A new (and old) look coming at the corner of Connecticut and Albemarle

by Marlene Berlin

Did you notice that the green canopies over the businesses on the southeast corner of Connecticut and Albemarle have come down?

Before…

…and after.

What lies beneath is the sleekness of the storefronts’ original Art Deco design. It’s visible in this 1950s ad for Albemarle House apartments to the north.

Van Ness Main Street is coordinating the improvements to 4481-4483 Connecticut Avenue. The first stage of the facelift is to remove the canopies and clean up the revealed metal detail. Next year there will be new signage. The transformed corner will look like this:

Conceptual drawing of Diplomat Cleaners at 4483 Connecticut Avenue, courtesy of Travis Price Architects.

That’s not all. ANC 3F04 Commissioner Sally Gresham, who also co-chairs the Van Ness Main Street design committee and sits on its board, tells us DC’s Public Space Committee has approved Thai Pad’s application for an outdoor seating area.

Punnathorn Chaiphongrattana, the manager of Thai Pad, praises Van Ness Main Street and particularly Sally Gresham.

“They really, really helped us – the placement of our window, the patio area out front, and now work on the front. It looks really good!”

The Van Ness Main Street design committee has worked many hours collaborating with architect Travis Price, a Forest Hills resident, to recapture the original design of this storefront area and work out a plan for outdoor seating. And they were successful in convincing the property owners, Borger and Kay Management, and the four small businesses at this corner of the potential of their storefronts.

“We are so pleased to be partnering with Van Ness Main Street, local businesses and neighbors on the revitalization of the Van Ness community,” says Tara Manare with Borger Management.

We can expect the completion of this project by March 2017. And the story does not end there. The VNMS design committee is assisting the businesses with more improvements, inside and out. Thai Pad, Italian Pizza Kitchen and Cut’n Edge have received reimbursable grants from Van Ness Main Street to improve permanent design elements inside their businesses.

So, their customers will long enjoy the new look and vibe at this corner and beyond.