Photo by Elizabeth Festa

Altus Realty Partners purchased Friendship House early Tuesday, according to Terry Hindermann, one of several partners at Altus Realty.  The purchase price is still under wraps,  but is sure to be under the $3.2 million initially offered by the winning bidder back in the  fall.  The other big question — future use — is answered though. Friendship House will be, “residential,” Hindermann said. Altus had signed a letter of intent in January giving the Arlington-based firm time to review the property before they moved forward with a purchase.

However, the strictures of bankruptcy court  moved things ahead a little more quickly than anticipated.

“First, we will try to stabilize the building some,” Hindermann said. “It is in bad repair.  We are going to get the right architects, work with the historical review people, not only because we have to but because we want to do the things that appeal to everybody and make it make sense financially,” he said.

In  the near term, Friendship House is still using the property, or its people are, so Altus signed a licensed agreement allowing this. The realty company will also be  preparing all manner of reports, studies, structural investigations and plans, and compiling them before any ground is broken for new construction.

The facade will stay intact, and the historic parts will be rehabilitated, according to Hindermann. The non-historic parts will likely give way to the architect’s ruler or computer module.  There will be no “mass demolition,” he said.

Altus, based in Arlington, is still determining the components of the deal, because it had to, “step up and just close,” because of bankruptcy court rules or court pressure, Hindermann suggested.

“It is probably one of the stranger real estate transactions we have done,” Hindermann acknowledged.

Back  in January, he had noted the property requires a lot of cleanup, and although Altus looked at it a year and a half ago, they just came back to it recently after the previous two bidders fell through or bowed out.

Friendship House is Zoned R-4, which permits matter-of-right development of single-family residential uses (including detached, semi-detached, row dwellings, and flats), churches and public schools with a minimum lot width of 18 feet, a minimum lot area of 1,800 square feet and a maximum lot occupancy of 60% for row dwellings, churches and flats.

Sonja Sweek was the highest bidder for the property back in September.  She and her family had wanted to provide daycare services, a primary care physician’s office  and also make it an extended family residence.  However, she was unable to fully package her finances within the 45 days required to close on the property, and the option to buy Friendship House then passed onto the next bidder, PETA, which finally declined to buy it.

There were originally six bidders on Friendship House, also known around the Hill as The Maples. The circa 1798 property, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, was before a bankruptcy judge after the Friendship House organization vacated the property in 2008, after more than 70 years providing childcare and social services  to  families in need. It is now boarded up, and has multiple maintenance issues and will require costly repairs and renovations, especially since work must be in accordance with historic preservation guidelines.

The nonprofit DC Preservation League announced June 2 that the property, once owned (but not inhabited) by Francis Scott Key, has joined its 2009 “most endangered places.”

Photo by Elizabeth Festa.

Altus Realty Partners submitted a letter of intent to bid on Friendship House this past Friday, according to Friendship House Association chair Ron Joiner.

The letter of intent gave the Arlington-based firm time to review the property before they move forward with a purchase, Joiner said.

Terry Hindermann, Principal at altus Realty said its review for possible purchase of  Friendship  House  was “under study,” and to check back in a month.  He acknowledged the property requires a lot of cleanup, and although altus looked at it a year and a half ago, they just came back to it recently after the previous two bidders fell through or bowed out.

Joiner noted the dates for organizing items such as televisions and computers and other hardware for sale to clear out Friendship House are  Sat. Feb 6 and Sat. Feb 13th from 10:00 am till 2:00pm, for which community volunteers are requested. The unconfirmed date for sale of these items is Feb. 20, also a Saturday.

Friendship House is Zoned R-4, which permits matter-of-right development of single-family residential uses (including detached, semi-detached, row dwellings, and flats), churches and public schools with a minimum lot width of 18 feet, a minimum lot area of 1,800 square feet and a maximum lot occupancy of 60% for row dwellings, churches and flats.

Sonja Sweek was the highest bidder for the property back in September, offering $3.2 million, and wanted to provide daycare services, a primary care physician’s office  and also make it an extended family residence.  However, she was unable to fully package her finances within the 45 days required to close on  the property, and the option to buy Friendship House then passed onto the next bidder, PETA, which finally declined to buy it.

