Shuttered Mount Pleasant Church Becoming Condos

The Meridian Hill Church building at 3146 Mount Pleasant Street NW is closer to being converted into condominium units. The church building was damaged beyond use during the fire that started in the Deauville Apartments building in 2008. They Deauville was recently rebuilt and has reopened as the Monseñor Romero Apartments.

Urban Turf is reporting that the DC Historic Preservation Review Board has provided final approved for the church to condos project (PDF). Urban Turf's post notes that the new project will be comprised of 70 condos. The project developer, Valor, indicates 85 units. They're also calling the project "The McIntyre." In addition to renovating the current structure, a narrow tower will be build on the southern and western sides of the property.

The congregation that previously made up Meridian Hill Church still meets. Then new location is just over the District line in Capitol Heights, Maryland.

Rendering via Valor Development

Rendering via Valor Development

Rendering via Valor Development

Monsenor Romero Apartments Set to Reopen in October

First floor being rebuilt on the site of the Monsenor Romero Apartments

The Washington Post is reporting that the Monsenor Romero Apartments, formerly known as the Deauville, will reopen for tenants in October 2014. If that date holds, more than six years will have elapsed since a five-alarm fire completely leveled more than half of the building while forcing all residents to vacate and find alternate housing.

The building, located at 3145 Mount Pleasant Street NW, has been vacant and appeared mostly untouched over the years. However, the tenants association (which had since purchased the building) was able to acquire financing to rebuild and held a ceremonial groundbreaking in July of last year. 

There has been more substantial work recently. The new foundation has been laid and construction has extended above ground, beyond the first floor. That's really exciting news for the neighborhood and those residents who are able to actually return home. I mean, what a victory, after so much time has elapsed. According to the Post article 40-45 of the 63 units in the new building will be occupied by tenants displaced by the fire. FYI, at the time of the fire, the Deauville had 93 units, substantially more than the rebuilt structure will have. 

Groundbreaking for Deauville/Monsenor Romero Apts is Today

Monsenor Romero Apartments - 3145 Mt Pleasant Street NW

Will this be the beginning of the end? After numerous fits and starts, it looks like the sad real-life saga for dozens of residents at 3145 Mt Pleasant Street NW may be about to come to a close. The building formerly known as the Winston or the Deauville was destroyed in an overnight fire on March 13, 2008. The last five+ years has seen inaction, rumors, plans and delays, but virtually no physical changes to the half torn down shell  of a building. The new name for the building is Monsenor Romero Apartments. 

I'd always hoped that the original residents would get a chance to move back in with similar rents, as opposed to totally new construction of condos or apartments with no regard to those displaced by the fire. If your home burned in a fire, wouldn't you want the option to move back into the same space? I would. Even 5 years later, yes.

Very strange that this news came over the national PR news wires. But, that it did yesterday. This article in the Wall Street Journal relays the basics: 

"The National Housing Trust-Enterprise Preservation Corporation (NHT/Enterprise), elected officials, local dignitaries, community leaders and Capital One Bank will celebrate the groundbreaking of the Monsenor Romero apartments on July 2, 2013 at 10:00 a.m.

The $19 million Monsenor Romero Apartment project located at 3145 Mount Pleasant Street, N.W. will replace the previous Deauville apartment building that was destroyed by fire in 2008, the most destructive fire in 30 years in Washington, D.C. The building is named in honor of the assassinated El Salvadorian Catholic Church Bishop who was a champion of the poor and spoke out against poverty and social injustice. The new construction of 63 affordable homes will fulfill promises made to residents by city officials that one day they would return to their homes..."

Reportedly, 47 of 63 total units in the new building will be made available to former residents at "lower rental rates." At the time of the fire the Deauville was home to 93 units and had over 200 residents. So, there's a bit of a discrepancy there - 20 fewer units. However the new construction will include some 3 BR units as well as laundry facilities, community space and a computer lab on the basement level. Here's one rendering of the rebuilt structure. And below, floor plans via DCRA and Wiencek + Associates.

2nd floor plans via DCRA.

East and west elevations via DCRA.

Shell of Deauville

Keeping Tabs: More Bikes!

Giant grocery CaBi station

Big Red Bikes: Obtaining a Capital Bikeshare bike in Mount Pleasant may become easier, and soon. DDOT and Capital Bikeshare have decided where they'll be expanding the system this fall. There are 32 new stations scattered around the city. Mount Pleasant isn't getting a new station. However, we will benefit from one expanded station in the neighborhood and several nearby. The station at Lamont Park is slated for expansion; as are the stations at 16th and Harvard NW and at Giant grocery in Columbia Heights (Park Rd & Holmead Pl NW). Great news! 

