Tues. December 4, 2012
WASHINGTON, DC – The stellar list of honorees for this year’s DowntownDC BID Momentum Awards is in. The awardees, representing a cross section of people, projects and organizations in both the public and private sectors who have brought innovation and excitement to Downtown, will be recognized at an awards ceremony on Wednesday evening, December 12th, at the Carnegie Library.
“It gives us great pleasure to once again salute the honorees who bring something unique to Downtown that contributes to its natural beauty, relevance and heritage or adds to its ambiance, accessibility and advancement,” said Richard H. Bradley, executive director of the DowntownDC BID. “Their achievements further position the Downtown community as a leader in national and international ingenuity and place us at the crossroads of commerce and culture.”
Eleven awardees in eight categories will receive the traditional glass, star-shaped Momentum Award for their stellar contributions toward creating a vibrant, inviting and smart Downtown where people can share remarkable urban experiences. The honorees are:
Downtown Person of the Year – José Andrés
Chef José Andrés of Think Food Group has contributed to Downtown’s economic and social vitality by expanding into a new Penn Quarter headquarters building, growing minibar, renovating Jaleo and launching the Pepe food truck. This goodwill ambassador’s passion and love for Downtown DC is evident worldwide, and he promotes a sustainable and healthy approach to hospitality that is a model for all.
Downtown Experience – National Building Museum, Mini-Golf Exhibit
The National Building Museum’s architecture-themed mini-golf course created an interactive, indoor exhibition that encouraged people of all ages to visit Downtown for a unique, fun and entertaining experience.
Downtown Detail – Del Frisco’s Grille Sidewalk Cafe
The debut of Del Frisco’s Restaurant Group’s first DC restaurant wasn’t without fanfare. The modern American bar and grill features a huge patio bar invariably described as “an island” situated on the sidewalk. It has umbrellas with built in lights and heaters, installed awnings replete with a mist system to keep up to 106 diners cool during a heat wave, and a flat-screen television.
Downtown Partnership/Program – National Cherry Blossom Festival Centennial Celebration
The National Cherry Blossom Festival Centennial Celebration of Tokyo’s gift of 3,000 trees to DC was an unprecedented five-week extravaganza that energized DC and Downtown. The National Park Service cares for the Japanese flowering cherries year-round by pruning, watering, treating, fertilizing, aerating, mulching and replacing them. Furthermore, the partnership with Events DC, which promotes conventions, tourism and leisure travel to D.C., helps foster world-class events and activities throughout the Festival, creating more business opportunities, jobs and tax revenue for the city through visitor spending.
Downtown Partnership/Program – Field Asset Management Application
The JMT Technology Group developed a cloud hosted solution for in-field data collection and asset management services for the DowntownDC BID. The mobile application is based on Esri’s ArcGIS technology, a complete system for designing and managing solutions using geographic knowledge. Now used in the field for condition reporting, asset and GIS inventory, it is helping BID personnel save both time and money while providing more accurate data within the public space realm.
Private Sector – Clyde’s Restaurant Group
In addition to injecting capital into the Downtown area, Clyde’s Restaurant Group brings additional life and vitality to the nighttime economy with the recent opening of The Hamilton and the enduring success of Clyde’s at Gallery Place and the Old Ebbitt Grill.
Landmark Development Project – Ford’s Theatre Center for Education and Leadership
The Ford’s Theatre Center for Education and Leadership adds a world-class education component to the Ford’s Theatre Society’s growing education programming and serves as an essential destination for visitors. The innovative architecture of the $25 million building includes museum, exhibit and retail space and a striking, 34-foot tower of about 6,800 books about Lincoln in the central lobby atrium; the books are made from bent aluminum.
Special Award – Leo Johnson
The long-time security guard at the Family Research Council demonstrated a selfless act of courage in August when he averted a major terrorist attack that shocked Downtown workers, residents and visitors. Although shot by a gunman who stormed the building, Johnson prevented the assailant from advancing farther into the building to harm others.
“The DowntownDC BID recently celebrated its 15th anniversary, and if there’s one thing we know, it’s that it takes dedicated partners such as these honorees to help achieve the phenomenal transition that we’ve experienced in Downtown DC,” said Steven Jumper, chairman of the DowntownDC BID Board of Directors and director of corporate policy at WGL Holdings. “We commend the honorees for their drive, influence and foresight.”
The Washington Examiner, car2go and Madame Tussauds are sponsors of this year’s DowntownDC BID Momentum Awards ceremony. For information about past Momentum Awards winners, and to RSVP to this year’s awards ceremony, please visit www.downtowndc.org/momentum.