Updated Forecast: In Excess of 8" of Snow, Plus Wind
And Now, 10-20 Inches
Federal Govt. Closed Tuesday
Snowmaggedon 1.0 in Time Lapse
Abe Pollin
Washington Wizards owner Abe Pollin has passed away at the age of 85, the Washington Post is reporting.
In addition to owning the Wizards, the Mystics and the Capitals, Pollin's work in developing the real estate deal that became the Verizon Center and Gallery Place retail complex has largely been credited with turning D.C.'s Chinatown neighborhood around.
Pollin was also a longtime Washingtonian, having graduated from George Washington University in 1945.
From D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty's statement:
"Today the District of Columbia has lost one of our greatest treasures. Abe Pollin almost single-handedly revitalized the Gallery Place / Chinatown neighborhood by turning down offers from suburban jurisdictions to finance and build the Verizon Center on 7th Street NW. My deepest condolences go out to Mr. Pollin’s family, most especially his wife Irene, who was always his partner, in sports, construction, philanthropy, and of course, family."
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
tweet this
post to facebook
RIP Old Abe
good on him for taking a bet on the city.
(i see that the ad showing stuff from other -ists is showing this for the current DC story, but it's still using the old dcist logo. i thought we banished that to the dustbin of history.)
I think that being there is just a temporary fix for pulling that American Apparel ad. Hopefully when our ad manager gets back from vacation, all will be well once again.
It also shows up on the weather page (the old logo).
Ah that's good to know, thank petitq.
they've used those "what's going on elsewhere" ads in the past though, right? anyway, just wanted to let y'all know.
It is really incredible that he decided to build in DC when and where he did. That neighborhood was one of the most desolate in all of DC. Nothing but boarded up buildings, abandoned lots, and some sort of scam electronics store that sold beepers (remember those) and put out full page ads in every week's City Paper.
I think it was called "Federal Central" or something like that. You felt like you needed a shower after shopping there. Nothing had marked prices. Everything was some sort of "deal" that would expire in a few hours.
People belittled Polin for his decision to build there. There was no parking. Caps fans wouldn't take the Metro. No bars would ever open up...
And not even a pope's bed.
Dagger!!!
"Today the District of Columbia has lost one of our greatest treasures. Abe Pollin almost single-handedly revitalized the Gallery Place / Chinatown neighborhood by turning down offers from suburban jurisdictions to finance and build the Verizon Center on 7th Street NW."
Maybe:
"Today the District of Columbia has lost one of our greatest treasures. Abe Pollin almost single-handedly revitalized the Gallery Place / Chinatown neighborhood by rejecting offers from suburban jurisdictions and financing and building the Verizon Center on 7th Street NW.