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Tuesday, September 11, 7:00 pm
Downtown Neighborhood Association
Monthly Meeting with At-Large Councilmember Phil Mendelson
U.S. Navy Memorial and Naval Heritage Center
701 Pennsylvania Avenue
Penn Quarter residents and workers are invited to hear key speaker The Honorable Phil Mendelson, At-Large Councilmember and chair of the Committee on Public Safety and Judiciary, at this monthly neighborhood meeting. Chief Jackson from the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration will join Councilman Mendelson to provide insights on their enforcement activities and how each group can benefit from working together. To RSVP, e-mail miles@dcdna.org. For more information, visit the Association’s newly designed website at www.dcdna.org.
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Tuesday, September 18, 8:00 am
Washington, DC Economic Partnership
2007 Fall Neighborhood Retail Summit
1495 F Street
This bi-annual event focuses on available retail opportunities such as department stores, fashion and apparel and electronics throughout the city. For more information, contact Keith Sellars at 202.661.8684 or e-mail ksellars@wdcep.com.
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Thursday, September 20, 12:30 pm – 4:00 pm
Downtown Business Improvement District
Capital Cool Challenge
Cool Capital Energy Training
900 7th Street
ML Level
Property management teams and building engineers are invited to join this cool energy training session to learn how to save money and maximize operations and management resources by following a few, easy steps. Free admission. To RSVP, contact Jeff Tiell at Jeffrey@downtowndc.org or 202.638.8361.
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Thursday September 20, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
DC Building Industry Association
Getting Back to Business
Carroll Square Rooftop Terrace
975 F Street
The annual networking event hosted by Akridge features live music, an open bar and great food. Members $60; Non-members $75. Registration closes at 5:00 pm on Wednesday, September 19. For more information, call 202.966.8665, e-mail events@dcbia.org or visit www.dcbia.org.
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Thursday, September 27, 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm
American Red Cross of the National Capital Area
Homeland Security and Defense Business Council
Partners in Preparedness Symposium
National Press Club
14th and F Streets
Does your business have a continuity plan in place for any sudden major disasters? If not, join this interactive, business-focused emergency preparedness symposium, which includes a hands-on discussion, simulated events and expert panelists. Invited guests and panelists include: Mayor Adrian M. Fenty; The Honorable Frank Keating, president and CEO, American Council of Life Insurers; Darrell L. Darnell, director of the District of Columbia Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency; and others. Debbi Jarvis, vice president, Communications, Pepco Holdings, Inc. will emcee this event. Each symposium attendee will receive an Emergency Preparedness Tool Kit that includes easy-to-follow checklists. Hors d’oeuvres and beverages will be provided. Free admission. Registration required. For more information, visit www.homelandcouncil.org.
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We’re Turning 10!
Mark your calendars for the Downtown BID’s 10th anniversary celebration on Tuesday, November 13, 10:00 am, in the new Sidney Harman Hall (610 F Street). Join Downtown champions and city leaders who were instrumental in creating the business improvement district to support the city’s revitalization efforts. Hear key speakers, enjoy live entertainment and learn what’s in Downtown’s future. Invitations will follow.
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Giving Back
The July SAMs of the month not only take their roles as the eyes and ears of Downtown very seriously,  but they are also pillars of the community by volunteering their free time to causes that matter. Yllama Davenport is the July Safety Hospitality SAM of the Month. Yllama joined the BID this March and is proud of the SAM program and what it is doing to make the Downtown area safe, clean and inviting. The native Washingtonian also spends her time away from the BID volunteering with the non-profit organization, Food and Friends, which provides food to people living with AIDS and other debilitating medical conditions. She enjoys meeting people from all over the world right here in her own back yard and her quiet and shy demeanor doesn’t stop her from springing into action and flashing a bright smile when she spots someone who needs her assistance. 
