SUNRISE ON THE MELLON ESTATE IN UPPERVILLE VA
The estate of Paul and Bunny Mellon, which has been on the market for a year as an intact property of 2,000 acres for $70 million, and with no buyer, will be sold in parcels, the executor and real estate overseers have decided. This was an exclusive to me for New York Social Diary and the full story is here.
THE ROTH HOUSE AT 3044 O STREET NW
We're a relatively small village here in Georgetown and when we buzz it's about a few different topics, but chiefly real estate. The buzz the past few weeks has been that Conrad Cafritz bought the Roth house at the corner of 30th and O Streets. I've heard it several times. I do know the house sold and the price was $8.7 million. (The asking price was $9.2 mml) I also know that Conrad was "looking."
The other day I saw Mr. Roth on the street, as he was packing up some furniture, and asked if he had sold the house and was moving. "Yes," he said. "At the end of the month." The Roths are moving across the river, leaving behind for the new owner a home with 9 bedrooms, 7 full baths, 12 fireplaces, swimming pool and a three-car garage, and almost $50K in annual property taxes.
Conrad, who is a developer, and who uses email quite a lot, did not respond when I wrote to ask him about the purchase, which probably means I was on to something.
Conrad's brother, Calvin Cafritz, also lives in Georgetown, in an art-filled house near the mansion that formerly belonged to Katharine Graham but is now owned by Mark Ein.
Just down the street, Rick Rickertsten reportedly sold his really sweet house for $7.6 million.
In recent history, the Roth house is best known as the home of Hugh and Janet Auchincloss, during the time when her daughter, Jackie Kennedy, lived at the White House. Later, Mrs. Auchincloss moved to Volta, to a house bought for her by her by Jackie and her other daugher, Lee Radziwill, or so it goes according to Georgetown real estate legend.
The Roth house also later belonged to Jennifer Phillips, an ex-wife of Conrad Cafritz.
So, again, if the rumors are true, and the question is asked, that's the house. As a landmark, it is directly across the street from Christ Episcopal Church. That particular interesection has a remarkable structure on each corner. George and Dina Perry on one corner, Steve Rales on another corner, the church on the other. It's why that intersection, or any real estate nearby, is considered the most prized in Georgetown.
FABLED GEORGETOWN CORNER, WHERE "DOC" DALINSKY HAD HIS PHARMACY, APPARENTLY WILL NOW BE 7-11
UPDATE ON WEDNESDAY OCT 31: "Carol, your note about 7-11 is correct…its unfortunate because it lacks vision and reflects the absence of a strategy by the owners of the properties around that intersection. While markets change and the quaintness of the past is replaced by mass-appeal commercial, it doesn’t have to be this bad. Will keep you posted on what else I hear, but this one gets chalked up to a lack of trying on behalf of the property owners…." - another golden source
(Note to whiners, I am not pissed of about this. I will buy lottery tickets there, hopefully one that wins.)
My source on this is golden and so I'm going with it: apparently the Donohue family has done a deal to lease their building at Wisconsin and O to the 7-11 chain. Work already has begun on the interior. Everyone seems to like to look for signs that Georgetown's charm is a thing of the past, and this latest development will probably be included on that list, along with reports of a TJ Maxx, Target and a bowling alley at Georgetown Park mall, and the new mega Nike store on M Street. But, the times they are a changin'.
This building once was home to "Doc" Dalinsky's pharmacy, one of the most popular Georgetown hangouts of true Washington insiders: Ben Bradlee, David Brinkley, Joseph Alsop, Art Buchwald, to name a notable handful. They would come in for their morning papers, especially the Sunday papers, and dish and jive with "Doc," then amble down to Martin's Tavern for eggs benedict and a brew or a bloody. The building authentically represents a bygone era when unique "ma and pa" shops and chic and pricy boutiques lined Wisconson and M Streets and the side streets. Georgetown also was home to the city's best restaurants, cafes and bars.
