Remington September 2018

Seawall Buys More Remington

Class C office building at 28th and Sisson

September 1, 2018.  In its ever-expanding dominion over Remington, Seawall has purchased two more commercial buildings in Remington: A 21,615-square-foot office building at 2801 Sisson St. just off of the 28th Street Bridge and the 7,100-square-foot Walpert Building at 2804 Hampden Ave.  The properties were bought July and August of this year and settled for a mere $2.74 million.

Promotional Poster in Walpert Building

The second building at 2804 Hampden Avenue was purchased from Ronald Walpert. The building had been the headquarters for the Allan N. Walpert & Son Inc. Electricians. I'm sad to see the Walperts leaving as they were an integral part of the neighborhood for years.





Mural Walk with Gaia

2018

September 15, 2018.  The ubiquitous muralist, Andrew Pisacane (the artist formerly known as Gaia) led a special mural walk, discussing his inspiration and installation of three of his Remington murals - Appalachian Tabby, Women of Property, and Madonna.  I may have alienated the group when I questioned his choice of Women and the placement of Madonna, but inquiring minds wanted to know.




The Dizz, a Remington landmark, is up for sale

September 26, 2018.  One of Remington's most ironic (I guess I mean iconic) neighborhood bars is for sale.  Isn't every bar really up for sale?  The Dizz, (formerly known as Dizzy Issie's, Mitchells, Stu's Lounge, Tony's Place, Igor's, Buckley's and my own designation, "Basta's Bastion") located at the corner of West 30th Street and Remington Avenue, is on the market for $875,000, according to  local press.

My photo 2017

While the bar and restaurant, with its neon sign, colorful (and uncomfortable) patio furniture, and far too many string lights has been a fixture in the community for decades and was presented with a certificate of recognition from Comptroller Peter Franchot in May 2018, it still got a shut down by the Baltimore City Health Department in July 2018, because of health code violations. The Department records cited improper and insufficient “cold hold,” which means bad refrigeration, as well as improper and insufficient hand
washing (yuk!).

The Dizz updated the kitchen equipment and refinished the floors in August, the cost of which may have prompted the sale.  The sale price does include the building next door, but I'm thinking it may be on the market for quite some time unless the price is reduced.  But who knows?  It's Remington, weird things happen.



JHU Crosses Remington Avenue

September 27, 2018.  JHU is now occupying the top floor of the old Continental Oil Building at 320 W. 29th Street.  Bet no one knew what that ugly gray structure used to be.  The new JHU enterprise, called FastForward U, is a student-focused facility that seeks to encourage innovation, entrepreneurship, and problem-solving for its students. 


Of the 10,000 sq. ft. space, a little more than two-thirds is dedicated to coworking. There are also conference rooms to meet and common areas for gathering and hosting events. Indicating potential interplay with academics, it’s already playing host to a weekly class.

It’s designed to provide space for students across the whole university. Kerrie Carden, JHTV’s Director of Student Ventures, said the space aims to provide resources for students creating a
startup, social enterprise or nonprofit at any level, from the “curious to committed.”

“This is not just a place for founders. It’s meant for anybody who wants to solve problems,” said Carden who started in the role in August.

Whether they are undergraduate or graduate students, “we want to be a place where you can come in and ask any question whatsoever,” Carden said. There’s also room for hardware, with a 2,000 sq. ft. make space. Operated by the Whiting School of Engineering, the space has tools to work with wood and metal, as well as laser cutters and 3D printers. It provides new tools for student clubs that previously worked at a separate building in Homewood. Colocating the two kinds of spaces also provides the potential for students working on hardware and software to interact, Carden said.
Expanding on the initial home at the hub within the Rangos building on the university’s hospital campus in East Baltimore, the space is part of the effort under FastForward U to up resources
for student entrepreneurs. With entrepreneurship already happening among students, Johns Hopkins Tech Ventures set out to centralize offerings and provide an entry point. FastForward U also provides funding for student ventures at various stages and hosts events such as monthly pitch nights.
Johns Hopkins Tech Ventures also operates two other innovation hubs geared toward entrepreneurial efforts by faculty and the wider Hopkins community at 1812 Ashland Ave. in East Baltimore, and in the same building as R. House.

Source:  Staff, The Hub, 9/24/18