The July Maintenance SAM of the Month is Donna Lee Hardy-Coleman. Donna Lee joined the BID this March as well, and has excelled in her new role by exhibiting an excellent work ethic and a keen eye for detail. The DC native is committed to her job and to her community, where she gives back through her regular work with the homeless. In the short time that she’s been with the BID, Donna Lee has proven to be a real asset to the team.
Congratulations to two very deserving SAMs, Yllama and Donna!
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 Downtown Sustainability Success
The Downtown BID hosted an executive roundtable on Downtown DC sustainability last month. The first in a series of forums on transforming Downtown DC into a cutting-edge model of green business practices and sustainability was a great success. Attendees included executives from leading commercial property companies in the area and provided an opportunity for DC’s business leaders to share their expertise with others. Companies across the U.S. are dramatically boosting both their profits and competitiveness through more efficient and greener energy practices, and Downtown DC is now on board.
Representatives from Cool Capital Challenge encouraged business leaders to think about how they can cut costs while reducing CO2 emissions by demonstrating practical, financial, marketing and environmental benefits of investing in energy efficiency. Already cited by the EPA and the U.S. Conference of Mayors as a model for cities across the country, Cool Capital challenges individuals, schools, congregations, businesses, governments and other institutions to take a one billion-pound bite out of the capital region’s carbon dioxide emissions by April 2008 – while saving an estimated $100 million in annual energy costs. This reduction will serve as both a springboard for more lasting solutions and business practices and as an inspiring model for the rest of the country. An EPA spokesperson for ENERGY STAR also reviewed the resources available for commercial property owners and managers who want to “green” their operations – both environmentally and financially.
The Downtown BID along with several commercial building owners, operators and BID members – including Akridge, Cassidy and Pinkard Colliers and Lincoln Properties – have become Cool Capital partners and have committed to reducing CO2 emissions. The Downtown BID, which is the largest business improvement district in the city with more than 60 million square feet of commercial space, is now a leading partner in the Cool Capital Challenge and has pledged a 71 million pound reduction of CO2 from Downtown BID members.
Look for further announcements from the Downtown BID on ideas and programs for making Downtown DC greener. Plan to participate on Thursday, September 20, 12:30 pm – 4:00 pm, as the Downtown BID co-hosts a follow up “nuts and bolts” energy training session for property managers and building engineers. For more information, visit www.coolcapital.org.
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Setting the Record Straight
In the article entitled, “The Year’s Best,” from our July Update, we wrote that Julio Mendez is the Maintenance SAM of the Year. The correct name for the SAM of the Year is Julio Martinez.
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Dramatic Achievements
What has world-class facilities, an incredibly talented workforce and approximately 25,000 seats for public audiences? DC’s thriving performing arts industry fits the bill. From major institutions such as the Kennedy Center, to neighborhood-based venues such as Town Hall Education Arts and Recreation (THEARC), arts organizations are dispersed throughout the city to the benefit of all. Yet, perhaps nowhere is the creative and economic impact of theater as pronounced as in the Downtown BID area.
Already home to five venues, including the Warner, National, Shakespeare, historic Ford’s and Woolly Mammoth theaters, Downtown will soon welcome the Shakespeare Theatre’s highly anticipated 775-seat Sidney Harman Hall (620 F Street) when it opens October 1, 2007. Also new to the Downtown BID will be the Washington Stage Guild, known for its George Bernard Shaw productions. Currently performing at 14th and T Streets NW, the Stage Guild will soon occupy an intimate new 250-seat space at 505 9th Street.
Why the investment in this neighborhood? As Michael Kyrioglou, communications director for Woolly Mammoth Theatre puts it, “Audiences are finding out what a vibrant and bustling area Downtown is and we’re glad to be a part of its recent explosion of activity.” The theater recently concluded its most successful season in 27 years, and its second full season in its new Downtown location at 641 D Street. Woolly has had particular success with acclaimed playwright Sarah Ruhl’s latest play “Dead Man’s Cell Phone.” The production was extended twice and seated just fewer than 7,000 patrons; making it their highest selling and attended show.