Those days are not coming back; that scene, in various iterations, has moved on to other parts of town, and it's debatable whether the reason is that Georgetown's leadership handed the village over to developers, or having no subway, maddening parking issues, or simply changing times. It's probably a combination.
I've noticed this, though, over the last decade or so of massive change: most of the big chains don't last because the average consumer, the shopper who has to fill an SUV with necessary goods, would rather park in a lot at a mall than drive around cramped Georgetown streets for 30 minutes, looking for a parking space, only to return to the car to find a hefty pink parking ticket, which is DC's way of saying "thank you for your sales tax dollars." It doesn't compute.
As for the 7-11, if what I was told is true, it will be the village's second, joining the established 7-11 on P Street at 27th, which is currently being doubled in size. But having two 7-11's in Georgetown is precedented: there was one at the corner of Wisconsin and Q that closed a few years ago.
HE'S AMAZING: ROBERT GRIFFIN III
Yesterday's losses aside, Washington is at the threshold of something wonderful: becoming a legit sports town. It's all happening and will likely get better and better. It's the subject of a commentary I wrote for today's edition of New York Social Diary
A question posed often among Georgetowners and to Georgetowners is "what's going on at Georgetowm Park mall?" No one really knows. The owners, Vornado and Angelo Gordon, couldn't be more tight-lipped. I've tried to talk to someone at Vornado for a while, to no avail. Several months ago, I was offered one of the bosses, but that went away. Then I made some of my own pokes at the PR department. Nada. One executive did contact me to say another executive would be in touch. Mas nada. People who are only on the sidelines of the renovation project have given me their two-cents, but they are observing and speculating.
A friend who is in there sometimes said, "you should see it. There's nothing there. The whole insides are torn apart."
So, I took a peek today. The photo above is what I saw. The whole insides aren't entirely torn apart, but the place is definitely stripped of its Victorian trimmings, store fronts and some store spaces.
Until Vornado unzips its lips, that's all we know.
AN ANNOUNCEMENT THAT'S UNCERTAIN, EXCEPT FOR THE PART ABOUT BEING CLOSED. ADJACENT LA MADELEINE IS ALSO CLOSED.
This is meant to compile everything I've written, so far, about the closing of Citronelle restaurant, plus bits and pieces about other commerical goings on in Georgetown. Admittedly it is derived from a mix of credible information, hearsay, and the occasional "official" statements" - the latter reliably obtuse. I'm no authority, I just live here.
A LOOK INSIDE THE EMPTY, RELATIVELY CLEANED OUT CITRONELLE BAR.
Yesterday, Saturday, I talked to a man who told me an interesting story. He said he was friends with a woman who represented a company that wanted to buy The Latham Hotel a few years ago. Her company spent a year doing their due diligence, he said, surveying the building from top to bottom and to each corner. At the end, they walked away, because they felt the foundation was in "questionable" condition, there were mold issues, that the hotel would need a wildly expensive structural renovation. Granted this is hearsay, but it backs up some of the other scuttlebutt out there, that rather than a bad flood the hotel had long-term plumbing issues. He said the last time he talked with the woman she said, "the building needs to be torn down." That's funny, because it's not that old. About the same age as The Four Seasons, meaning circa late 70s, early 80s. (I remember when there was a gas station at that location.) But there's nothing new about relatively new buildings in DC aging too fast.
THE EMPTY DRIVEWAY AND CLOSED FRONT ENTRANCE TO THE CLOSED LATHAM, PLANS TO RENOVATE AND REOPEN IN JANUARY.
WHAT WILL BE THE CAPELLA GEORGETOWN HOTEL, COME JANUARY
One block over, the Capella Georgetown hotel is going up at seemingly record speed. Their target opening date is January 2013, which makes sense due to one word: Inauguration! What delights me is the planned rooftop pool. I've never understood why all Georgetown hotels didn't build rooftop pools. The Capella won't have a lot of rooms and they will be expensive, qualifying it as a "boutique" hotel. At the sister hotel in New York, The Setai, room rates today began at $545 for a standard. Earlier there were rumors that Citronelle would move to the Capella, but they got shot down by Michel Richard's very own people.
