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VOLUME 67 NUMBER 4
GEORGETOWNER.COM
JANUARY 13 - FEBRUARY 9, 2021
SILVER LININGS S I G N S O F H O P E F O R 2 0 21
A RS O N O N S S T. B RO O K E P I N TO I N T E RV I E W JELLEFF FUNDING F LY I N G D U R I N G C OV I D K I T T Y K E L L E Y B O O K C LU B H A N G OV E R C U R E
IN THIS ISSUE IN THIS ISSUE
NEWS · 4 - 7 Town Topics
EDITORIAL/OPINION · 8
ABOUT THE COVER
Charming Hovawart, our Golden Retreiver cover dog, cozying up to the new office of choice on a cold winter’s day. In this issue we look for silver linings at a time when we need them most. Send us yours - Editorial@ georgetowner.com
PUBLISHER Sonya Bernhardt
FEATURES EDITORS COPY EDITOR Ari Post Richard Selden FASHION & BEAUTY SENIOR DIRECTOR CORRESPONDENT Lauretta McCoy Peggy Sands GRAPHIC DESIGN Troy Riemer PHOTOGRAPHERS Philip Bermingham Jeff Malet
Look for the Silver Lining A Sacred Place, Violated DC Vaccine Distribution
ADVERTISING & MARKETING Danielle MartinTaylor Kate Sprague Richard Selden
THE VILLAGE · 9
Brooke Pinto on the Insurrection and th ecouncil’s 2021 Priorities
COVER · 10 - 11 A Handful of Silver Linings
REAL ESTATE · 12 - 13 A Second Time Around
BUSINESS · 14
Wine Sales on ‘Roller Coaster’ During Pandemic
IN COUNTRY · 15
Flying During COVID? Millions Take the Risk
FOOD & WINE · 16 Cocktail of the Month
CLASSIFIEDS · 17 Service Directory
BOOK CLUB · 18
Kitty Kelley Book Club
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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Robert Devaney
CONTRIBUTORS Mary Bird Susan Bodiker Allyson Burkhardt Evan Caplan Didi Cutler Donna Evers Michelle Galler Amos Gelb Wally Greeves Kitty Kelley Rebekah Kelley Jody Kurash Shelia Moses Kate Oczypok Linda Roth Alison Schafer Mary Ann Treger
1050 30th Street, NW Washington, DC 20007 Phone: (202) 338-4833 Fax: (202) 338-4834 www.georgetowner.com The Georgetowner is published every other Wednesday. The opinions of our writers and columnists do not necessarily reflect the editorial and corporate opinions of The Georgetowner newspaper. The Georgetowner accepts no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts or photographs and assumes no liability for products or services advertised herein. The Georgetowner reserves the right to edit, rewrite or refuse material and is not responsible for errors or omissions. Copyright 2020.
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FDR’s inauguration on March 4, 1933. Courtesy Architect of the Capitol.
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Georgetown University’s Healy Building. Courtesy GU.
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Slow-cooker white bean and sausage soup. Photo by Anita Parris Soule. Courtesy Wild Thistle Kitchen.
BIGGEST HIT ONLINE 3,141 VIEWS LOCAL MAN CHARGED WITH ARSON IN S ST. HOUSE FIRE B Y R I C H A R D SEL D EN
Firefighters arrive to put out a fire at an S Street home in Georgetown shortly after 1 p.m. on Dec. 28. Courtesy DC Fire and EMS.
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TOWN TOPICS
NEWS
Top 10 Town Topics of 2020
BY PEGGY SA NDS For years, the first few pages of The Georgetowner newspaper have been devoted to “Town Topics” — short, originally reported stories about local happenings that have absorbed the attention and energies of Georgetowners in the days and weeks preceding. Last year started off more or less normally, but by March had exploded with political shocks and the pandemic shutdown. Here is a quick review of The Georgetowner’s Top 10 Town Topics of 2020. Wondering how so much change could happen in a single year? So are we, but consider: many of these changes may well have a silver lining. 1. The 2020 election year began with a shock in Georgetown when Jack Evans — a decades-long Georgetown resident who, as a widower, raised his triplets on P Street — resigned from his position as the longest-serving member of the District Council. But in March, he announced he was running for the Ward 2 seat again. Brooke Pinto, a relative newcomer to D.C., ended up winning both the special June election, a nine-person race, and the
November contest, with all campaigning done virtually. In addition, there were 23 active candidates for an at-large seat on the Council and the Georgetown-Burleith advisory neighborhood commission elected two new members in competitive races. Turnout was historically high. 2. The COVID-19 pandemic made its first appearance in D.C. in Georgetown, when in early March the Rev. Timothy Cole, beloved pastor of Christ Church on O Street, became the first person in the District to be infected. His hospitalization was quickly followed by surging cases and deaths throughout D.C., the closing of schools and businesses and regulations to prevent the spread of the virus, which affected every aspect of Georgetown life and dominated residents’ and officials’ lists of concerns for the remainder of the year. 3. Public transportation became a heated Town Topic in 2020 due to proposed service changes in popular Metrobus routes into Georgetown. By year’s end, COVID restrictions saw buses with just two or three passengers aboard. Use of personal
transportation modes such as e-scooters and e-bikes soared. 4. Parking, another longtime hot topic in Georgetown, flared up at the start of the year with disputes over plans to eliminate 100 spots. But in the wake of the COVID lockdown, suddenly there was so many unused spaces that parking enforcement was suspended. (Many Georgetowners found this to be a good thing.) 5. Widening sidewalks into parking lanes on M Street and Wisconsin Avenue during the summer has been a perennial neighborhood dispute. But the COVID pandemic warped that issue by triggering the creation of “streateries” — officially sanctioned outdoor eating areas on landscaped, shaded and heated platforms in front of many Georgetown eateries. They could become long-term fixtures; business leaders say streateries have sparked commerce and may even become the savior of Georgetown dining. 6. Black Lives Matter protests and related rioting led to looting, boarded-up shops and traffic tie-ups — Georgetown was an epicenter of all of that from June on. Town meetings with police and townspeople pivoted between calls for defunding the police and a push for more funding of de-escalation training and a community policing approach. 7. Rose Park’s Summer Market on Wednesday afternoons evolved into the social center of Georgetown as it expanded in shape and size, then reappeared as a
December-long holiday fete. Year-round operation is now being considered. 8. The newly reconstructed HydeAddison Elementary School was closed, along with all other D.C. public schools, in March, due to the pandemic. Proposed September and November openings didn’t happen. Class sizes, spacing, schedules and how to assess learning gains and losses could be permanently changed … maybe for the better. 9. The Jelleff Recreation Center next to the Wisconsin Avenue Safeway was the focus of numerous meetings, ANC resolutions, surveys and disputes involving the shared use of its playing fields and the opportunity to transform it into a multigenerational community and athletic center. A new survey, to be completed by Jan. 18, will determine the feasibility of proposals that would require city funds above the $7 million budgeted for ADA accessibility. 10. Ginkgo trees were repeatedly called Georgetown’s hottest topic by ANC chairman Rick Murphy. What to do about Georgtown’s ginkgos, which drop squishy, putrid-smelling pods onto sidewalks, creating a public safety hazard? Last year saw a compromise: either the District could replace offensive trees (if a majority of neighbors petitioned for it) or Georgetown nonprofits could do a twice-daily cleaning during the stinky 2021 season. To be continued…
