Mural repainted on Parking Garage 35 in Bethesda

A lot of work has been going on at the Woodmont Rugby Public Parking Garage 35 in downtown Bethesda this spring. That included having the facade repainted, but...oops! There was a public art mural on the Woodmont Avenue side, and it was painted over or removed. Heckuva job, Brownie! You may recall that artist Megan Lewis won the Bethesda Urban Partnership Paint the Town competition six years ago, earning the opportunity to paint this work. She then painted the mural in the summer of 2020, amid the pandemic lockdowns. Well, it had to be sketched out and repainted all over again this month!

Artena Bethesda developer hires artist to paint windows of vacant storefronts

The developer of the stalled-out Artena Bethesda apartment tower project recently had a row of the vacant storefronts on the Wisconsin Avenue side of the site painted blue. Now an artist has been hired to paint artworks on the store windows. The vertical panels display a variety of colorful scenes, most with a nature theme. I'm not sure if the new paint and artworks will necessarily make pedestrians feel safer walking along that stretch after dark, but it is certainly an improvement over the status quo of the last decade.

Fall art display at Westbard Square in Bethesda (Photos)

A new fall art display at Westbard Square in Bethesda is ready for your autumn-themed selfies. Set up on "The Green" town square at the new development at 5400 Westbard Avenue, the installation features pumpkins of several colors, fall foliage, and flowers. A sign welcomes patrons to look, but "don't touch" the "delicate" fall display. It encourages you to post your photos from the display on Instagram and tag @westbardsquare.

Fountain activated at Hampden House in Bethesda (Video + Photos)

Here's something you don't see often these days: A new water feature being installed and activated in downtown Bethesda. Many fountains of all sizes have been left to decay, switched off, or simply demolished over the last few years. Well, there's a new one on the plaza outside of the new Hampden House apartment tower, located at 4915 Hampden Lane. The fountain's sculpture is titled Khnum, and is by local artist Lisa Scheer. She has several other public art installations in the region, including at Reagan National Airport, the Petworth Metro station, Park Van Ness Center, Clarendon Center, and Tysons Park Place II.

Westbard Square adds new mural, padel pop-up court in Bethesda (Photos)

There are two new additions to Westbard Square in Bethesda this weekend, as the new development at 5400 Westbard Avenue holds an official Grand Opening event from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM today and Sunday. One is a mural painted onto the side of the Giant building above the loading docks. It features what appears to be a streetcar. Is this predictive programming for the not-so-secretly-planned extension of the Purple Line to Westbard? Or is it just a random image? Well, let's consider a third theory, that could make property owner Regency Centers look pretty smart, making another effort - as with the quarry stone facades at the development - to draw on local history and aesthetics.

The mural could be referring to the original 1891 streetcar that ran from Wisconsin Avenue in Friendship Heights, down roughly along the route of present-day Willard Avenue, through Green Acres, across what is now Little Falls Parkway and the parallel Willett Branch stream, up what is today Massachusetts Avenue extended - passing what is now Westbard Avenue and Little Falls Library, onto Walhonding Road (you can see remnants of the sharp angles established by the streetcar to the left of the Parkway crossing, and on the divergence of Walhonding from Massachusetts behind the Glen Echo Volunteer Fire Department firehouse), and down to MacArthur Boulevard. 

Once down the steep Walhonding drop to what is now MacArthur, passengers would disembark from the streetcar, and be taken to the Glen Echo Chautauqua by horse-drawn carriage. The Chautauqua was the forerunner of the Glen Echo Park amusement park that would be built later. This earlier streetcar is not to be confused with the more-famous Washington, D.C. to Glen Echo Park trolley line that operated during the mid-20th-century through Georgetown, the Palisades, and Brookmont. The original 1891 streetcar line was developed by the Baltzley brothers, who lived in the landmark Baltzley Castle they constructed at 5415 Mohican Road in Mohican Hills.

If that's not enough educational material for a Saturday morning, get ready to learn the Mexican sport of padel. It conquered Spain in reverse, and is now one of the fastest-growing sports in the world. Padel Social has just erected a pop-up padel court at Westbard Square. The company will operate three courts there through this fall. It is also in the process of constructing a permanent padel facility "nearby." You can learn the basics here, and starting next month, you can book a time at the pop-up courts. There will be private lessons, clinics, and equipment rentals.

Babycat Brewery adding mural at Bethesda location (Photos)

Here is a brief update on the continuing construction of Babycat Brewery at 4829 Rugby Avenue in Bethesda. My report last week noted that the exterior of the brewery's space in the ground floor of the Gallery Bethesda II apartments was being painted in a greyish silver color. It turns out there is also a wraparound mural being painted onto the exterior. That explains the seemingly-random leaf that had been painted onto the building last week.

New public art in Friendship Heights

Three new murals have been installed in Friendship Heights. The public art additions were funded and managed by the Friendship Heights Alliance, a non-profit community-building organization focused on the commercial corridor between Oliver Street in Montgomery County to Fessenden Street NW in Washington, D.C. "Creating beautiful pockets of delight in large-scale form is one of the many ways our placemaking program helps to beautify and elevate the neighborhood as it experiences new growth and exciting changes," Friendship Heights Alliance Executive Director Natalie Avery said in a statement this morning.

"Splitting Light" has been installed in the arches on the front of the former Lord & Taylor department store at 5255 Western Avenue NW. The piece was painted onto plywood panels in Baltimore, and then fitted into place at the vacant store, to avoid disturbing the facade of this arguably-historic building.

Two murals have also been added at 2 Wisconsin Circle, an office building above the Friendship Heights Metro station. The untitled panels "evoke a feeling of wonder and contemplation while providing a memorable experience for the viewer," Miami-based artist Cecilia Lueza said.

"These vibrant murals reflect our commitment to fostering creativity and enhancing the sense of community in Friendship Heights," John Ziegenhein, CEO of The Chevy Chase Land Company - which owns 2 Wisconsin Circle - said in a statement today. "By transforming our spaces with compelling art, we aim to inspire connection and create a welcoming environment for residents, visitors, and businesses alike."

Photos courtesy Friendship Heights Alliance

Who is artifying the utility boxes of Bethesda? (Photos)

Utility boxes in downtown Bethesda have begun taking on a new appearance over the last few days. It started near the TD Bank at the intersection of Old Georgetown Road and Woodmont Avenue, with bright flowers and polka dots. Like a contagion, it began to spread further through the Central Business District. More flowers, and even some scary bees. Finally, the people responsible were caught in the act: CSI, a printing company whose output includes graphic wraps for vehicles...and utility boxes.

Public art installation in place at Sophia Bethesda apartments (Photos)

A public art sculpture was installed yesterday at the new Sophia Bethesda apartment tower at 4924 St. Elmo Avenue in downtown Bethesda. The installation is located on the pedestrian paseo that the building shares with next door neighbor Bainbridge Bethesda. Occupancy of the building is now up to the 13th floor. Sidewalks have reopened to pedestrians; the paseo is still fenced off for the moment, as work continues there.

You can see many of the art deco design elements in the photos below, as the finishing touches are put on the tower. New residents can get up to two months free rent this weekend, if they qualify for the open house special from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM today, Saturday, October 26, and 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM tomorrow, October 27. See the development's website for full details, pricing, and floorplans.

The fitness center is visible on the
second floor