December 21, 2005

You Gotta Comment?!?

Remember the Wig Shops? Downtown used to be a dark and dreary place. Before 1997 there were no movie theaters or a bowling Alley. Very little shopping. Only a handful of swanky restaurants and hotels. Almost no condos. Now, almost ten years later, we have a vibrant and lively center.

Would it have happened without the MCI Center, which opened on Dec. 2, 1997? We say: Yes and No. Downtown would have developed (it's still very much a work in progress.) But it would have taken much more time. We also doubt whether the entertainment component would have
been part of the mix. More than just sparking economic
growth, the arena helped prevent downtown from emtying after 6 pm.

What do you think? What would F Street look like in 2006 without the MCI Center? And what does this tell us about the proposed baseball stadium along the Anacostia?

Photo by jjthomas

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think it would look pretty much the same as it does now. MCI cneter did not change much.

Anonymous said...

Thank you DCbubble for imparting some reason in this debate that is so driven by misinformation and emotion... In SE, just the idea of a stadium has created so many property sales and accompanying transfer taxes (1.5% of sale price for residential, probably more for commercial) that the city is already reaping a massive benefit. These wouldn't have existed otherwise, and this projects hasn't even started.

Just leave it to the grandstanders on our Council to shoot the golden goose. Then we'll be left with loads of ridiculous rhetoric and misguided passion to fix the District's social ills.

Anonymous said...

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