Old Church, New Condos?: DC Mud updated us recently on the plight of Meridian Hill Baptist Church. It was heavily damaged in 2008 in the 3145 Mt Pleasant St fire. The church is located at 3146 16th Street NW, directly behind the aprtment building which caught fire (and destroyed).

Apparently, the structure will not become a church after renovation; it will become housing. Specifically, condos. According to DC Mud, 55-60 condos are slated to fill the structure which is nearly 100 years old, but has been vacant since the fire. The church's insurance and cash on hand weren't enough to fully rebuild over the years. Pretty sad. No word if any former 3145 residents will be able to secure housing in the Meridian Hill Church project. That would be just fantastic. More updates as they come. Have a great weekend folks. Be safe.

Meridian Hill Baptist Church hours after March 2008 fire.

Urban Decay

3145 Mount Pleasant Street NW

3145 Mount Pleasant Street NW. The building formerly known as the Deauville, --or the Winston-- burned down in the early morning hours of March 13, 2008. The structure and residents have gone through a few twists and turns since, but there has been little to no movement at the site in terms of rebuilding. Looking forward to bringing this space back on-line with affordable units for Mount Pleasant, including for those who lived in the original building!

Deadly Fire Only Feet Away Deauville

The fire at 3132 16th Street NW yesterday morning happened only feet away from the 2008 apartment building fire at the Deauville, 3145 Mount Pleasant St.  The buildings are nearly back-to-back. The stories related to yesterday's fire will come out over the next few weeks. However, here are some collected by the Red Cross from residents of the Deauville. I hadn't seen these accounts before last night.

Yesterday morning's fire was, unfortunately, deadly. One man, identified as Patrocinio Perez, died attempting to escape the building. Just a very sad turn of events during a week of other heartbreaking news of personal tragedies in the DC area. 

The investigation is ongoing regarding the cause, but the impact is obviously immediate for those involved. There are over 100 people temporarily or permanently displaced. Clean up crews, DC Fire and MPD were on the scene late into last night and this morning and will be for the near future. Several residents are still hospitalized, some seriously. 

Yesterday, Old School Hardware (3219 Mt P St, formerly Pfieffer's) was collecting donations to be delivered at the appropriate time. I assume that is still the case for today, but have not verified that. MyFoxDC is also reporting that Martha's Table is collecting donations on site at 2114 14th St NW and that Neighbors Consejo is collecting donations to help transport Mr. Perez' body back to his home for burial. More information at the bottom of this page.

New Life for 3145 and its Residents

More than two years have passed since a devastating fire disrupted the lives of hundreds of residents of Mount P and left a scar on the main commercial strip.  The fire displaced about 200 people and completely destroyed 3145 Mount Pleasant Street NW, then known as the Deauville Apartments.

A deal has finally been reached which will result in at least some of the residents returning to a newly constructed building on that site.  So sad it has taken this long, but it looks like the end is near for that ugly burned out shell which just happens to exist in the heart of our neighborhood at a time when lots of other properties are also empty because of commercial vacancies.

The city is essentially loaning a group of former tenant-residents money to purchase the property now and secure 40 units in the new building.  The city is also facilitating the financing for construction of the entire building.  In total it will have 67 affordable housing units, the previously mentioned 40 inclusive.  The amount of the initial loan is $4.1 million.  Technically, the loan will be from the Department of Housing and Community Development to an entity of residents known as 3145 Mt. Pleasant Street Tenants Association.

For all you affordable housing haters out there, this is not a "handout," it's a loan.  And there is a need for affordable housing, housing assistance, whatever you want to call it.  Whether that means the market adjusts to real salaries and wages (not happening around here) or that municipalities and non profits step in with a little tenant organizing on the side (what is happening in this situation), it has to be done.  DC can be a livable place for workers of all kinds.  And although the Deauville is but a small fish in the big city, it's so great to see that this story still has legs and looks to be running towards a positive conclusion.

And by the way, we won't have to call it the Deauville anymore.  With a  new building comes a new name, the Monsignor Oscar Romero Apartments.  Romero was Archbishop of San Salvador and known as Bishop of the Poor.  

Scaffolding, Fencing Removed From 3145

Most scaffolding all of the fencing was removed from the face of 3145 Mount Pleasant Street NW. The shell of the former apartment building has stood for over 22 months pretty much as is. A devastating fire destroyed it in the early morning hours of March 13, 2008 displacing all the residents and leading to a mostly hidden, seemingly non existent attempt to rebuild or redevelop.