Audiences aren’t the only beneficiaries of Downtown’s performing arts achievements. Assuming that 70% of the 650,745 theater patrons in 2006 spent $21 on food and drink and ¼ of them paid to park at an average cost of $15, audiences spent more than $12 million at establishments surrounding Downtown’s growing theater district, generating approximately $1.25 million in tax dollars for the city’s coffers.
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 Fresh Express
Health-conscious Washingtonians now can rejoice as the New York-based Chop’t Creative Salad Company (730 7th Street) brings its take on great-tasting, fresh salads to Downtown. This month, the purveyor of high-quality salads favored by models and celebrities will open in the former Marvelous Market space and offer a large variety of fresh ingredients “chop’t” with a double-bladed mezzaluna knife, homemade salad dressings and the promise to use local products whenever available. For more information, call 202.347.3225 or visit www.choptsalad.com.
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Daily Grind Ends
Shimba Hills Coffee (601 F Street), the homegrown coffee shop located inside of the Verizon Center featuring African coffees and teas, has closed.
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Same Food, Different Address
Executive Chef/Owner Tom Powers has decided to move Corduroy (1201 K Street) from its current location inside of the Sheraton Points Hotel in January 2008 and will relocate to the corner of 9th and L Streets NW. The new restaurant will keep the same name, as well as a similar look and menu.
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Gone but not Forgotten
The Warehouse Bar and Café (1017 7th Street) is saying goodbye to its current Downtown location and relocating to a new, 3,000 square foot space at 3400 11th Street NW. Facing rising taxes, owners Molly and Paul Ruppert began looking for a new venue earlier this year. Currently, the theater and gallery will remain housed in the 7th street building, which the Ruppert family has owned for more than 130 years.
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A Woolly Arrival
The Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company (641 D Street) has announced that Jeffrey Herrmann will join the theatre October 1 as managing director – filling the shoes of Kevin Moore, who left his post to join the Cleveland Play House in Ohio earlier this year.
“The level of national interest in our managing director position was very high and the selection process extremely competitive, but Jeffrey stood out because of his ability to understand and articulate our unique mission and his readiness to tackle the challenge of building our future,” said Howard Shalwitz, Woolly’s artistic director.
Woolly Mammoth’s Board of Directors formed a search committee in the spring to seek out and interview prospective candidates. Herrmann, currently the producing director at Alaska’s Perseverance Theatre, oversaw the production of 11 world premieres and eight statewide tours while the theater completed a $1 million endowment campaign simultaneously. The Alaskan theatre is also currently in the final stages of a $1.1 million facility renovation and expansion project. For more information, visit www.woollymammoth.net.
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 Lifestyle Upgrade
Two Washington institutions have joined forces to offer Downtown patrons the best of both worlds. The new “Ballet Lifestyle” offered by The Washington Ballet and The Willard InterContinental Hotel (1401 Pennsylvania Avenue) provides families and kids the opportunity to enjoy a variety of exciting programs at the hotel after spending an afternoon at the ballet.
Three of the Ballet’s upcoming productions will be held one block from the Willard at the Warner Theatre (13th and E Streets). Afterwards, parents can take pleasure in ballet-themed spa experiences at the I Spa at the Willard, while the kids enjoy four-course cooking classes with hands-on activities. Families can also take advantage of the special overnight package to take in more of Downtown’s sights. Reservations are required. For more information, call 202.637.7304, e-mail meredith.goldberg@ihg.com or visit www.washington.interconti.com. For further information on The Washington Ballet schedule dates and performance times, visit www.washingtonballet.org.
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Heroes Honored Here
Plans are underway for the new National Law Enforcement Museum opening Downtown in Judiciary Square in 2011. The first of its kind, the  Museum will be dedicated to the courage and sacrifice displayed by the nation’s law enforcement officers and will also serve as the national repository of line-of-duty fatality records where the public can research significant law enforcement documents and artifacts. The city has just approved $80 million of tax-exempt industrial revenue bonds and the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) has awarded preliminary design approval, allowing the Museum to proceed with its plans to break ground on the high-tech, 90,000 square foot underground facility on the 400 block of E Street in the summer of 2008.