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Local Man Charged With Arson in S St. House Fire BY R IC H AR D SEL D EN An S Street NW residence was vandalized and set ablaze during the middle of the day on Monday, Dec. 28. Owners Dale and Melissa Overmyer and their children were not at home. Caught on video, a local man, Samuel Kalinski, 26, was apprehended at the scene that afternoon and charged with arson on Dec. 29. Firefighters had the fire under control within half an hour of their arrival, shortly after 1 p.m. The house is in the 3200 block of S Street in Georgetown, just east of Wisconsin Avenue. DC Fire and EMS investigators recognized Kalinski from nearby security camera footage, which showed him jumping over a fence, kicking open the back door and repeatedly entering and taking things from the home. They pursued him when he ran. The motive for the vandalism, which involved igniting charcoal briquettes with
flammable liquid in several rooms and other destruction on the property, is unknown. The damage to the six-bedroom house at 3264 S St. NW, valued at over $3 million, was estimated by police to be $1 million, according to the Washington Post. A hearing was set for Jan. 21. Kalinski, whose has a Glover Park address, was arrested earlier this month in Fairfax County, Virginia, for assault, the Post reported. “We are extremely grateful for the prayers of everyone in the neighborhood during this difficult situation,” Dale Overmyer, principal of Overmyer Architects, told NBC4. His firm, located at 3213 P St. NW, has carried out renovations of many Georgetown residences. Melissa Overmyer is the founder of Something Greater Ministries and the Georgetown Women’s Bible Study. They have four daughters.
TOWN TOPICS
In Wake of Capitol Invasion, Bowser Extends Public Emergency BY RIC HARD S E L DE N Reacting to the invasion of the U.S. Capitol by a ragtag army of supporters of President Donald Trump’s false claim of election fraud — many in sweatshirts printed with MAGA CIVIL WAR JANUARY 6, 2021 — D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser declared a public emergency on Jan. 6, ordering a District-wide curfew for all persons except essential workers and the media from 6 p.m. that evening until 6 a.m. the following day, Thursday, Jan. 7. The mayor soon ordered an extension of the public emergency, authorizing the city administrator to “implement such measures as may be necessary or appropriate to protect persons and property in the District of Columbia,” for 15 days, through 3 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 21, the day after the presidential inauguration. The second order reads, in part: “Many persons came to the District armed and for the purpose of engaging in violence and destruction and have engaged in violence and destruction. They have fired chemical irritants, bricks, bottles, and guns. They have breached the security of the Capitol and their destructive and riotous behavior has the potential to spread beyond the Capitol. “Their motivation is ongoing. Today, they sought to disrupt the Congressional proceedings relating to the acceptance of electoral college votes. President Trump continues to fan rage and violence by contending that the Presidential election
was invalid. Persons are dissatisfied with judicial rulings and the findings of State Boards of Elections, and some persons can be expected to continue their violent protests through the inauguration.” During the Jan. 6 breach of the Capitol, which began around 2 p.m., interrupting the certification of electoral college votes in a joint session of Congress — and forcing senators, members of Congress, Capitol Hill staffers and media representatives to be moved to safety or to shelter in place — a woman who was among the rioters, Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt, 35, a resident of San Diego suburb Ocean Beach, was shot by Capitol Police and died later that day. Acting Metropolitan Police Chief Robert J. Contee III announced three other deaths associated with the hours-long occupation, due to “medical emergencies.” The deceased were later identified as Benjamin Phillips, 50, of Ringtown, Pennsylvania; Kevin Greeson, 55, of Athens, Alabama; and Roseanne Boleyn, 34, of Kennesaw, Georgia. On Jan. 7, Capitol Police officer Brian D. Sicknick, 42, died, reportedly after being struck on the head with a fire extinguisher during a confrontation with rioters. Many other members of the Capitol Police and Metropolitan Police forces sustained injuries. About a dozen arrests were initially made by Capitol Police. MPD went on to make more than 60 arrests, most for unlawful
entry or violating curfew. Others involved in the rioting are being tracked down. The FBI is “accepting tips and digital media depicting rioting and violence in the U.S. Capitol Building and surrounding area in Washington, DC, on January 6, 2021” via an online form at https://tips.fbi.gov/ digitalmedia/aad18481a3e8f02. The Capitol was declared secure and the joint session resumed after 6 p.m. on Jan. 6. President-elect Joe Biden’s victory was certified after 3 a.m. the following morning. Normally a pro-forma ceremony, the process was lengthened due to futile challenges — fewer in number than originally expected, due to the shock of what many are calling an insurrection, broadcast worldwide — from Republican senators and representatives. District Council members, including Ward 2 representative Brooke Pinto, condemned the rioting, incited by Trump’s address at that morning’s rally at the Ellipse (though it had clearly been planned for weeks), and called for the 25th Amendment to be invoked to remove Trump from office. Noting that “Mayor Bowser also called upon the US National Guard for assistance, and the US Department of Defense denied this request for hours — endangering
Members of Congress, staff, and District residents,” Pinto stated: “The actions of these insurgents and the behavior of President Trump are abhorrent and reprehensible. Moreover, the President’s rhetoric and lack of leadership during this time of crisis are an affront to our democracy. Once again, President Trump has made clear that he is unfit for the Oval Office and that the 25th amendment should be invoked. “I am deeply disappointed that yesterday’s insurgents stormed the halls of Congress with very little consequence, while the memory of peaceful protestors being met with excessive force, chemical irritants, and senseless violence this past summer continues to stain our memories. This provocation represents a double standard in our society, and it is deeply troubling and unacceptable. I implore the DC Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), the United States Attorney’s Office, and the District’s Office of the Attorney General to pursue action against those responsible for yesterday’s attacks to the fullest extent of the law.” At press time, Trump had been locked out of Twitter and other social media platforms and House leadership was laying the groundwork for his impeachment.
Former Georgetowner staffer, Erin Schaff, now with the New York Times, tells of her harrowing experience at the Capitol last Wednesday: nytimes.com/2021/01/07/us/politics/capitol-lockdown.html GMG, INC.
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TOWN TOPICS
You start with an idea. We mold it into something special.