Another thing, this man said he knows a couple (regulars at other Capella hotels) who got a hard-hat tour of the Georgetown site. They were told during their tour (this is deep hearsay) that Capella is closing deals to buy the adjacent townhouses on 31st Street, which they plan to turn into their highest-end suites.
And then there's the dear old Monticello, in the same block as The Latham. It is undergoing a major renovation and hopes to reopen in December in a much more upscale mode. I say hooray all around. Maybe this competition will inspire The Four Seasons to soften its edges and The Ritz to step it up with their already handsome public rooms by creating a statement restaurant, which is the piece that's missing in Georgetown's most authentic feeling and best looking hotel.
On Tuesday, after wrtiting about the closing of Citronelle, and with some skepticism about the official reason (extensive flooding), I received this email from Citronelle: Hey Carol, Saw your Tweet about Citronelle this morning. Please let me refer you to Chris Daly, of Daly Gray Public Relations, who handle the communications for the Latham Hotel. Also copied here is Michael Damian, the General Manager of the Latham Hotel. They may be able to give you more information about the status of the building.
I replied: I want to see the "extensive flooding" damage. Can we make a date?
I'm still waiting for that date.
Also, an FB'r wrote to say she'd heard Citronelle signed a deal to move to Washington Harbor. My initial reaction? If true, ugh, because Washington Harbor has never amounted to much, especially in the culinary department, except for the brief time Warner Leroy was there. It's a meat market. Beautiful views wasted on barely average restaurants. That said, in the right space, removed from those other places, Citronelle could give the waterfront some high end cred.
GEORGETOWN PARK MALL ...CLOSED FOR MAKEOVER AND (HOPEFULLY) TENANTS
Further along M Street we have the shuttered dinosaur known as Georgetown Park mall. Yesterday evening I heard that Saks Fifth Avenue has pulled out. I didn't even know they were in. I'd heard Bloomingdales was in, then out. I have no idea whether the Saks tip is true. (Turned out not to be, to the best of my knowledge. I called four different people at Vornado, but none returned my call. I did contact Saks corporate in NY. Saks said they have no store plans for Georgetown Park.) Advice for Vornado: put something in that serves the community, for a change. Build it (grocery, hardware, useful department store, electronics) and we will come. If you have us you at least have a base to hold you during tourist droughts.
That said, I don't envy Vornado (well, I envy their money but not Georgetown Park Mall). I wouldn't want to be the owner in 2012 of an interior mall. Kind of the retail equivalent of a great collection of VHS tapes. I think outdoor malls have a pulse, but interior malls have a dreadful, last century, toes up feel to them. But maybe they will surprise us and create something astonishing.
WORK UNDERWAY AT GOOD STUFF EATERY ON M STREET
A New York pizza parlor is apparently going into the Old Cellar Door building at the corner of 35th and M. Spike Mendelsohn has started construction on his Georgetown edition of Good Stuff Eatery. I love this place TOO much, by too much I mean too many Toasted Marshmallow milkshakes. Around the corner, next door to the original Georgetown Cupcake, Luke's Lobster is about to open. That location is the site of one of the darker moments in Georgetown small business history, when some in the community, and notably Mayor Fenty, shut down a business in an ugly way, largely because the neighbors didn't like having rowdy college kids eating pizza in the wee hours. See, nobody told the homeowners they were moving in near a college campus. Regardless, opponents of Philly Pizza found a missed stitch in the owner's license and practically went after him with torches and pitchforks. The owner wasn't without fault, but it was not Georgetown's finest moment. Luke's Lobster should do well, however.
