The corner of 44th and Fessenden streets in Northwest Washington is home to the artistry of Friendship Heights. The Little Gallery displays works of art created by neighbors of all ages in different mediums.
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Sidney and Betsy Edelmann, who have lived in Friendship Heights since 1994, found their art projects piling up during the pandemic. Although the couple initially were looking only for a space to share their work, specifically Betsy’s pottery, with their neighbors, they soon discovered an abundance of artists surrounding them.
“There were so many talented people in the neighborhood doing things during the pandemic, and they really had no outlet,” Sid Edelmann said.
The Little Gallery allows for pandemic-proof communication between neighbors. Edelmann leaves a pad of paper at the Little Gallery so passersby can leave reviews and comments. He often takes a picture of the comments and sends them to the artists so they can get feedback on their work.
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Part of the Little Gallery is an audio gallery, allowing visitors to hear and experience different mediums — such as 6-year-old Max, who tells jokes.
“He had a knock-knock joke,” Edelmann said. “And one day, I was out there and this couple was pushing their kid in a stroller. And the kid was old enough to talk, and they said that he wanted to come by there every single day to push the button and respond to the knock-knock joke.”
Edelmann, who is the creator, curator and carpenter of the Little Gallery, has exhibits planned until April. But he’s always looking to showcase talent from his and nearby neighborhoods, particularly audio works.
Jonathan Bender, ANC chairperson for 3E, has been a Friendship Heights resident since 1995. He moved from Dupont Circle and was drawn to the neighborhood because of the house prices and access to Metro.
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Bender, like other residents, has noticed changes to the business district.
“It maybe feels a little bit more apocalyptic here than it does other places, just in terms of the urban landscape,” he said.
Lord & Taylor, Neiman Marcus and other Friendship Heights staples closed their doors during the pandemic.
Friendship Heights, once known as a hub for high-end shopping, is struggling as the pandemic accelerates an exodus of retailers
“It’s kind of depressing when you walk on Wisconsin Avenue to see all those stores that are closed,” said Catherine Vial, another Friendship Heights resident.
“The Mazza Gallerie is really bad because it’s a whole mall and nothing from the ground floor on up is open,” Bender said.
The mall was bought by developer Tishman Speyer. The company has said it will build rental housing and retain retail space and an underground parking garage.
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“I haven’t seen renderings. They were planning to do apartments, but they haven’t updated me in a couple of months, so anything’s possible,” Bender said.
The former Fox 5 building also is being developed. Donohoe Development plans to build 210 units, of which 11 percent will be affordable-housing units, at the site. The company recently received zoning approval, which means the project could break ground by the end of the year. The building will have an LEED Gold designation, solar panels, green roofs, 1,500 square feet of retail space and electric vehicle charging for residents.
Bender is hopeful Friendship Heights can reap the rewards of new development.
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“We need more residents, we need more housing overall, especially affordable housing,” he said.
Friendship Heights is home to one of the 10 projects selected by the D.C. Department of Housing and Community Development to add more affordable housing to the District. The development will add 93 units to the Lisner-Louise-Dickson-Hurt Home, a senior living facility in the neighborhood. This is the first project selected in Ward 3 and is part of D.C.’s push for more homes for low-income residents.
D.C. announces first affordable housing project in Ward 3 backed by housing production trust
Dana Rice, a real estate agent at Compass, doesn’t think the downturn in the business district is affecting potential home buyers.
“I understand that it’s an issue, and I understand that people expect more, but I believe that the lack of housing is overcoming that particular objection right now,” Rice said. “The people that are buying Friendship Heights [want] convenience, location. [The lack of retail] isn’t scary to them.”
Friendship Heights’ convenient location was a top reason for Vial moving to and staying in the neighborhood.
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“Number one was being close to the Metro. Number two, it was very safe, and number three, it was within walking distance from Rodman’s [a specialty grocery store and pharmacy and Washington institution since 1955],” Vial said.
Vial, who moved to Friendship Heights in 1993, never bothered to obtain her driver’s license until last month. She said pandemic-induced “cabin fever” caused her to take the test. But for the most part, she managed just fine without it. The access to the Metro and Metro buses gave her the freedom to move around the city without a car.
“Everything you need for day-to-day living is within walking distance,” she said.
According to Vial, her Tudor-style home will be celebrating its 100th birthday next year. She refers to the homes on her block of Fessenden Street NW, a mix of bungalows, Federals and Tudors, as having “good bones.”
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Living there: Friendship Heights’ boundaries are fluid.
“It gets into a murky area there of where does AU Park end? What is called Tenleytown? And what is Friendship Heights?” Rice said. Buyers “don’t care what you call it as long as you call it convenient.”
The generally agreed-upon boundaries are River Road to the southwest, Western Avenue to the northwest, 41st Street NW and Belt Road to the east and Chesapeake Street to the south.
According to Rice, 64 homes sold in Friendship Heights last year. The most expensive was a five-bedroom, six-bathroom house that sold for just over $2 million. The least expensive was a condo that sold for $325,000. Five homes are for sale.
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Schools: Janney Elementary, Alice Deal Middle and Woodrow Wilson High (The D.C. Council voted to rename the school Jackson-Reed High. The measure is awaiting approval from the mayor.)
Transit: The Friendship Heights Metro station is on the Red Line. The Tenleytown-AU Metro station, also on the Red Line, is just south of the neighborhood. Metro buses run along Wisconsin Avenue.
If you’d like your neighborhood featured in Where We Live, email kathy.orton@washpost.com.