We knew this was coming, but Randall Scott of the eponymous art gallery on 14th Street NW confirmed with us today that he’ll be closing up his D.C. shop at the end of next week. Scott told us this morning:

I have been considering NY for over a year, the pace of the city attracts me, as does the community of artists and people involved in the arts. I have met an amazing group of people in DC over the past 2+ years, from collectors and gallerists, to artists, but I have been feeling that northward pull.

In December, I was offered an amazing space in DC and was moving ahead with that, at the same time I received a call from a friend who told me about a space that was opening in NY, DUMBO to be exact. I have been watching that area since the NY Photo Festival last May. The NY Photo Festival, in its first year drew in some 30,000 people to DUMBO, which is being considered NY new central location for photo creatives, agencies, galleries and photographers. The space was right, the time was right, the community was right, the building is central with excellent walkthrough and they promote the arts constantly. It felt, well, right.

So, I was tossed between DC/NY. After 2 months of considerations, I went with NY. I feel the gallery and my artists can grow much more in that environment.

And besides, I can get a much better bagel in NY.

Although the large loft with the spiral staircase was one of the more beautiful spaces for a gallery in town, Scott was never very happy with the second floor location — just south of Rhode Island Avenue — which garnered almost zero foot traffic. We’ll certainly miss the gallery, one of the more photography-focused in the city, which last summer began “flash mob” style video screenings with Video Smack. The space will reopen in its new DUMBO location (and you thought “NoMa” was bad) in Brooklyn on April 2 with a solo exhibition of Shen Wei. You can see the last D.C. show — the abstract, seared designs of Etsuko Ichikawa — through February 14 today, and next Wednesday through Saturday, 12 to 4 p.m. Good luck to them in the Big Apple.