THE FUTURE HOME OF LUKE'S LOBSTER
No one knows what will happen to The Guards, which closed this week, but the owner has made clear to friends that he wants out of the restaurant business. He's 60, done, and wants to move to Florida. The Guards has a gorgeous interior and lots of possibilities for a thriving rebirth by any name (knock knock Mark Politzer.) Please, whoever has a say in this, don't let the interior be gutted. And what's happening at Garrett's? There appears to be some second story construction going on, but no permits to indicate whether the work is related to a new tenant or simply necessary maintenance. That space has been empty too long. The landlord should recruit an innovative, business-savvy operator or chef and give him or her some support. I'd love to see Derek Brown at that corner.
When he opened Bandolero, Mike Isabella told me he wants to lead a restaurant reival in Georgetown. Those words warmed my heart and tummy. It can't happen soon enough. We need cool, not crass; good & great, not average; community, not tourist trap; original, not chains (certain fast food excepted). This can be done...with a little help from landlords and banks. With the right investor attitude, they'll get their money back pritty-pritty fast.
BEET GNOCCHI AT BOURBON STEAK LOOKS LIKE SOMETHING OUT OF DEXTER, BUT GOOD
...and that's where I'm at in a story that's been being pursued, by myself and a colleague, for more than six weeks. Lots of reporting, lots of notes, lots of meetings with sources, interivews, on and off the record. In the end, it feels like making a basket. The story isn't done until the basket can hold something. Just when you think its tight and knotted, a piece becomes unraveled. That was this evening. It didn't mean we're not on to something. It meant we're on to more than we realized. We have to re-weave the basket. So, this evening we met with a source and had some drinks at Bourbon Steak.
Later, I came home, walked the dog, had a cup of decaf, and did my usual yoga. Tomorrow. Back to basket making. I will hope fewer people will lie, but we're prepared.
THE VIEW OF THE GRAHAM HOUSE FROM THE LAWN. ORIGINALLY THIS WAS THE FRONT.
So many people ask, "what's up at Katharine Graham's house?" They want to know why Mark Ein bought it and what his intentions are for the historic home. What's going on there? Does he live in it? Does anybody live in it? Will anybody ever live in it?
These questions will be answered on Thursday at The Q&A Cafe, when Mark is the quest. We'll also talk DC, business and tennis, as he owns the Washington Kastles. But, yes, we will talk about the Graham house. He gave me a behind-the-scenes tour last weekend, and there's a lot to talk about.
THE GRAHAM HOUSE FROM THE FRONT, WHICH USED TO BE THE BACK
Please make your reservations now with the Georgetown Ritz Carlton Hotel - 202.912.4110, or by email to Ozan Yalcindag. The fee is our 2009 price of $35, all inclusive, with dessert courtesy of Georgetown Cupcake. Seating begins at noon. We'll start shortly after and be wrapped up by 1:30.
I hope to see you there. You'll get some answers.
On washingtonian.com today I have a story up about Ben Miller and Dan Miller, brothers who have started a real estate development company with a fresh approach. Their first order of business is to let the community get involved in choosing a tenant for a vacant building they own. You can vote, too. Please check it out: 1351 H Street Northeast.
WATERGATE, IN THE FOG, BUT APPARENTLY ITS LIFTING
On washingtonian.com today I have a story about the latest goings on at the Watergate complex. Everything appears to be on the up and up for a giant hunk of DC real estate that recently has been challenged. Are the new owners right, that the future is bright? Please read Watergate Gets New Owners.
FOOL'S REAL ESTATE? THE DSK HOME ON DUMBARTON STREET IN GEORGETOWN
You may think Dominique Strauss-Kahn's crime is his alleged inapporpriate treatment of women, but how about this for hubris in home sales? For some weeks now DSK and his wife, Ann Sinclair, have had their 2720 Dumbarton Street home on the market - privately, quietly. Washington Fine Properties realtors have showed it to a select few, but everyone on the block knew it was on the market when the furniture went out the door. Anyway, now the sale is public, plus the $5 million+ price tag. Sure, it's a nice house and I'm told by those who have jumped the fence and played in it that the pool is swell.
