Photo by IntangibleArts

There will be foreclosure auction held on January 18, 2017 for 1100 Florida Ave. NW, a property better known as the home of the Florida Ave. Grill.

The trustee’s sale notice, first flagged by Popville, was posted by Alex Cooper Auctioneers. The property is up for auction, along with “all buildings, structures, improvements or appurtenances now erected on the above-described land, including, without limitation, all equipment, apparatus, machinery and fixtures of any kind or character.”

Auction agent Jody Krieger confirmed that the auction is for the Florida Ave. Grill, a historic D.C. restaurant that celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2014 (one of its pots is even in the African American History and Culture Museum). She says the lender is foreclosing on the property because the mortgage is in default.

However, current restaurant and property owner Imar Hutchins denies that the Florida Ave. Grill is closing. When reached over text this afternoon, he said, “The Grill is not closing.” He declined to speak further on the record, other than to assure customers that “there is nothing to worry about.”

Alan Macdonald, the attorney listed by Alex Cooper Auctioneers, has not responded to a request for comment.

Hutchins purchased the restaurant in 2005 from Lacey Wilson, Jr. , the son of the original owners. The restaurant itself is currently closed for the holidays, according to a voice message that says it will reopen at 8 a.m. on January 1, 2017.

According to the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue, the property was valued at $727,280 in 2016, with a proposed value of $789,830 in 2017.

Krieger declined to speculate how many people would attend the auction, slated for 11:45 a.m. on January 18th, though notes that “we, for most of our auctions, have a room full of people.”

Reporting contributed by Christina Sturdivant.

This post has been updated to reflect that the auction agent’s name is Jody Krieger, not Judy.