Friday, February 10, 2012
One thing's for sure, the historic district of Old Town Alexandria has no shortage of cool and interesting homes and buildings. Some are historically significant, some take the crown for largest or smallest homes, while others may be locally known as having the status as the worst house in Old Town. Regardless of their claim to fame, the hundreds of places that make up our town are all unique in their own right and have a story to tell.
One such building is the small ice house located on the corners of Payne St. and Commerce St. As the name indicates and the brick lettering on the building's facade reinforces, this small structure was built in 1931 acted as one of the neighborhood ice houses for Old Town before in-home ice makers and freezers became commonplace.
We've been keeping our eye on this neighborhood diamond in the rough for some time, just waiting for something to happen. Years ago it had fallen into disrepair, as seen in this photo from 2006.
Shortly after that photo was taken we heard that someone purchased the lot and ice house building, but shortly after beginning his renovations, he was shut down when he began work on exterior alterations before obtaining the necessary Board of Architectural Review approval.
After the owner ran afoul of the various permit/approval laws, the building sat vacant for some time. But a few weeks ago, after this long period of dormancy, we read that the ice house is planning to open soon as a neighborhood gelato bar and cafe.
It may be hard to dream about gelato in mid February (ok, maybe not that hard), but we did some anticipatory research. The plans call for limited indoor seating for around 12 with the option for up to 30 outdoor patrons arranged at dining tables in the "front yard" of the building.
We've long thought this would be a perfect neighborhood gathering spot for a relaxing night out, and we're thrilled that it seems like plans are underway to make this a reality. In my opinion, you really can't go wrong with gelato. I may not be a coffee drinker, but you'd better believe I'll make up for it with my gelato consumption.
We'll keep you updated with periodic progress details and photos as we approach the grand opening later this year (hopefully).
Do you have a neighborhood hot spot or hangout that you'd be lost without? Or maybe a location just begging for a little TLC and the right shop or eatery to open. Share your hood's favorites, we'd love to hear about it.
