Sunday, May 3, 2009

demolition comes to Galen (finally)

there was an old, ugly, abandoned, and dangerous apartment building on Galen Street between 15th and 16th until, at last, it was torn to shreds a few days ago. The demolition marks a turning point for the neighborhood, which struggles under a legacy of abandoned buildings - yet over the past couple of years has consistently fought to restore, enhance, and make new.



As the bulldozer roared, reared, and erased the hilltop's least loved tenant, ... as cold rain washed silted memories into the undergrowth, Anacostia came one step closer to its more legitimate and welcoming future.

A health / community center is poised to take the building's place, though at the bottom of the hill. Relocating from its current location where W meets Chester, the clinic's move will free another presently unattractive site for better development.

5 comments:

David said...

Do you know the addres? or where on the block it was located (even / odd, west / east)?

Thanks.

David Garber said...

the building's address was 1504 Galen Street SE.

David said...

Thanks. The addresses 1504 Galen Street SE and 1500 Galen Street SE (there are two addresses in one building) have been retired from the DC Government't Master Address Reporitory.

http://dcatlas.dcgis.dc.gov/mar/location_detail.aspx

Jayare said...

Back in the day (late 80's), it was a notorious open air drug market.

Dale Banks said...

Any update on this? The construction is pretty heavy at the moment.