|
|
St. John’s Church, Lafayette Square (1525 H Street) is a historic protestant Episcopal place of worship located across the park from the White House. Committed to community outreach, it partners with DowntownDC BID partners Pathways to Housing DC, So Others Might Eat (SOME) and Martha’s Table to assist with clothing and feeding homeless individuals and families.
Last Sunday, Richard H. Bradley, executive director of the DowntownDC BID, briefed the engaged congregation on Downtown and the city’s future. He provided an overview of the Downtown economy—which accounts for 15% of the city’s local tax and other revenue; 26% of jobs; and 51% of hotel rooms—while noting that employment growth in Downtown is projected to reach 187,000 in 2013 and the number of destination restaurants will likely climb to 143, a far cry from 85 in 2000. As for what parishioners can expect to see beyond 2011: the 1,175-room Marriott Marquis convention center headquarters hotel; CityCenterDC, the mixed-use development underway on the old Convention Center site; new transportation options (streetcars and Metrorail service to Dulles Airport); and several residential projects—Constitution Square, Foundry Lofts at the Yards, 425 L Street—citywide. Of course, some St. John’s worshippers are among the 8,700 people now living in Downtown. And to think, Downtown’s residential population was a mere 4,500 eleven years ago.
| < Go back |