Vandals, burglars and vagrants just can't resist the temptation of breaking into the vacant retail buildings left rotting by the long-delayed 8000 and 8008 Wisconsin Avenue redevelopment projects. A fire and flood inside the former Parvizian rug building a couple of weeks ago led to many of these eyesore structures being boarded up. But yesterday, there was visible evidence that someone smashed their way back inside the Parvizian building, carefully jamming the pieces of the broken plywood back into the door frame.
It can't be ruled out that the intruder(s) might still be in there, as vagrants have squatted in the structures here before. The buildings have had demolition notices on them for years, but never get torn down. Meanwhile, the full half-block of blight weighs down the upscale chocolate shop, Trader Joe's grocery store, and luxury apartments directly adjacent to the deteriorating lots. In fact, the lobby entrance door to those new 8001 Woodmont apartments was shattered during that recent window smashing rampage at 8000 Wisconsin next door.
Yep. Walked by there the other day and saw broken glass, holes in doors and an open window on the second floor. Bulldozer can't come too soon.
ReplyDeletejust an FYI - the broken glass door at 8001 Woodmont apartments was not the result of vandals. The door broke and is being replaced by the owner. You should verify your facts before posting things that may result in hysteria.
ReplyDeleteseems fitting considering how many false closing sales Parvesian had in the 90s and 00s that people still think it maybe open and are looking for a good deal
ReplyDeleteIf I got a nickel for every one of their illegal plastic signs I've removed....
Delete2:43: There was shattered glass on the ground all around the 8011 Woodmont entrance, the same night as the other buildings' windows were intentionally broken. Building management would not have left broken glass on the ground in an orderly "door replacement," risking legal liability for injury to residents and dogs.
ReplyDeleteBy all accounts, the 8001 Woodmont door seemed to fall off the hinges from some combo of long-standing disrepair and maybe high winds. I saw it entirely lying on the ground at about 5pm that night with a cracked outer frame, which seems like hard work for a vandal. Someone came to clean it up by maybe 6pm. Multiple 8001 employees have told me that the security footage shows nothing fishy. That said, the timing is quite amazing! But these awful vacant buildings are targeted so often, a coincidence is guaranteed.
ReplyDeleteI saw two people crawling out of this pictured hole in the boards just a few feet from me one morning, and my friend watched someone wander out at a different time too. They appeared to be waking up or sobering up. I told the police at the time, but a week later, the board isn’t replaced. Not sure if it’s the county, police, or property owner who is to blame. But it has quickly sobered my rather rosy image of Bethesda. At least there are very few blocks like this.
11:57: The door at 8001 was only a couple of years old, and I don't recall any high winds that day. There was glass all over the place around the entrance after 6 PM on the evening of the 10th, the same day the other windows were smashed next door.
ReplyDelete