The 93 unit building was home to about 200 residents. The overnight fire caused $20 million in damages, after destroying 3145 and gutting most of the adjacent Meridian Hill Baptist Church (fronts 16th Street).

If you have any news or lived in 3145, do tell. I would love to hear that the owners of this building have decided to move on this and started work in any area; whether that is site clean up, complete demolition or rebuilding. As of late last year (November) the property was still on Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs' Vacant Property List without exemption. That means they were not exempt form DC's special vacant property tax, which is now at a steep $10 per $100 assessed value for "blighted" properties. In comparison, the tax rate for a vacant "non-blight" residential property is $0.85 per $100. The exemption would have meant the owners were actively attempting to sell the property or improve its condition. So, according to DCRA they were doing neither of those things late into 2009.

Perhaps that has changed with the new year. If you see something, say something. Well, tell me first, then say something. Good luck to all the former residents who are still around and want to return to their original homes.

Walk for Our Neighbors, 3145 Residents

Nearly one year to the day of a tragic fire on Mt Pleasant Street NW-- our Main Street-- there are few answers, hidden, or in plain view. The 3145 Mt P Street building sits as empty of a shell as it was a day after the fire. A single security guard is the only inhabitant night after night. The jersey barriers out front seem almost normal at this point. I hardly notice the mini crater and vast low lying pile of bricks just beyond the facade of the burned-out building. It could almost pass an occupied structure at first glance.

Well, tonight, there is a small event commemorating the passing of one year since this terrible tragedy. The announcement from Hear Mount Pleasant:

We all remember the horrible events of last March when a fire raged through 3145 Mt. Pleasant St, displacing more than 200 residents from one of Mt. Pleasant's oldest buildings. Hear Mount Pleasant along with many other neighborhood groups and individuals worked hard to offer support and resources to the displaced tenants after the fire. We would now like to invite you to join us in gathering to support the tenants of 3145 Mt. Pleasant St once again, this time to mark the anniversary of the fire.

Please join the Tenants of 3145 Mt. Pleasant Street for a Community Mass and Walk to 3145 Mt. Pleasant Street to pay homage to their still empty home.

THURSDAY, MARCH 12th, 2009 Schedule of Events:

6:30pm Community Mass at Sacred Heart Church
(16th St NW and Sacred Heart Way NW)

7:30pm Commemorative Candlelight Walk to 3145 Mt. Pleasant Street

8:00pm Ceremony of Thanks
(At intersection of Kenyon St and Mt. Pleasant St)

Help our community come together to welcome back these displaced neighbors! (All events organized by the 3145 Mt. Pleasant Street Tenant Association)

Satellite Images Show Ruin and Reconstruction

These new satellite images from Google Earth the significant change Mount Pleasant and nearby Columbia Heights have been through over the past few years. The first image, of Mount Pleasant, shows the still vacant ruins of 3145 Mount Pleasant Street (1). The apartment building was gutted by fire last March. One wing was left standing, the other remains a hole in the ground. Immediately east of 3145 is Meridian Hill Baptist Church (2). Its roof was destroyed in the same fire. In this image, the roof repairs are nearly complete.

In the Columbia Heights image is the recently finished construction around 14th and Irving Streets. No less than seven major construction projects have been completed in the last five years, including four major residential buildings, the massive DCUSA shopping center (4) and a Giant grocery store. On the western edge of Columbia Heights are the rebuilt, state of the art, Lincoln Middle and Bell Multicultural High Schools (3), part of the DCPS system.

Key:
5. Tivoli Square Theater, Offices and Giant grocery store
6. Park Triangle Apartments
7. Kenyon Square Condos
8. Victory Heights Seniors Housing
9. Highland Park Apartments

Support, Answers Still Needed After Fire

Two weeks after a fire destroyed one Mount Pleasant apartment building and nearly destroyed an adjacent church, the fallout is still very much evident on the ground. Mount Pleasant Street has been closed north of Irving since the fire. The businesses on the main street seem to be doing ok, but getting into, out of and through the neighborhood has been a challenge.

You wouldn't know from the WMATA website, but there is clearly a detour for the 42 bus route regarding Mount Pleasant Street. Northbound buses end their routes at Irving Street. Southbound buses begin their routes at either Irving (turning right onto Irving, then right on 16th) or at Argonne Place next to Rat Park. Here's where it gets tricky. Most buses leaving from Irving won't circle around Rat Park; you'll have to cross the street from the Rat Park bus shelter to get onto the bus, which will pick up on southbound 16th Street. Afterwards it makes a right onto Columbia Road and continues the normal route. Some buses will (correctly) start at Argonne Place, make a right onto Harvard, and then a right again, stopping directly in front of the Rat Park bus shelter. Either way, your best bet to catch the southbound 42 is to wait at the shelter in Rat Park. Buses seem to run in bunches in this configuration, so you'll see 3 or 4 starting/ending their route at once.