Here's the offense: no parking! I repeat: NO PARKING. What's Georgetown real estate come to when a buyer has to pay $5 million to park his/her Mercedes-Jaguar-Range Rover at the curb, get hit with periodic tickets from the grim parking enforcement storm troopers, and drive around endlessly on weekends trying to find even a half-legal space. There should be law! Any home over $5 million should be required to have parking (and a pool)!'
Not so long ago the rule was a Georgetown seller couldn't ask more than $2million without having parking included. Clearly, those days are over.
The DSK home will get sold, the buyer's name will be made public, but there will be this lasting stink: fool's real estate.
On the plus side, if it does sell for the asking price we will know that Georgetown real estate's recent flat period is over.
Georgetown's grandest estate, Evermay, recently got new owners after decades in the same family. Who are the new owners, who paid $22 million for the historic mansion and 3.5 acres of lawn and gardens? Read about it here. Also, some thoughts on what Dr. Drew could do for Washington.
WEDNESDAY EVENING THERE WAS A PARTY FOR THE CENTER HOUSE; YOU CAN OWN IT BECAUSE IT'S FOR SALE
A first for me: a party for a house. As with most people I receive invitations to various parties. Some are interesting, some not. But the majority fall into a kind of type. This invitation, however, was completely different: a party for an unoccupied house. It will go on the market this weekend. That was the reason for the party, that and to celebrate the "staging" by Kelly Proxmire. Gotta hand it to realtor Nancy Taylor Bubes for coming up with this new dimension tactic in marketing Georgetown real estate.
PLEASE COME TO A PARTY FOR A HOUSE, AND WHY NOT?
Handsome invitations arrived a week or so ago. We were invited for "an early preview" of the home at 3020 Dumbarton, recently renovated, "before it comes on the market." There would be cocktails and canapes, plus Georgetown Cupcakes. Swag, too, including M&M's for the humans and milk bones for the dogs.
Of course I went, feeling like the Sylvia Miles of East Georgetown, though there were no blinds. But I wasn't alone. There were many others.
It nudged what I'm feeling at the moment: new house envy. I feel new car envy and new computer envy, too, which are natural I guess with no income. But to be in a home that had absolutely no clutter was stunning. Buffed floors, fresh paint, the cleanest ecru walls, lots of windows and light, white marble bathrooms, a lot of big empty rooms, at least those that had not been "staged." The house is huge. Big public rooms on the ground floor, including a spacious kitchen, modest (easily maintained) garden, a second floor of three bedrooms plus a sizable master suite, and then a top floor with another bedroom and a party room and full open deck. Back down in the basement there's another acre of wide open space in two different carpeted rooms, plus a back bedroom with bathroom.
I wish the owners luck. They want, like, $3.5 million, and Nancy says there is a market in Georgetown for that price range, "especially on the East side." God, what must it be like to be able to afford that kind of house flesh? Does it mean having $10 or $20 million in the bank. Wow. Maybe you are that very buyer. Alas, if it sells, I don't get a cut! I don't get a cut of this post, either. Just seemed like a choice Georgetown moment worth mentioning.
Carol Joynt has "a perfect eye, an infallible ear and the unequaled gift of rearranging the alphabet into words which both entertain and mean f**cking something."
-- "Hollywood Bob"
The Q&A Cafe is now in its 21st year. We launched in October 2001 at Nathans in Georgetown as a response to the September 11 terror attacks, and from that initial purpose grew into a weekly community interview lunch, the first "talk show in a bar." When Nathans closed in 2009 we moved to the Ritz Carlton Hotel and since 2015 our home has been The George Town Club. Some 500 notable individuals, from all fields, have appeared for interviews, which are taped and air Fridays on DC Cable. All are welcomed to attend. For reservations: 202-333-9330.
Visit this link to view our archive of broadcasts: The Q&A Cafe on YouTube
Emmy-winning CBS News producer, talk show guest wrangler, published author, host of The Q&A Cafe, print & digital journalist, filmmaker, photog, and former saloon owner. Read more...
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