There were originally six bidders on The Maples. The circa 1798 property, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, was before a bankruptcy judge after the Friendship House organization vacated the property in 2008, after more than 70 years providing childcare and social services  to  families in need. It is now boarded up, and has multiple maintenance issues and will require costly repairs and renovations, especially since work must be in accordance with historic preservation guidelines.

The nonprofit DC Preservation League announced June 2 that the property, once owned by Francis Scott Key, has joined its 2009 “most endangered places.”

photo by Elizabeth Festa

Historic Friendship House is facing the new decade with as much uncertainty as it left the old one. Now that PETA, the second bidder after the Sweek family,  has decided not to pursue its option of purchasing the property , the clock is now ticking for the third bidder in line for its decision.

That third bidder may be Capital City Real Estate, who intends to develop it as a residential property, according to ANC 6B SMD 03 representative Norm Metzger.

“The company is at this point investigating a number of open issues, not least community receptivity to the addition of several row house units to a section of the property to make the venture financially feasible,” Metzger said.

Metzger is concerned that the derelict property could become a fire hazard.

“The longer it’s empty the more likely there are to be problems, not least fire as various “guests” try to keep themselves warm,” Metzger said by email.

The  property, most recently a social services center for children,  has been in foreclosure for many months, and its sale is being handled by the  U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Columbia. It is known as The Maples, aka Friendship House, and runs mid-block at 619 D St., SE, with a sweeping mid-block location also facing South Carolina Avenue Southeast.

Friendship House is Zoned R-4, which permits matter-of-right development of single-family residential uses (including detached, semi-detached, row dwellings, and flats), churches and public schools with a minimum lot width of 18 feet, a minimum lot area of 1,800 square feet and a maximum lot occupancy of 60% for row dwellings, churches and flats. Conversions of existing buildings to apartments are permitted for lots with a minimum lot area of 900 square feet per dwelling unit.

Emails to Capital City Real Estate and Ron Joiner, chairman of the Friendship House Board, were not returned over the long holiday weekend.

Sonja Sweek was the highest bidder for the property back in September, offering $3.2 million, and wanted to provide daycare services, a primary care physician’s office  and also make it an extended family residence.  However, she was unable to fully package her finances within the 45 days required to close on  the property, and the option to buy Friendship House then passed onto the next bidder, PETA, which finally declined to buy it shortly before the New Year.

Sweek  and her family, longtime Hill residents, may not be totally out of the picture, yet, either. “We are considering putting ourselves back in the mix….but we have to be sure of funding before we do anything too much,” she stated.

“We will see what happens – I have my feelers out again for funding – however, we made some hopeful contacts last time around.  We just ran out of time.”

By way of background, there were originally six bidders on The Maples. The circa 1798 property, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, was before a bankruptcy judge after the Friendship House organization vacated the property in 2008, after more than 70 years providing childcare and social services  to  families in need. It is now boarded up, and has many, many maintenance issues and will require costly repairs and renovations, especially since work must be in accordance with historic preservation guidelines.

The nonprofit DC Preservation League announced June 2 that the property, once home to Francis Scott Key, has joined its 2009 “most endangered places.”

The next bidder in line is PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), from whom The Hill is Home is awaiting a response.

Today, Monday, Nov. 9, was the court-mandated date by which the Sweek family had to get to closing for the purchase of this property. The family found funding, which they admitted was a challenge.  They were scrambling to get the funding together, but ran out of time to put the final funding package together, it announced.

“Therefore, we will not be purchasing the property (The Maples/Friendship House, 619 D Street, SE ) at this time,” Sweek stated in an email to many in the community and posted on MOTH [Moms on the Hill  listserv].

Sweek added her thanks and disappointment in a note:

“Thank you so much to the dozens of you who stated your support, and your intention to enroll your child.  The support from the Hill community has truly been gratifying.  Still, it takes time to put together a funding package for a large multi-use property.  We had 45 days to accomplish that, and the Realtors, our attorney, and the loan broker worked hours and hours on this.  However, in the end, we simply could not meet the deadline.”