ANC: Former Latham Hotel Site Is ‘Blighted Property’ BY PEGGY SAN D S
Websites + Design redclaycreative.com
Warned and ready, Georgetown was spared a repeat of June’s street violence on Jan. 6, following out-of-town protesters’ assault on the U.S. Capitol. Now, as after the June incidents, new fences and shielding have gone up on the Hill, blighting the look of our majestic Capitol Building. But one blight that has endured almost as long as President Donald Trump’s term in office remains in Georgetown, and the Georgetown-Burleith advisory neighborhood commission finally decided to take action last week. That blight is the large crane on a vacated construction site on the corner of M and 30th Streets NW, where until five years ago the La Madeleine restaurant and the Latham Hotel, with its acclaimed Citronelle restaurant, were located. After the property was sold to Thor Equities, it went through a number of plans, even as most of the structures were demolished. For the past two years, all that has stood on the property is the frame of the former hotel and the tower crane. ANC 2E’s resolution, classifying 3000 M St. NW as a “blighted property,” passed at the Jan. 4 meeting. Once it is transcribed and approved, the resolution will be sent to the District’s Department of Regulatory Affairs. “The property is currently categorized as ‘vacant’ by the DCRA,” Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Lisa Palmer told The Georgetowner. “The only other status is ‘blight.’ Both come with higher
taxes and can be a way to get action. “What we really want is for the project to happen,” Palmer said. “Right now, it is not happening, so we want the crane to come down until it is. Once the construction project begins in earnest, we want an appropriate-sized crane to be put in place and utilized. Until then, we want the property to be categorized as blighted.” On April 17 of last year, Thor Equities submitted a new plan to the Old Georgetown Board for review. The plan reimagined the site as an eight-story, 256-room hotel with a single level of retail, simplifying a much more elaborate plan. But building designs take time to be approved in D.C., especially in Georgetown. There are too many cooks in the kitchen, some say. Meanwhile, the fenced-in construction site and the tower crane that spins around in the wind are not considered to be dangerous, according to Palmer. “I called DCRA a couple of years ago before a projected hurricane and they assured me that the tower crane could withstand such weather,” she said. However, as the Georgetown Business Improvement District reminded Georgetown commercial property owners and shopkeepers recently, during protests that may turn violent, loose construction materials can become projectiles. As a precaution during our current era of frequent First Amendment activity, the BID has asked local businesses to clean those materials up.
More Millions for Jelleff? New Survey to Help Decide BY PEGGY SAN D S The possibility is open again for significant funds to renovate the Jelleff Recreation Center at 3265 S St. NW. Since the 1950s, the center has operated as a popular basketball venue — which, however, does not meet ADA accessibility standards — and, in the increasingly dilapidated basement, a Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington facility. The District Council has allocated $7 million to make the center accessibility compliant. “But we expect that we can get significantly more in the new budget that will be negotiated beginning in the spring of 2021,” said Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Elizabeth Miller. Ideas for Jelleff’s renovation include fully modernized and accessible athletic facilities (possibly two ball courts and an indoor fitness center) and expansion into a community center offering multigenerational meeting and recreation spaces, possibly including a large demonstration and events-capable 6 JANUARY 13, 2021
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kitchen. The project could involve major reconstruction or even total demolition of the present building. Plans for the renovated center will depend in large part on the results of a survey that is now online, sponsored by ANC 2E and the Burleith Citizens Association. The survey, available at surveymonkey.com/r/ Jelleff2021, takes about five minutes to complete. It not only requests demographic information and asks about the respondent’s usage of Jelleff before and during the pandemic, but also seeks reactions to several possible new features and offerings. Miller expressed confidence that additional funding for an expanded as well as modernized Jelleff Center would be allocated. “Brooke Pinto, our new Ward 2 City Council representative, is very supportive of the project and community input for it,” she said. “Pinto has indicated it will be one of her top priorities.”
TOWN TOPICS
New Life for Holy Rood Cemetery BY G RA CE B AT EMA N Holy Rood Cemetery, located on a hill above Georgetown, has new life. Holy Trinity Catholic Church and Georgetown University have recently completed the long-awaited restoration of this beautiful, sacred space. Holy Rood was established in 1832 as Holy Trinity’s parish cemetery. Its unusual name is taken from the Scottish “haly ruid,” meaning “Holy Cross.” The Jesuits who founded Georgetown College also established Holy Trinity Church nearby, which explains why the university still owns the parish cemetery. By 1915, all the lots at Holy Rood were sold. There are approximately 7,000 burials at Holy Rood; the cemetery closed to further burials in the 1990s. Over the years, the university has mowed the grass and replaced the stone retaining wall when it threatened to tumble onto Wisconsin Avenue. But without additional care, headstones toppled and weedy trees and invasive vines sprang up, marring this once-beautiful place. Finally, in 2010, Holy Trinity devised a plan to restore the cemetery, proposing to build a columbarium for entombing the
ashes of parishioners and others. A portion of the proceeds from niche sales would be earmarked for restoring the cemetery and funding a perpetual care endowment. It took the better part of a decade for Holy Trinity and the university to reach a final agreement for accomplishing this plan. Finally, in March of 2019, Holy Trinity began constructing a 645-niche columbarium at Holy Rood, consisting of 546 niches in a curved granite wall, visible from Wisconsin Avenue, and 99 niches in a nearby restored hillside crypt. The columbarium was completed that November. Renowned sculptor John Dreyfuss designed the bronze cross that was installed atop the crypt and two large bronze stands used for services held at the cemetery. As part of the restoration, Holy Trinity planted more than 100 trees in the entrance and columbarium areas, along with 2,300 winter jasmine shrubs on the steep embankment along Wisconsin Avenue and adjacent to the crypt. The entrance has also been enhanced with new stonework and an ornamental gate and fence. A small visitor plaza near the entrance provides
Courtesy Holy Rood Cemetery. information on the cemetery’s history. For its part, the university repaved the asphalt roadway, enhanced landscape maintenance and is in the process of resetting all of the fallen headstones. Since launching the Holy Rood project, Holy Trinity has sold entombment rights in a substantial number of columbarium niches. Niches are available to parishioners, to Georgetown University alumni and staff and to the general public, Catholics and non-
Catholics alike. Holy Trinity has also begun funding the perpetual care endowment. During the pandemic, the church has been holding Sunday masses outdoors in the columbarium area — an unexpected benefit of the project. For further information on Holy Rood Cemetery and to purchase a columbarium niche online, visit holytrinitycolumbarium.org.