The new Museum is expected to generate at least $550,000 in new tax revenue annually for the city and attract more than 500,000 visitors to Downtown. “We are very pleased that by achieving these important milestones, this long-overdue tribute to the men and women of law enforcement is moving that much closer to becoming a reality,” said Craig W. Floyd, chairman and CEO of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF), a fund created to support the building of the Museum where former Presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush serve as co-chairs of the National Honorary Campaign Committee.
The Society of Former Special Agents of the FBI has chosen the National Law Enforcement Museum as the official repository for more than 130 oral histories from former FBI Special Agents. These recollections date back to the 1930s and form a rich part of American law enforcement history. The transcripts give candid details on topics such as Watergate, intercepting Nazi spies and the Ku Klux Klan and will be on public display when the Museum opens. Currently, six of the non-classified transcripts have been posted on the Society of Former Agents’ website at http://www.socxfbi.org. The Museum plans to post more transcripts to its website as they become available.
To view copies of these transcripts or for more information about the Museum or NLEOMF, visit www.lawenforcementmuseum.org or call 866.446.NLEM (6536).
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Turning of the Tide
Gregory S. Smith will join the Shakespeare Theatre Company (450 7th Street) as director of education this month. Smith served as the director of education for The Children’s Theatre Company in Minneapolis, MN, where he managed the expansion of the McGuire Education Center, a three-year $750,000 federal grant as well as a $400,000 Bush Foundation Grant for Early Learners.
“Michael Kahn has a clearly defined aesthetic to his interpretation of classical theatre. It is intelligent, dynamic and challenging, thereby allowing everyone an opportunity to relate to the material as it pertains to their own lives. I look forward to joining a staff with such talented artists and teachers this fall,” said Gregory Smith. In his new role, he will oversee the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s School, Community, Training and Audience Enrichment programs and their expansion with the opening of the Harman Center for the Arts. For more information, visit www.shakespearedc.org.
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Downtown Retail Goes West
A new destination for contemporary design and urban style has finally arrived Downtown. west elm, the über-cool Brooklyn-based home furnishings store best-known for its trademark loft-style designs at affordable prices, opened the doors to its first flagship store in August in the historic Woodies building located at 10th and G Streets.
Taking more than 37,500 square feet in the historic building in the heart of Downtown at Metro Center, this will be the largest store for the Williams-Sonoma, Inc. brand, west elm’s parent company, and the first of three exciting new additions to the area and to the Woodies building. Zara, the Spanish retailer, and Madame Tussauds, the world’s premier wax museum, are both slated to open this fall. “This is a sign of great things to come,” said Rich Bradley, executive director of the Downtown BID. “Downtown is well on its way to becoming the region’s premier shopping destination.”
Residents, workers and visitors alike will now be able to fill their homes and offices with the stores chic, modern style thanks to the city’s $4.9 million investment through the Downtown Retail Tax Increment Financing (TIF), which made it possible for Douglas Development and west elm to join forces. As a result, more than 130 jobs have been created for area residents with more than 60% of the current staff residing in Washington, DC.
The store is currently offering a special sweepstakes promotion through Sunday, September 22, with a chance to win one of two prizes: a $2,000 west elm makeover for any room of your choice or a Metro SmarTrip card valued at $2,000. For more information, call 202.347.8929 or visit www.westelm.com.
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Luxury Gift Giving
Dr. Tina Alster, a well-known DC dermatologist, opened Après Peau (1430 K Street) earlier this year to make finding that “apropos” gift easier. The store features unique gifts including housewares, stationery and couture accessories for ultimate gift giving. For more information, visit www.aprespeau.com.
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A New You
PR at Partners (1001 G Street) is now open at Metro Center, offering fresh looks for Downtown patrons. The full-service salon specializes in hair and makeup services, at-home haircare and fashion accessories. The store also plans to begin providing spa and nail services in the near future. For more information, call 202.737.0909 or visit www.pratpartners.com.
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