Total destruction is the only phrase to describe the interior of the defunct Relic nightclub on Fairmont Avenue. Debris piles abound after crews demolished what was left of the bar/restaurant space.
The space is currently for lease, but there have been no takers in 11 months.
Relic closed last summer after Montgomery County tore up its liquor license. Supposedly, there were too many Relic-related incidents requiring police action.
The club was shuttered, and then the entire building was foreclosed on. It was auctioned off August 9.
Nothing happened for months. There was some hope when DC mega-developer Douglas Development took over. Douglas has ties to popular chain tenants like Shake Shack.
Alas, Douglas departed, and another large firm, Papadopoulos Properties, took charge.
I checked, and the space is still on the market for lease.
Why?
Because that block of Fairmont is a bad location for a restaurant at the moment. While crime is negligible, the block is deserted at night. Few venture beyond BlackFinn and Bold Bite towards Old Georgetown Road. The crowds from Relic are gone, as are the many restaurants in the green retail center across Fairmont, now slated to be razed for a JBG 17-story building. Fresh Grill and Dansez Dansez! vacated a separate Fairmont building after it was shuttered, allegedly due to damage from the Bainbridge excavation.
The result?
That block of Fairmont remains dead, dead, dead at night.
First floor retail in the future Bainbridge Bethesda building cannot open soon enough. The JBG project will be joined by a second luxury building at Fairmont and Old Georgetown, currently a defunct BP gas station.
Once this happens, the old Relic space will certainly command a higher lease, as there should be much foot traffic.
Relic remains notable for offering table service, which was later made available at The Parva. BlackFinn has also experimented with VIP table/bottle service on Thursday nights.
2 comments:
" Supposedly, there were too many Relic-related incidents requiring police action."
I actually heard that the place got shut down for not providing the police with enough drunk tank material... sort of an unwritten kickback scenario that the local bars are encouraged to participate in.
I certainly welcome patrons of Relic to post their take on the closure here. Not much detail was reported in the press at the time, but certainly there is a vacuum of factual detail on what led to the demise of Relic. Some people have mentioned underage drinking being a problem. Was that the case? If you have memories of what went on there, feel free to post them here, whether you are a Relic patron, police officer, or county official who can enlighten the rest of us on the final chapter of Relic.
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