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EDITORIAL
OPINION
Send Your Feedback, Questions or Concerns, Tips and Suggestions to editorial@georgetowner.com or call 202-338-4833
A Sacred Place, Violated BY PEGGY SAN D S
Look for the Silver Lining We are writing this the day after a mob ravaged the Capitol and our city, urged on by their leader, the 45th president of the United States. So we don’t blame you if you’re a little perplexed by our cover story. What silver lining? Hear us out. Without question, 2020 was abysmal. And while we all cheered the arrival of 2021, the new year began much as the old year ended, plagued by hardened social divisions, rising COVID infection and death rates and continued anxiety about our jobs, our families and the nation’s well-being. Yet, there is hope on the horizon. Two vaccines are here and more are on their way. The rollout is wonky, but we anticipate that the Biden-Harris administration (the most silver of all silver linings) will put a more effective system of testing and prevention in place. We are confident that the new administration’s respect for science and empathetic tone will encourage more of us to wear masks, wash our hands and maintain physical/social distancing. It’s only for a little while longer! In our isolation, we’ve become both more self-reliant and more caring, often showing amazing grace as we adjusted to the strange new normal. We’ve set up mutual aid societies, found creative ways to stay connected and turned our homes and lives into art forms of multitasking.
Some of our favorite restaurants and retailers are unfortunately no longer with us. But streateries are enlivening our neighborhoods and shopping is returning. It will take time, but Georgetown and Georgetowners are resilient. We will be back. For many, the past year started us on new habits of health and self-care. (Props to streaming classes and YouTube videos.) For others, it’s been a time of reflection. We’ve learned more about ourselves and our country, and it hasn’t always been pretty. We may not have liked what we saw in the mirror or on the streets, but facing the truth, however unpleasant, is the first step toward making positive change. At the very least, we’ll never take our democratic institutions for granted again. Happy days may not be here again, but we hope the new year brings you greater peace and joy. In this issue, we’ve included some tips — from the lighthearted to the more substantive. As always, we invite you to email or call with your comments, questions or concerns. Please note: The printed Georgetowner has moved to a once-a-month publication schedule. Stay informed by signing up to our twice-weekly e-newsletter and visit us on the web and social media.
What is your resolution for 2021? YOUR OPINION MATTERS. Post your response. Facebook.com/TheGeorgetowner
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For over 15 years, I have covered the U.S. Capitol as a credentialed journalist, with an annually reviewed press pass that gives me full access to every person in and corner of our democracy’s historic and essential buildings. I, like almost everyone who works there — be they an elected official or a congressional staffer, a reporter or a lobbyist or the hundreds of irreplaceable personnel who maintain and keep the magnificent Capitol, Supreme Court, Library of Congress and Senate and House Office Buildings shiny clean and functioning 24/7 — feel it is a great honor to even be allowed to enter every day. The buildings on the Hill are sacred places where history is made every day and the viability of democracy affirmed. That last Wednesday, Jan. 6, an angry mob could scale the Capitol’s walls, break windows and enter the building — worse, the legislative chambers and offices of the leaders — is shocking, but that people were killed and died there as a result is almost unfathomable. I believe that everyone who participated in the mob invasion is a potential accomplice to murder. Everyone who climbed the walls, trashed offices and vandalized the historic spaces should be identified and punished to the full extent of the law. As a lifelong print journalist, covering
legislative issues and those who produce and pass national laws, I have always been obsessed with finding out the why. I am committed to reporting the context and nuances behind every story, incident, event and individual and collective act that takes place on the Hill. Every good story about Congress has to have context from all sides, and details and motivations are my thing. My assumption is that just about everyone has a valid reason for doing what they do, and it is my duty to report it. But this invasion of the Capitol is different. For the first time, for me, the why is not what I care about most. There are many whys, of course, a sea of them, often conflicting. This event was a perfect storm of misjudgments, misinterpretations, bad timing. good and bad intentions and fatal mistakes. It will all come out eventually, as will the individual and collective courage and bravery that took place that day. But, right now, why the individuals in the mob committed these acts of violence — openly, without hiding their identities — doesn’t matter. What does matter, and should, in dealing with individuals who participate in almost any incidents of mob violence, is that they as independentminded human beings chose to do so. They alone are responsible for their actions and should face the consequences. The whys will be considered for years to come.
DC Vaccine Distribution At this moment, vaccination appointments are only available for workers in health care settings and District residents 65 years of age and older. To schedule an appointment, please visit vaccinate.dc.gov or call the District’s call center at 855-363-0333. The call center is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. If you do not work in a health care setting or are not a District resident 65 years of age or older, submit your email address or mobile phone number and you will receive an email or a text message when the registry opens to additional populations.
TARGET DATES FOR VACCINATIONS WEEK OF JANUARY 11: DC residents who are 65 years old or older WEEK OF JANUARY 25: Specific categories of essential workers, including public safety workers, grocery store workers, workers in PreK-12 educational settings and childcare settings WEEK OF FEBRUARY 1: DC residents with chronic medical conditions and other essential workers
THE VILLAGE
Chairman Phil Mendelson
Georgetown’s Ward 2 Councilmember Brooke Pinto
Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne K. Nadeau
Ward 3 Councilmember Mary M. Cheh
Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George
Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan R. McDuffie
Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen
Former Mayor now Ward 7 Councilmember Vincent C. Gray
Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White, Sr.
At-Large Councilmember Anita Bonds
At-Large Councilmember Christina Henderson
At-Large Councilmember Elissa Silverman
At-Large Councilmember Robert C. White, Jr.
Brooke Pinto on the Insurrection and the Council’s 2021 Priorities BY C HR IS TOP HER J ON E S At the start of the new year, the District Council gained its first female majority since the late 1990s and its first African American majority since 2012. With the elections of Janeese Lewis George (D-Ward 4) and Christina Henderson (I-At-Large), many political analysts see the city’s 13-member legislative body shifting left. After winning the special election to fill the seat vacated by Jack Evans, Brooke Pinto (D-Ward 2) — the first woman ever to hold the seat and, now 28, the youngest Council member in history — won a full term with 70 percent of the vote. Pinto spoke with The Georgetowner about the violent insurrection at the Capitol on Jan. 6 and about her 2021 priorities for the District and for Georgetown. “The attack on the Capitol on Wednesday was an abomination to our democracy,” she said, pointing out that when the Capitol Police were “unsuccessful in dispersing the mob,” the Metropolitan Police Department “responded right away and helped get everybody out of there and to enforce the mayor’s curfew.” She added: “We will be supporting the efforts by the mayor’s office and the attorney general to get to the bottom of that breach.”
