Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The place in the zillow listing looks too ‘80s like Mr. Belvedere. I would not move there. It’s like a time machine, but in a very bad way. My guess is the residents are mostly all retirees that purchased the properties as pied-à-terre in their 30s in the 1980s. If younger people lived there, the interior design would have been updated long ago. That whole place needs to be redeveloped, especially since two thirds of it is abandoned—the former mall portion.

The Georgetown Park mall is still there but it is now a padlocked liminal space and off limits to the public. I think the abandoned, forlorn fountain is still there as are the planters that once supported a cornucopia of tropical plants. The escalators are turned off, frozen in time. The design was reminiscent of the European shopping arcades with fancy ironwork and skylights. The Clintons would shop there for their stylish outfits and gifts. There was a high-end Garfinkels department store. The very hip American Cafe was nearby; the chef behind that local chain later opened up Silver Diner in Rockville. But Georgetown wasn’t all upscale yuppies like in “Chances Are” and wealthy medical school students like in the movie “St. Elmo’s Fire”. Punk kids hung out at Commander Salamander and were all over Georgetown, especially at the Cerberus 1-2-3 Cinema, now the DC flagship for Barnes and Noble Booksellers.

This is OP back. I enjoyed your post - you’re a great writer and you absolutely described Georgetown as I remember it back when I lived in a group house nearby.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The place in the zillow listing looks too ‘80s like Mr. Belvedere. I would not move there. It’s like a time machine, but in a very bad way. My guess is the residents are mostly all retirees that purchased the properties as pied-à-terre in their 30s in the 1980s. If younger people lived there, the interior design would have been updated long ago. That whole place needs to be redeveloped, especially since two thirds of it is abandoned—the former mall portion.

The Georgetown Park mall is still there but it is now a padlocked liminal space and off limits to the public. I think the abandoned, forlorn fountain is still there as are the planters that once supported a cornucopia of tropical plants. The escalators are turned off, frozen in time. The design was reminiscent of the European shopping arcades with fancy ironwork and skylights. The Clintons would shop there for their stylish outfits and gifts. There was a high-end Garfinkels department store. The very hip American Cafe was nearby; the chef behind that local chain later opened up Silver Diner in Rockville. But Georgetown wasn’t all upscale yuppies like in “Chances Are” and wealthy medical school students like in the movie “St. Elmo’s Fire”. Punk kids hung out at Commander Salamander and were all over Georgetown, especially at the Cerberus 1-2-3 Cinema, now the DC flagship for Barnes and Noble Booksellers.

This is OP back. I enjoyed your post - you’re a great writer and you absolutely described Georgetown as I remember it back when I lived in a group house nearby.

Anonymous wrote:Op, I think you are confusing the mall (1981) with the condos (what you posted). The latter weren’t built until 2008-11, (in stages).

Anonymous wrote:The place in the zillow listing looks too ‘80s like Mr. Belvedere. I would not move there. It’s like a time machine, but in a very bad way. My guess is the residents are mostly all retirees that purchased the properties as pied-à-terre in their 30s in the 1980s. If younger people lived there, the interior design would have been updated long ago. That whole place needs to be redeveloped, especially since two thirds of it is abandoned—the former mall portion.

The Georgetown Park mall is still there but it is now a padlocked liminal space and off limits to the public. I think the abandoned, forlorn fountain is still there as are the planters that once supported a cornucopia of tropical plants. The escalators are turned off, frozen in time. The design was reminiscent of the European shopping arcades with fancy ironwork and skylights. The Clintons would shop there for their stylish outfits and gifts. There was a high-end Garfinkels department store. The very hip American Cafe was nearby; the chef behind that local chain later opened up Silver Diner in Rockville. But Georgetown wasn’t all upscale yuppies like in “Chances Are” and wealthy medical school students like in the movie “St. Elmo’s Fire”. Punk kids hung out at Commander Salamander and were all over Georgetown, especially at the Cerberus 1-2-3 Cinema, now the DC flagship for Barnes and Noble Booksellers.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The place in the zillow listing looks too ‘80s like Mr. Belvedere. I would not move there. It’s like a time machine, but in a very bad way. My guess is the residents are mostly all retirees that purchased the properties as pied-à-terre in their 30s in the 1980s. If younger people lived there, the interior design would have been updated long ago. That whole place needs to be redeveloped, especially since two thirds of it is abandoned—the former mall portion.

The Georgetown Park mall is still there but it is now a padlocked liminal space and off limits to the public. I think the abandoned, forlorn fountain is still there as are the planters that once supported a cornucopia of tropical plants. The escalators are turned off, frozen in time. The design was reminiscent of the European shopping arcades with fancy ironwork and skylights. The Clintons would shop there for their stylish outfits and gifts. There was a high-end Garfinkels department store. The very hip American Cafe was nearby; the chef behind that local chain later opened up Silver Diner in Rockville. But Georgetown wasn’t all upscale yuppies like in “Chances Are” and wealthy medical school students like in the movie “St. Elmo’s Fire”. Punk kids hung out at Commander Salamander and were all over Georgetown, especially at the Cerberus 1-2-3 Cinema, now the DC flagship for Barnes and Noble Booksellers.

This is OP back. I enjoyed your post - you’re a great writer and you absolutely described Georgetown as I remember it back when I lived in a group house nearby.

Anonymous wrote:The place in the zillow listing looks too ‘80s like Mr. Belvedere. I would not move there. It’s like a time machine, but in a very bad way. My guess is the residents are mostly all retirees that purchased the properties as pied-à-terre in their 30s in the 1980s. If younger people lived there, the interior design would have been updated long ago. That whole place needs to be redeveloped, especially since two thirds of it is abandoned—the former mall portion.

The Georgetown Park mall is still there but it is now a padlocked liminal space and off limits to the public. I think the abandoned, forlorn fountain is still there as are the planters that once supported a cornucopia of tropical plants. The escalators are turned off, frozen in time. The design was reminiscent of the European shopping arcades with fancy ironwork and skylights. The Clintons would shop there for their stylish outfits and gifts. There was a high-end Garfinkels department store. The very hip American Cafe was nearby; the chef behind that local chain later opened up Silver Diner in Rockville. But Georgetown wasn’t all upscale yuppies like in “Chances Are” and wealthy medical school students like in the movie “St. Elmo’s Fire”. Punk kids hung out at Commander Salamander and were all over Georgetown, especially at the Cerberus 1-2-3 Cinema, now the DC flagship for Barnes and Noble Booksellers.