D.C. condemns four Shaw church properties

WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Four vacant homes in the heart of Shaw, all owned by a controversial Baptist church, have been condemned by the D.C. government as a possible danger to the community. The D.C. Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, which posted the condemnation notices Wednesday, gave Shiloh Baptist Church 15 days to repair its properties at 1528, 1532, 1534 and 1536 Ninth St. NW.

According to public notices on the buildings, the city’s Board for the Condemnation of Insanitary Buildings considers the properties “in such insanitary condition as to endanger the health or the lives of the occupants thereof and/or persons in the vicinity.”

It is unknown whether the condemnation notices have been delivered to Shiloh officials. The church did not return calls for comment. Shiloh, located for decades at the corner of Ninth and P streets, was offered the chance to upgrade its properties but failed to do so, DCRA spokeswoman Karyn-Siobhan Robinson said. In the next two weeks, the church will be required to install permanent roofs, fix brickwork and masonry, install gutters and down spouts, and clean the interiors.

“The board’s goal in all this is the repair and preservation of the buildings,” Robinson said. If Shiloh does not make the necessary improvements, DCRA will be  authorized to do the work and then file a lien against the properties for the cost, Robinson said. In 2006, the church paid more than $68,600 in real estate taxes, including penalties, on the condemned buildings, which together are valued at more than $2 million.

Shiloh Baptist and its half-dozen vacant properties are at the heart of a clash over gentrification among Shaw residents, and the church is the frequent subject of debate.

“They contribute to illegal activities,” Alex Padro, Shaw Advisory Neighborhood Commission member, said of the vacant homes. “They contribute to a lack of progress in commercial revitalization. They’re basically a symbol of the failure of the church to support the community.” Shiloh has reportedly refused to sell its properties to prevent their conversion into condominiums. Leroy Thorpe, a former Shaw ANC commissioner, said he can’t blame the church.

“You’ve got the newcomers who’ve come to the community who are dividing the community along racial lines in an effort to push people out,” Thorpe said Thursday.

mneibauer@dcexaminer.com

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