While Pinto holds President Trump accountable for the violence, she argues that, without D.C. statehood, city residents might see more failed security responses in the future. “I think it’s really a reminder of how important D.C. statehood is,” she said, “because we didn’t have control over our own National Guard, so we had to rely on the president to send additional troops and the Department of Defense didn’t respond to [the city’s] request for hours. That really could have kept our people safe. And five people died as a result of those attacks. So it’s a really stark and practical example of why statehood really matters to keeping us all safe.” As the District embarks on pandemic recovery, Pinto is looking forward to working with her new colleagues on the Council. Calling Henderson and Lewis George “extremely bright, passionate and well-reasoned people,” she said, “I am so thrilled about the new women-majority Council.” “A lot of legislation you will see this term will be focused on recovery: recovery for small businesses, our workers, on making sure our schools reopen and that our vaccine distribution goes according to plan,” she
said. “Something you can look for in terms of the difference with a women-majority Council is the process by which women engage in consideration of legislation. I think women tend to be very collaborative, thorough, transparent and compassionate about our processes. And that can be something to look forward to.” Pinto is prioritizing not only pandemic recovery, but support for struggling sectors of the economy. “I am very confident that once our city is vaccinated and we achieve herd immunity, people will naturally be very enthusiastic to go out, to shop, to eat, dine, drink and support our local small business community,” she said. “But it’s really important that we provide them the resources and support they’ll need during this interim period.” To assist small businesses, she will continue to seek grants, regulatory relief and easing of licensing burdens to “ensure they can survive.” Another priority is helping out the unsheltered: “There’s so much need right now in the city, especially as we’re now into the colder months, dealing with the winter and ensuring our community members have the resources they need and moving as many of them as we can into housing as soon as
possible.” She also plans to boost initiatives for afterschool care, drug intervention and interagency coordination. Pinto said she will continue to fight for sensible reforms in policing, supporting legislation calling for body-worn cameras and independent investigations of police incidents. “As we’re talking about public safety,” she added, “we need to be very deliberate and sure that we’re supporting all of our residents, including those who put their lives on the line to keep us safe.” In the case of Georgetown, Pinto emphasized that public safety, an effective pandemic response and business recovery go hand in hand. “I am really focused on making Georgetown a place where people want to live, work and visit,” she said. “I think it’s really important we focus on our recovery for the office real estate market and to support our small businesses that make our community so special to residents … and to visitors. “Georgetown is a really beautiful representation of our city. So many tourists coming to D.C. specifically go to visit Georgetown. So it’s in everybody’s best interest to see it really thriving and successful.” GMG, INC.
JANUARY 13, 2021
9
A HANDFUL OF SILVER LININGS
B Y K AT E O C Z Y P O K
10 JANUARY 13, 2021
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COVER
Holy Trinity Church. Courtesy Holy Trinity Church.
W
hen we set out to plan the January issue of The Georgetowner, we thought about making the theme “Outlook 2021.” After some careful discussion — and following last week’s siege on the Capitol — we soon realized that no one has a crystal ball for 2021. Based on our experience of 2020, however, the idea for a cover story on “silver linings” was born. Silver linings are defined as “a sign of hope or a positive aspect in an otherwise negative situation.” In an attempt to shed some light on a dark year, here is a handful of silver linings that we and a number of Georgetown residents have identified.
SILVER LININGS TO BE GRATEFUL FOR • • • •
Working from home - see cover image Family togetherness Neighbors helping neighbors More time for hobbies
• • • • • • • •
Growing your own vegetables Virtual programming New babies No-travel meetings Catching up on reading Crowd-free outdoor recreation Fewer spam calls Greener world with emissions and pollution down
HOLY TRINITY CHURCH
Father Kevin Gillespie, pastor of Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Georgetown, has heard about many silver linings from his parishioners. Some were happy to spend more time with family, enabling them to pursue hobbies both individually and together. “For example, some folks have spent more time outdoors biking and hiking. Others learned or improved their language skills in Italian, Spanish and Russian,
read or reread books from their youth like ‘Moby Dick,’” Gillespie said. “They have also spent more time in social media on Zoom gatherings with family and friends, as well as watching movies via Netflix and Amazon Prime.” Personally, Gillespie spent time in the rectory garden, where he enjoyed a summer and fall crop of tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and squash. Silver linings also became apparent for the parish as a whole. Gillespie was proud to report that Zoom became its new vehicle for praying and sharing. The parish has sponsored some 25 different types of Zoom gatherings since the pandemic began. In addition, a Time Capsule Committee was formed to document the year. “They are enjoying collecting artifacts, pictures and newspapers to be buried and opened in 2044 for the 250th anniversary of our parish,” Gillespie said. “Our silver lining is most definitely the supportive people that have come together to make Holy Trinity Parish truly a family community.”
CITIZENS ASSOCIATION OF GEORGETOWN
The Citizens Association of Georgetown decided to lean into the old adage: “Home is where the heart is.” During lockdown, the group has taken advantage of the time to develop a virtual home, increasing CAG’s ability to connect with the community without requiring a physical presence. “Now that we have perfected virtual programming, our frequent events are now available to a broader audience not constrained by a physical presence and venue,” said CAG President Tara Sakraida Parker. “Our new website provides the digital home necessary to reach our community in real time, serve and inform our membership and allow our membership to continue supporting our mission. Members feel confident and are assured continuity and connection.”
Looking to the new year, Parker hopes that CAG’s digital home will provide relevance and support membership services in innovative ways. Meanwhile, the association’s new physical location on the C&O Canal will “provide a permanent foothold ensuring the safekeeping of the CAG’s legacy and welcoming members once it is safe to do so,” she added.
FROM A READER
Georgetowner reader Rahab Al-Majed was pleased to send us a silver lining from the end of last year: “My silver lining was falling pregnant just a month after being told by my doctor that I would never be able to again (I have one beautiful daughter),” she wrote. “It was truly a joyful way to end what has been, for everyone around the world, a challenging year.”
SPAM CALLS ARE DOWN
During the ongoing pandemic, a new study showed that spam telephone calls have declined 58 percent nationally, with the District seeing a greater decrease than any state. The study, from allareacodes. com, “Coronavirus Causing Decline in Spam Calls,” analyzed a million consumer complaints to the Federal Trade Commission since the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic on March 8. D.C., ranked eighth, saw a 65-percent decrease in spam complaints to the FTC. The slowdown in spam calls likely correlates with the economic shutdown. I myself even had my own silver lining last year. I got engaged on Oct.1 to my longtime boyfriend. It ended up being the year that we decided to finally take the plunge, so to speak. Working from home more often, we spent more time with each other, realizing just how much we really meant to each other.
Tara Sakraida Parker. Georgetowner photo. GMG, INC.
