building tions. Housed in the Christian Heurich vitalize Cleveland Park's commercial permit issued for a landmarked prop Mansion near Dupont Circle, HSW has areas. erty or in an historic district must pass collected items illuminating local D.C. Further south, Yanni's Greek through preservation review. The D.C. history and encourages use by research- Taverna at the corner of Connecticut Historic Preservation Review Board ers. For information on membership, and Ordway has created a street gar- (HPRB) is a city agency and the review prograrns, or donatingor working with den around its outdoor seating area, body that has regulatory control in the research collections, contact HSW, 1307 with a lattice fence and pink and red District for building permit applica- Continued onbackpage geraniums and miniafure evergreens planted in white flowerboxes, pots and urns. Maintenance flowers, low-growing evergreens and In front of Uptown Vision next to At Starbucks Coffee next to Uptown a small tree, placing pavers for people the Uptown Theatre, the prototype tree Vision, manager Amy Tuttle partici to walk across the tree box, and then box planted in 1992by apartnership of pates in a "Green Sweep" program in- mulching to cover the soil. In early merchants and CPHS's Streetscape stituted by the company's environmen- September after several months of wear Committee is now being maintained tal group, the "Green Team." Every and tear, Chris had a larger oak tree by Steven L. Schneid of Uptown Vision weekend a Starbucks location is cleaned planted, along with new evergreens and Rodney Allenof the Uptown The- by five or six people, referred to as and marigold plants, and fresh mulch atre. Dr. Schneid planted marigolds partners, from different Starbucks cof- added. Chris has also planted mari- there in the spring and, at the end of feehouses. The partners clean trash in a golds around the miniature evergreens September, planted chrysanthemums two-block radius around the store. Re- in the concrete planters in front of the in all the tree boxes on the west side of cently, partners from the Dupont Circle small parking lot at Connecticut and the Avenue from the theater down to Starbucks came up to Cleveland Park Newark, donated several years ago by Supercuts. Rodney Allen of the Up for a "Creen Sweep." Amy estimates Thos. D. Walsh Inc., which opens onto town has been cutting the grass in the that this site will have a "Green Sweep" the parking lot. tree boxes since the late spring. every six weeks. in addltion, several merchants otl- As thisissueof Voices wentto press, Chris Hughes of Ireland'sFourProv- both sides of Connecticut, such as fim more colorful new plantings were spot- inces, a few doors further south, took on Shipman of Brookville, have faithfully ted in front of 34:32Connecticut, to the ttre tree box in frontof FourProvinces in watered the trees planted in front of north of the post office. latespring,plantingmarigolds and other their stores by the city and CPHS. CLEVELAND PARK VOICES she lived on arrival in Washington dur- fwnC^ne gort ing wartime,in7942. Gilpin was born in Brownsburg, Vir- ginia, on ApilZl, 1916-under the sign Qersonaliaos of Taurus. '1'm as strong believer in the horoscope," she says. "Taurus has been C. Walker very helpful to me." An only child- Gilpin "so far ag | fu1gw/'-she was raised by her grandmother and an aunt.