Capitol Hill Real Estate, 1909

1948 Oldsmobile Coupe

I found this vintage gem on Capitol Hill over the weekend. While it could use some loving care, it all appeared original and that counts for a lot. I think it has some really great lines as well.

I also found the great ad below from a basic Web search (sorry I couldn’t get a larger image)More images after the jump

Capitol Hill Real Estate, 1907

The Things You See … When Going to Open Houses

My partner and I went to an open house yesterday that was a train wreck. All in all, it didn’t look too bad on the surface, but the more you allowed what you were seeing sink it, the worse it got.

One of the things that jumped out to me as a HUGE red flag was this little sink which was probably no more than 9″ x 12″. There were two of them, one in each condo of this former single family and store structure.

The first bathroom that had this was a bit odd. This small sink is designed to be attached directly to the wall without any support from below. The stand that the builder decided to install is from a much larger sink set, and it forced them to get really creative in connecting the two pieces. It was filled in with … I don’t know what the gap was filled in with. It wasn’t porcelain like the basin or pedestal. It was some mystery product.

The second bathroom that had this basin at first appeared better, until I remembered that it is not a drop in basin. So as I looked around the counter top it looked like it was cut to fit the shape of the sink. Ok, wacky, but not completely horrible … until I looked underneath.

When I viewed underneath I quickly saw that the sink was not attached to the wall. It was not attached to anything. The only thing holding it up was the plumbing and the trap. There was also a lot of goop (mastic, mystery adhesive, who knows) just glopped on to keep the sink in place.

I gotta tell you. If a builder can’t handle getting a couple of sinks installed correctly, I really question everything else they’ve done and would not be comfortable living there. See images below.

This Date in History

June 28, 1863: Construction of the unfinished capitol was continuing. Though the Civil War was raging, Lincoln insisted that construction not stop, seeing it as a symbol that the Union would be preserved. This photograph was taken on this date 146 years ago.

Eastern Market Reopening This Friday

Eastern Market is set to reopen this week after the devastation fire that closed it on April 30, 2007. The renovations cost $22 million.

I like that they paid particular attention to historical details great and small … such as choosing a dark salmon pink for the interior that was the same color that was used when the building first opened in 1873.

The Washingtonian has a great article on the process Eastern Market went through during the renovation, including a lot of photos of the interior, which you can read/see here>>

Then and Now: The Haines Building

Then: Built in 1882 by Elizabeth A. Haines as a department store, in the 1920s the most prominent business in the building was the Hachman Furniture Company.

Now: The building’s been painted and the roof line has changed to accommodate another floor. Yet, the most significant changes have been with the tenants. Furniture was sold here for more than 30 years. Now its draw is Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin Robbins, which took the space when Foot Locker moved out.

Neon to Start the Work Week

This sign is at the cleaners on the southwest corner of Pennsylvania Ave. and 10th Street, SE.

This Date in History

May 20, 1759: William Thornton was born at Jost van Dyke, West Indies. The British-born American architect, inventor, and public official, is best known as the creator of the original design for the Capitol at Washington, D.C.