JANUARY 13, 2021
11
REAL ESTATE
The Second Time Around A VISIT TO A ONCE-REVIEWED HOUSE YIELDS FRESH SURPRISES BY SU S A N BODIKE R The address seemed familiar, but I couldn’t place it. It didn’t help that the Lyft driver had trouble finding the entrance. So I approached via the back, up a staircase and along a wood deck on the side. When I reached the front of the house, the massive carved black doors didn’t ring a bell either. It wasn’t until I was inside, up on the top level — in a club room that opened to a spectacular roof deck with an equally spectacular view of the Potomac River and the Virginia skyline — that it all came back to me. I had reviewed this classic brick Federal once before, raving over the view and impressed by the livability of the space. There was — and is still — a surprising intimacy to its 7,600 square feet, not an inch wasted, nothing overdone or overscaled, every room meticulously enhanced with custom millwork or other distinctive architectural elements. Palladian and oversized picture windows, plus a skylight over the central stair foyer, ensure abundant light on every floor. The townhouse, located in Berkley/
Foxhall at 4606 Kenmore Drive NW, includes five bedrooms, five full baths and two half-baths, two gas fireplaces, a private elevator serving all five floors, a wine cellar and an attached four-car garage. It is on the market for $3,900,000. On the gracious main level, a formal stepdown living room is set off by Romanesque arches and columns. The living room flows into an airy library (painted now in restful Pantone Classic Blue) with a built-in wet bar, custom shelving and picture-frame molding and a spacious family room with herringbone-patterned hardwood floors, a fireplace and two sets of sliding glass doors that open onto a screened porch. A formal dining room leads into the Ann Sacks-designed kitchen, with chef’s-grade appliances concealed behind classic floorto-ceiling custom white cabinets, accented by gray-veined marble counters and an intricate floral backsplash. For added work space, there is a built-in desk area, along with a dark wood banquette breakfast area
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DECEMBER 2020 SALES
1055 Wisconsin Ave NW #4E 3300 Newark St NW 1312 30th St NW 3030 P St NW 5031 Lowell St NW 2615 30th St NW 3009 Dumbarton St NW 2115 Leroy Pl NW 2425 L St NW #700 2660 Connecticut Ave NW #5C 4125 Parkglen Ct NW 1735 Fraser Ct NW 3454 Macomb St NW 2927 Arizona Ave NW 4992 Warren St NW 3719 Morrison St NW 5501 Potomac Ave NW 1318 T St NW 700 New Hampshire Ave NW #720/721 3025 Cathedral Ave NW 1155 23rd St NW #PH2C 1229 O St NW 1818 37th St NW 1177 22nd St NW #6D 1177 22nd St NW #4D 3315 Highland Pl NW 4306 Fessenden St NW 2925 Glover Dr NW 5212 Upton Ter NW 4554 Lowell St NW 3017 Cathedral Ave NW 2820 Bellevue Ter NW 1412 35th St NW 5243 Sherier Pl NW 1809 37th St NW 4221 Fordham Rd NW 3619 Chesapeake St NW 5100 Watson St NW 1620 Foxhall Rd NW 2803 Woodley Rd NW 12 JANUARY 13, 2021 GMG, INC. 1801 16th St NW #605 4634 30th St NW
On a clear day, you can see forever — or at least the Virginia skyline. Photos by Peter Papoulakos. and a paneled media cupboard. Upstairs, on the second level, two large guest bedrooms, each with deep closets, are connected by a Jack-and-Jill bath. The owner’s suite is its own secluded wing, with two baths, two walk-in closets, a balcony and a spacious grand bedroom. “His” bath and closet are elegantly attired in dark wood in a men’s club sort of way. “Her” bath, with its luxurious statement tub and dramatic view, is, by itself, breathtaking, but the glass-fronted shoe cabinet in the walkthrough closet is beyond fabulous. Up on the third level is the club room, with a lounge, a bar and multiple television screens. The roof deck has a wood pergola complete with heat lamps, a full outdoor kitchen and a patio with multiple seating areas — an ideal entertaining space in Before Times, but especially well-suited to today’s socially distant gatherings. The lower level, with its own entrance,
SUBDIVISION/NEIGHBORHOOD GEORGETOWN CLEVELAND PARK GEORGETOWN GEORGETOWN KENT MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE HEIGHTS GEORGETOWN KALORAMA WEST END WOODLEY PARK GEORGETOWN DUPONT NORTH CLEVELAND PARK PALISADES SPRING VALLEY CHEVY CHASE PALISADES LOGAN CIRCLE FOGGY BOTTOM WOODLEY WEST END LOGAN CIRCLE BURLEITH WEST END WEST END CLEVELAND PARK AMERICAN UNIVERSITY PARK WESLEY HEIGHTS SPRING VALLEY WESLEY HEIGHTS WOODLEY OBSERVATORY CIRCLE GEORGETOWN PALISADES BURLEITH SPRING VALLEY WAKEFIELD KENT FOXHALL GARFIELD DUPONT CIRCLE FOREST HILLS
boasts a private apartment-like space with two large bedrooms, two full baths, a rec/ living room (or WFH office), a kitchenette, a laundry room and an extensive storage area. Below that is the “cellar level” — as in wine cellar — with two wine towers, builtin storage and terracotta tile floors. There is an additional bedroom here, plus access to the garage and an adjacent terraced and gated dog run. The brick Federal rowhome at 4606 Kenmore Drive NW was built in 1986. It is listed for $3,900,000 with Washington Fine Properties. For details, contact Robert Hryniewicki, Adam T. Rackcliffe or Christopher R. Leary at hrlpartners@wfp.com or 202-243-1620; Jennifer Harper Thornett at jennifer.thornett@wfp.com or 202-415-7050; or Micah Corder at micah.corder@wfp. com or 571-271-9828. For a visual tour, visit spws.homevisit.com/hvid/314985.
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4 5 5 4 6 5 4 4 3 3 6 6 4 6 4 4 5 3 6 2 4 5 3 3 5 5 5 4 4 5 5 3 4 4 4 5 4 5 4 3 5
4 6 5 2 7 6 3 5 3 3 4 4 4 5 3 3 4 3 4 3 3 4 3 3 4 4 3 4 4 4 4 2 4 4 4 4 4 4 3 2 3
1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2
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13
BUSINESS
Courtesy Georgetown Wine & Spirits.
Wine Sales on ‘Roller Coaster’ During Pandemic BY KATE OCZ Y P OK “The pandemic for us has been as weird as it was for everyone else,” said Pascal Valadier, manager of Georgetown Wine & Spirits at 2701 P St. NW. When setting out to report this story, I expected nothing short of that exact sentiment. Valadier said one thing that he
did notice was that sales of hard liquor went through the roof. As someone who is partial to vodka martinis, I can believe that! For the first month of the pandemic in March of 2020, and continuing into April, the shop sold high-end luxury wine and spirits. By May, consumption tapered and many
people had switched to cheaper options. “June and July were pretty bad. They were way below average,” Valadier said. Oddly enough, he added, in August, when sales typically dip, they ended up picking back up again. This was possibly due to Georgetowners staying in the city rather than leaving, as they typically do that time of year. The big wine winner, though, was sparkling wine. “We typically start selling more bubbles in mid-November. But last year, sales started to climb in August,” Valadier said. “Things have been quite a roller coaster.” Bassam Al-Kahouaji, owner of Bacchus Wine Cellar at 1635 Wisconsin Ave. NW, said that, though his retail business is up, stores like his, which tend to focus on weddings, private parties and private sellers, have seen less business.