Donations are still needed and accepted. Neighbors Consejo, the Mount Pleasant non profit, has collected all the clothes it can at this point. Monetary donations are best, because it can be used for a variety of resident needs. Donate online easily at the organization's website. Or in person; 3118 16th Street NW.

The local press has covered various aspects of the story since the fire. Here are a few recent articles:

• Red Cross to Pay Apartment Fire Victims First Month Rents
• Victims of Fire Pick up the Pieces of Their Lives
• Damage to Apartments, Church Put at $20 Million

Authorities know more about where the fire started in the 3145 Mt Pleasant St building, but have yet to settle on a firm cause. They have not completely ruled out arson, but appear to have ruled it out as the most likely reason. There are still questions about the effects of the physical conditions and general upkeep of the building and what role, if any, they played in the fire. Officials have not said if the fire was just an accident, circumstantial or intentional. Hopefully the picture will become clearer soon and with a new season, the residents of 3145 and parishioners of Meridian Hill Baptist can move towards some form of regularity. My best to them all.

Our Friends and Neighbors; the 3145 and Meridian Hill Church Fires

Right now our neighbors from 3145 Mt Pleasant Street and the Meridian Hill Baptist Church are trying to begin the process of putting their lives back together after the fires of Thursday morning. According to NBC 4, small fires were still smoldering in some parts of the gutted building at 11:30 last night, nearly 24 hours after initial 911 calls. Investigators may not get access to all reaches of the building for at least a week. We can all be thankful that not one person was killed or seriously injured in the 3145 building (the Winston) or the at Meridian Hill Church. Those who were using the shelter housed in the basement of Meridian Hill now have a temporary home at Sacred Heart Catholic Church across 16th Street. The shelter was and is run by Catholic Charities. They accept donations online.

The 42 and this blogger are thinking good thoughts on behalf of all Mount Pleasant and wishes a speedy return of everyone involved to their homes in 3145. Thankfully, there are several ways to help out if you are so inclined. Thanks to Hear Mount Pleasant, Neighbors Consejo, Pfeiffer's Hardware, La Casa and other local groups and individuals.

• Cash Donations are probably the most helpful right now; possibly more than clothes and toiletries. Make a cash donation to be used for emergency shelter, medications, etc. For now, Pfeiffer's Hardware (3219 Mt P Street) is accepting cash donations on behalf of Columbia Heights/Shaw Family Support Collaborative.
• Volunteer you time or offer up a place to stay for residents of 3145, again through CHSFSC.
• Donate food, clothing or both at Neighbor's Consejo. Its at 3118 16th St, only a few doors down from Meridian Hill Church, but you can donate NOW online.
• Eat and drink; Don Jaime's (3209 Mt P Street) is donating 20% of this weekend's breakfast sales and a March 18 wine tasting at Marx Cafe (3203 Mt P Street), sponsored by Mount Pleasant Main Street; a portion of the $15 entrance will be donated to victim support.

Major Fire Damages Mt Pleasant Buildings, Destroys One

A 5-Alarm fire destroyed the apartment building at 3145 Mt Pleasant Street NW this morning. All residents were displaced and many exited the building by way of ladder truck. There are no known causes of the fire as of yet and no tenants were injured, thankfully. As of 8am, the fire was still burning. According to the Washington Post, one firefighter was injured. There were nearly 90 apartments in the building.

At an early morning news conference, Ward 1 Councilmember Jim Graham chastised the owner of the building. Graham accused the unnamed owner, who lives in Pennsylvania, of repeatedly attempting to force tenants out through building neglect in order to convert the building into condos or luxury apartments.

The Meridian Hill Baptist Church, on 16th Street NW, also received major damage, with 3/4 of the roof destroyed by fire. According to media reports most of the sanctuary and religious items were spared and offices on the upper floors bore most of the damage. Mt Pleasant Street was closed this morning south of Lamont Street. Also, 16th Street was closed from Meridan Place down to Harvard and Irving Street was closed east of Mt Pleasant Street.

New Internet Cafe on Mt Plesant Street

Here are a few photos from the "Internet Cafe" under construction in the basement retail space of the Winston Apartments at 3145 Mt Pleasant St. Looks like it'll be an actual cafe with some food and drink, unlike the Express Business Center at 3064, which has been really popular since it opened a couple of years ago. I couldn't quite make out the details, but one wall is painted with the word Oboru, or just Boru. The name, perhaps. Who knows.

March 2008 Update on 3145 Fire