Sweek told THIH that the family will attempt to “make sure the bank holding the mortgage understands that we would still, in the future, be interested in the purchase, should PETA decide not to go ahead with it.”

Sonja Sweek and her family were the successful bidders on the historic property, which has a long and storied history since it was built in 1797, and is on the list of the 10 most endangered properties in Washington. It sits, at 18,000 square feet, mid-block at 7^thand D Southeast, with a grand façade facing South Carolina Avenue Southeast. Since the current owners declared bankruptcy, the site has become rundown and is badly in need of repair.

On September 9, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge awarded Sweek the property, contingent of financing—they were given 45 days to get to closing. The runner-up bidder, PETA, will be awarded the right to buy the property if the Sweek bid fails.

In an appeal to the MOTH [Moms on the Hill parents listserv community], Sweek reported that, on Friday, the lender “made some new, unexpected demands that we will not be able to meet in the three weeks remaining to us to get to closing.” She asked the MOTH community to, if needed, write statements that family medicine and daycare were much needed on the Hill.

If Sweek doesn’t secure financing by Monday, Nov. 9, she will lose the opportunity to buy it, she said.

She is asking of anyone knows of a lender Sweek should talk to, “please let me know immediately, directly.”

All had been going as expected, and the Sweeks were working with the undisclosed lender and the title search had been completed.

Sweek said her family’s goal is to place at least two additional historical designations on the house.

“We really would like to make sure this property is preserved as both family legacy, and a community legacy. We want to weave the property and the activities there back into the fabric of the community. We ourselves have lived here on the Hill for nearly 10 years,” Sweek stated in her appeal.

“If you have any ideas for us – time is of the essence. On the 46th day, we will lose the opportunity to buy it.”

The family formed an  LLC, and Sweek’s  four adult children and  she plan to offer the following services in the property:

1. “A beautiful, educational and top-flight daycare center for 80 children” overseen by Sweek, her son and her daughter, who are already licensed daycare providers on the Hill;
2. A physician’s practice with one to three family medicine doctors (headed by Sweek’s daughter, a family medicine doctor; and
3. in “Phase Three,” some family apartments so some of us can “live above the store, ” Old World-style.”

Sweek’s email is:  Cascadeast (at) erols(dot) com

photo by Elizabeth Festa

Hill is Home learned today that there are six bidders on The Maples, aka Friendship House at 619 D St., SE. The circa 1798 property, on the National Register of Historic Places, is before a bankruptcy judge. The Friendship House organization vacated the property last year after more than 70 years providing childcare and social services to families in need at that location.  The property is boarded up, and has many maintenance issues. At the press conference the DC Preservation League announced that the property has joined its 2009 “most endangered places” list.

One of the bidders, who appeared during a press conference today, is Hill resident and family matriarch Sonja Sweek.

Sweek said her proposal for the site, which was once home to Francis Scott Key, would restore and preserve the historic exterior of the home, while serving as daycare center. The property would also house her physician daughter’s medical practice and a wing for a residential family compound for Sweek, her children and grandchildren.

Sweek said the daycare would be offered at fair market value, with some assistance to a few families in need. She is seeking a partner on her proposal as she cannot proceed financially without one. If one does not come forward, Sweek said she would have to withdraw her bid.

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Another bid proposal is said to be for an apartment building.

Ron Joiner, chairman of the Friendship House board, said that among the bidders, the dollar amount offered is going to be “key,” as the organization needs to pay off what it can. He said he would know more about the bids later this week or next. Joiner said real estate firm Newmark Knight Frank is handling the sale. The property is listed for $4.5 million.

Capitol Hill Restoration Society President Dick Wolf is watching the process unfold. He noted that the property, zoned R-4 by the District, should not be turned into a “rabbit warren” of rooms or apartments, and should stay in keeping with its historic landmark status. The listing site says the property can be used as either residential or office space.

Aside from the Marine commandant’s house, the Friendship House property is the most historic residence on Capitol Hill, Wolf said.