“For retail though, every day consumption is up for both wine and liquor,” he said. Back at the start of the pandemic, Washington City Paper reported that, on a Friday in March, over 500 customers walked through the doors of 70-plus-yearold Schneider’s of Capitol Hill at 300 Massachusetts Ave. NE. Around the same time, sales doubled at Calvert Woodley Wines & Spirits at 4339 Connecticut Ave. NW in Van Ness. Nationally, wine sales are up, particularly online sales — most likely due to people heeding warnings and staying home. According to wine educator Kevin Zraly, interviewed in Forbes, online wine sales are up over 250 percent from 2019. For comparison, retail wine sales are up around 25 to 50 percent.
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Flying During COVID? Millions Take the Risk BY PEGGY SA NDS This reporter was among the millions of Americans who flew during the Christmas holidays this year, despite the COVID pandemic. There were many surprises on the way to a two-week stay with my twin sister in Santa Barbara, California, our hometown. I debated whether to go for months. Airlines have assured passengers that their new ventilation systems are highly efficient. “I think it would be very unlikely you’d have a super-spreading event where 50 people on the flight get sick from one person,� said Dr. Henry Wu, director of Emory University’s TravelWell Center in Atlanta, quoted in a Healthline newsletter. “Unless there’s a malfunction in the ventilation system, I just think it’s very, very unlikely.� Wearing masks and social distancing in the airport and on the plane is mandatory. Ten months into the pandemic, stories about passenger illness and death, even on crowded planes, are virtually nonexistent. “If all seats are full, the chance that you would contract the novel coronavirus is about 1 in 4,300,� according to Arnold Barnett, a statistics professor at MIT. “There is rare overt disagreement among airlines about safety matters.�
In the end, I decided to take the risk. Though there was little information about testing requirements, since I am in my 70s, my doctor scheduled a test for me at Sibley Hospital; it took 10 minutes. I put the papers documenting my negative test results in a red transparent bag in my purse for easy pullout and viewing. I checked in for the flight online, prepaying for a large bag full of presents. Assuming there would be many delays due to social distancing and new check-in procedures, I packed a dozen masks in my flight bag, as well as sandwiches, fruit and Christmas cookies. But nothing was as expected. Traffic was very light and only a few cars were at the curb when we arrived at Reagan National (it took under 15 minutes from Georgetown). The no-touch check-in process meant there was no curbside help of any kind. Passengers have to schlep all their bags into the terminal, get a boarding pass and a luggage tag from the self-check-in station, then affix the tag and personally hand the bag to a surgically gloved agent behind a counter. My regular ID, a D.C. driver’s license, was checked against my boarding pass
(all the former hologram and biometric ID requirements had been waived). I was not asked a single question about possible COVID exposure during check-in. No head or wrist temperatures were taken. It was the same at the TSA security check, which threaded precheck and regular passengers together to a single agent. Again, the agent carefully checked IDs, but asked no COVID questions. And it was the same at the gate, where, surprisingly, every passenger — now standing in socially distanced lines waiting to board — was requested by several airline “officials� (wearing all black) to show an ID. But no COVID contact questions were asked. I huddled, masked, at my window seat for five hours, knowing that fellow passengers probably thought of me as a word that begins with b and rhymes with switch (especially when I actually raised the window blind). For most of the flight, passengers remained silent, sullen and sitting in the dark, staring at computer and iPhone screens. The crew announced that the lights would be off in most of the cabin. Having caused enough trouble, I curbed my journalistic curiosity to ask why. Few people seemed to have brought food. We were given a bag with a small bottle of water and a cookie when we entered. Masked, I waited four hours in Phoenix’s huge airport for my next flight. Only one store with expensive water and one fast-
food eatery was open. No newspapers were sold in the airports either in D.C. or in Phoenix. The airline magazine smushed in the seat pocket in front of me during the flight had a label proclaiming in capitol letters: “This magazine has been treated with an antimicrobal process.� “In the end, it’s obviously a personal decision of what is important enough to travel [for],� Emory’s Wu noted. From my perspective now, as I think back to my twin’s sunny porch and taking beach walks in my hometown’s sweet eucalyptus and salt sea air, it was worth it — come what may.
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15
FOOD & WINE
THE CocktailBLOODY of the Month MARY
BY J ODY KURA S H A group of white men wake up in strange surroundings amid reckless destruction. The unimaginable seems to have happened. Rooms are trashed and decency has been thrown to the wayside. Whether it’s a face tattoo, a stolen tiger in the bathroom, a baby in a closet or a motorcycle crashed through a wall … these wretched episodes are all hallmark scenes from the trilogy of “Hangover” films. However, America is slowly waking up to its worst hangover in history. Four years of a dictator-wannabe — part selfish, spoiled rich boy Alan Garner, who never accepts any responsibility for wrongdoing, and part lawless, tempestuous and uncivilized Leslie Chow — are finally coming to an end. Except, in this real-life disaster film, there won’t be any comic relief in trying to clean
up the damage. We’ve amassed a chaotic mess that would have seemed impossible five years ago. Whether it’s the tragic (over 375,000 deaths from an unacknowledged pandemic, children in cages and Russian bounties on U.S. troops) or the symbolic (the Capitol Building, the symbol of American democracy, looted and disfigured by selfietaking deplorables), it’s time now to actually make America great again. So, as we arise and dust off the humiliation of 45’s ridiculous actions, let’s toast the next era with the most popular hangover elixir: The Bloody Mary. How the Bloody Mary became known as a hangover cure isn’t clearly documented, but, unlike claims of election fraud, there is some actual truth behind this reasoning.
