Idris Elba was here. We repeat: IDRIS ELBA WAS HERE. The actor wasn’t in the neighborhood to perform on a TV show (though Elvis Presley once was). Or to support a spouse on trial for contempt of Congress (though Marilyn Monroe once was). He and wife Sabrina Dhowre Elba were in DC in December for the U.S. Africa Leaders Summit downtown. And while they were here, they did a photo shoot for Ebony magazine at the Hillwood Museum (4155 Linnean Avenue).
We were honored and excited to welcome @EBONY, @idriselba, and @Sabrinadhowre last month for the January 2023 cover shoot. Take a look! https://t.co/w4CBJ7SFQq
— Hillwood Museum DC (@HillwoodMuseum) January 11, 2023
(Read about Elvis and Marilyn’s time in Forest Hills.)
Ebony shot a behind-the-scenes video of the cover shoot. And you can read more about the Elbas’ familial, cultural and business ties to Africa, as well as their advocacy work on the continent.
If you’d like to walk in their DC footsteps and visit Hillwood, just keep in mind that the museum is closed for its annual deep cleaning through February 3rd.
One down, 20+ to go. One of the creditors left hanging by the closure of Whittle School and Studios (4000 Connecticut Avenue) in DC was its landlord, 601W Cos. Whittle had stopped paying its rent two months prior to the July 2022 shutdown. Last October, 601W got a court to order Whittle School to pay $35 million dollars in overdue rent and taxes. But the company was less successful in its suit against CBRE, the commercial real estate firm that brokered the school’s lease. Lawyers for 601W argued that CBRE would have been aware of Whittle’s financial difficulties while brokering the deal, as it accused CBRE of representing both parties in the transaction. On January 19th, a judge disagreed with the dual representation accusation and dismissed the case. (Washington Business Journal, Bisnow)
That doesn’t mean an end to the Whittle-related litigation. WBJ reports that nearly two dozen lawsuits are pending in Greater Washington and elsewhere.
The Post backs Connecticut Avenue bike lanes. “For sheer terror… hop on your bike and ride up Connecticut Avenue NW,” wrote The Washington Post editorial board in a piece published online on December 30th. It makes a case for more bike lanes, more quickly. And not just on Connecticut.
Social media mentions
Throwback to when @ANC3F's southernmost boundary was the zoo. https://t.co/pi9HNwaSKO
— Forest Hills Connection (@foresthillsnews) January 4, 2023
Some quick mock-ups of ways to preserve their iconic decor without leaving the neighborhood (I’m only half joking) pic.twitter.com/UCpb7nSmd1
— Alex Marshall (@a_r_marshall) January 1, 2023