Renovation of Engine Company 12 Firing Up

Old fire house on North
Capitol St. NW

Work has begun in earnest on the renovation Engine Company 12, the old fire house at the corner of North Capitol and Quincy Place NW. Slated to be an restaurant with outdoor seating, roof deck and valet parking, opening is tentatively scheduled for Independence Day, according the information on the Bates Area Civic Association blog, http://batesareacivicassociation.org/2011/03/02/engine-company-12-firehouse-update/. DCist has followed the project saga for some time, as deals were struck and then turned to ash: http://dcist.com/2009/02/bloomingdale_firehouse_restaurant_d.php

Building detail

On my daily commute by the building, I've seen workmen cleaning the brick, painting the facade details gold, moving scaffolding in and out. This weekend, I had time to stop and take a few photos. A gorgeous building, built over a hundred years ago, I'm thrilled to see it restored and repurposed to beauty and usefulness -- and hope the recent activity is a sign that it will really all come to pass. 

No, I didn't break in. There is a camera-sized hole in the door.  Large signs proclaim that the area is under
video surveillance, so my photo nosiness is probably documented somewhere.

Building detail

Engine Company 12