The first rationalization is the hair-ofthe-dog theory, which simply states that more alcohol will alleviate the symptoms of too much from the night before. While this theory is as unsustainable as telling more lies to cover up previous untruths, there is a wee bit of science involved. According to liquor.com: “Science has shown that your hangover peaks roughly 12 hours after you start drinking (around the time your BAC returns to zero). This might explain why cultures all over the world include a little hair of the dog that bit you in their hangover cures.” Alcohol can also relieve body aches. Secondly, the heavy vegetable base of a Bloody Mary (tomato juice, lime and celery) can provide nutrition and help settle the stomach. Next, the salty additions, such as Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, salted rims and, in some variations, clam juice and brine, help the body absorb well-needed electrolytes. This is useful, as dehydration is often blamed for hangover ails. Also, tomato juice is high in vitamins C and B-6. Alcohol consumption is known to deplete levels of B-6 in your body, which can disrupt the formation of neurotransmitters. Finally, since the Bloody Mary is a
brunch favorite, it is often consumed with food to subdue your hunger pangs. Some eateries have creatively added nourishment to accompany this cocktail. For example, Hank’s Oyster Bar is known for its Bloody Mary oyster shooters. And the Lox’d and Loaded Bloody Mary at Capital Hill’s Buffalo & Bergen is garnished with a mini everything bagel and salmon sandwich. The basic formula of the Bloody Mary is simple: vodka, tomato juice, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce and salt and pepper, traditionally garnished with a celery stick. However, with its savory vegetable base, the options for customization are nearly limitless. You’ll find at least as many adaptations of the Bloody Mary as you’ll find lawsuits filed against Trump. So, if you’re mixing one on your own, let diversity flow freely. There are no illegal additions here. If you want to drink one with a taco from the truck on your corner, add a bit of tequila. If you’re Muslim, forgo the vodka. Serve them with a bakery cake at your same-sex wedding. If you’re gender neutral, you can refer to it as a Bloody Them. Cheers to everyone in the melting pot of the U.S.A.!
BASIC BLOODY MARY (COURTESY INTERNATIONAL BARTENDERS ASSOCIATION)
SUNDAY BRUNCH ESSENTIALS
45 ml vodka 90 ml tomato juice 15 ml fresh lemon juice 2 dashes Worcestershire sauce Tabasco, celery salt and pepper to taste Stir ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Pour into rocks glass.
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KITTY KELLEY BOOK CLUB
‘Henry Adams in Washington’ THOUGH FACT-FILLED, THIS BIOGRAPHY DOES STRANGELY LITTLE TO REVEAL THE PRIVATE MAN BEHIND THE PUBLIC PERSONA R EVIEWE D BY KIT T Y K E LLE Y If an academic book is one that can be taught in college, then “Henry Adams in Washington: Linking the Personal and Public Lives of America’s Man of Letters” succeeds. In fact, this book, by Ormond Seavey, an English professor at George Washington University, reads like a semester-long course on why Adams ought to be elevated to the pantheon of 19th-century writers, alongside Twain, James, Wharton, Hawthorne, Whitman, Dickinson, Emerson and Thoreau. Seavey maintains that Adams (18381918) has been deprived of his rightful place in the literary stratosphere. He states that the writer’s nine-volume “History of the United States of America During the Administrations of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison” belongs “alongside the greatest works of American creative writers” and is “the greatest work of history composed by an American.” The professor concedes some literary critics might disagree with him, but he presents his case with pedagogical fervor and a few too many convoluted sentences, like this one:
“[Adams’s] Washington turns out to be an essentially imaginative construct whose dimensions and appearances correspond to what others experience except that he has converted those details into a complex notion somehow independent of the seemingly solid realities experienced, for example, by James Madison, John Randolph, Ulysses S. Grant, Henry Cabot Lodge, or Theodore Roosevelt.” Seavey scores high on presenting Adams as a man of letters, but falls short on illuminating the personal side of the man. Publicly, Adams was known as a Boston Brahmin with a prestigious lineage: President John Adams was his greatgrandfather and President John Quincy Adams his grandfather. Adams made his own mark as a noted historian and novelist, yet, even 100 years after his death, the personal man remains elusive. For reasons Seavey doesn’t explain or explore, Adams resisted transparency. Other than his multivolume history, he refused to publish under his own name and sometimes went to great lengths to camouflage his authorship. Why remains unknown.
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When Adams worked for his father, Charles Francis Adams Sr., in the House of Representatives, he wrote anonymously as the Washington correspondent for Charles Hale’s Boston Daily Advertiser. Later, when his father became Abraham Lincoln’s minister to the Court of St. James’s, Adams worked as his father’s private secretary and wrote anonymously as the London correspondent for the New York Times. Was he anonymous to avoid being accused of conflicts of interest, since he was working both in politics and as a journalist? Seavey doesn’t say; he simply describes Adams as “that master of conspiracies and disguises.” After Adams married and moved to Washington, D.C., he wrote two novels, each one blanketed in secrecy: the anonymously published “Democracy,” described by Seavey as “a novel disguised as autobiography,” and “Esther,” published under the female pseudonym Frances Snow Compton. Why the camouflage? Seavey suggests that Adams hid behind a skirt because he was unwilling to have his neighbors know he was the one exposing the city’s deficiencies. If his novels, based on real people, were published under his name, he may have jeopardized his social status in the capital, where he and his wife, Clover; John Hay and his wife, Clara; and pioneering geologist and entrepreneur Clarence King formed an elite little club they called “The Five of Hearts,” the title of Patricia O’Toole’s spectacular 1990 biography, subtitled: “An Intimate Portrait of Henry Adams and His Friends, 1880-1918.” That loving quintet splintered on Dec. 6, 1885, when Clover Adams, 42, committed suicide by swallowing potassium cyanide. The evening newspaper reported she had dropped dead from paralysis of the heart, which may have been strangely accurate: the writings of others indicate she knew her husband had fallen in love with another woman, Elizabeth Sherman Cameron. That Christmas, days after his wife’s death, Adams sent Cameron a piece of
Clover’s favorite jewelry, requesting that she “sometimes wear it, to remind you of her.” Having written passionate letters to Cameron since 1883, he continued for the next 35 years of his life, although, according to Eugenia Kaledin’s “The Education of Mrs. Henry Adams,” their relationship was never consummated. Seavey ignores these personal details, available in the biography of Adams written by Ernest Samuels, who received the Parkman, Bancroft and Pulitzer Prizes for his three-volume study, completed in 1964. Yet Samuels is not listed in Seavey’s bibliography and is only cited once in passing, a strange omission in a book purporting to link “the personal and public lives of America’s man of letters.” The most intriguing monument to the mystery of Adams is the bronze sculpture, frequently called “Grief,” he commissioned from Augustus Saint-Gaudens in memory of his wife. “Visitors to Rock Creek Cemetery can see it for themselves. And that is all I am going to say about that,” Seavey writes. The professor ends his book a few pages later, having shown in full the public life of Henry Adams, but leaving his personal side in shadows, still detached and disparate. This review originally appeared in the Washington Independent Review of Books. Georgetown resident Kitty Kelley has written several number-one New York Times best-sellers, including “The Family: The Real Story Behind the Bush Dynasty.” Her most recent books include “Capturing Camelot: Stanley Tretick’s Iconic Images of the Kennedys” and “Let Freedom Ring: Stanley Tretick’s Iconic Images of the March on Washington.” She serves on the board of Reading Is Fundamental, the nation’s largest children’s literacy nonprofit.
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