Up until the winter of 2012, the stretch of Eye Street between 4th and 5th Streets held a large vacant building known as 5th and Eye and a warehouse-cum-music studio called Gold Leaf Studio. The streets were dark but music emanated from walls. Gold Leaf Studio shuttered last winter and now the empty adjacent space. In July, the city, which owns 5th and Eye, asked for Requests for Expressions of Interests regarding developing the vacant spot. They've just released the names of ten potential developers. Gold Leaf Studio had been under threat of closing for some time before actually shutting and in 2008, the developers who planned to renovate the 5th & Eye spot actually planned on something that would have been a suitable replacement, called "the Arts at 5th and I." That never came about and the current zoning allows for "office development, residential, hotel and entertainment uses." As such, the chances of turning that street back into an artistic oasis are very small. Stay tuned: we'll keep an eye on what's next for the Mt. Vernon Triangle site.
· 10 teams bid to develop D.C.-owned Fifth and Eye [WBJ]
· The Gold Leaf Variations: A Longtime DIY Venue Nears Its Swan Song [WCP]
· Fifth and Eye Street - 901 5th Street NW [Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development]
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