A Long Overdue Facelift

Congo Embassy by maxedaperture

The Democratic Republic of Congo has finally decided to do some repairs on their dilapidated embassy.  Located on the corner of New Hampshire Avenue and S Street NW, it has been a bit of an eyesore in the Dupont Circle neighborhood.  Because the city has very little control over what a country can and cannot do with their embassy, this particular one has sat in neglect and abandonment for many years, becoming a home to squatters and rats.

According to Rob Halligan (who used to hold the position of ANC Commissioner) and his sources, the work permits “call for window replacement, stucco repair, roof replacement, including revising existing terra cotta tiles, and driveway replacing.”  There is no word about whether the embassy will remain vacant after the repairs are complete.

With these improvements and a new dog park in the works, the neighborhood is really shaping up for the better.

Hailing from the Mile High City, Max has also lived in Tinsel Town, the Emerald City, as well as the City of Brotherly Love. Now a District resident, he likes to write about cool photos by local photographers, the DC restaurant and bar scene, or anything else that pops into his mind.

4 thoughts on “A Long Overdue Facelift”

  1. The other embassy that bugs me is the boarded up building with the Phillippines seal on it over on Mass Ave. The thing is a serious blight on that part of town.

  2. I dunno… compared to the nation that runs the embassy, ‘eyesore’ isn’t all that bad. At least they’re not firing assault rifles and RPGs at each other at the embassy!

  4. The ANC, DCCA, and the DCC have been pressuring the State Dept and the Congolese for years to, at least, keep the building from being an “attractive nuisance”. State even brought the issue to the President of the Congo.