There's another new restaurant on the DC scene, and this one's in the city's oldest firehouse. The long-anticipated Sixth Engine restaurant, now open at 438 Massachusetts Ave., N.W. in the Mount Vernon Triangle neighborhood, features a unique design by Streetsense of Bethesda, MD.
Built in 1855 for the Metropolitan Hook and Ladder Company and still displaying the original “MHL” insignia, this two-story brick structure was acquired by Douglas Development in 2005. It was preserved as a historic element within a block of newly developed upscale residential buildings.
About a year ago, Douglas turned the space over to a partnership of Gavin Coleman, Jeremy Carman, Paul Holder, Paul Madrid, and Tim Walsh. Coleman runs the Dubliner, the Irish pub opened by his father in 1974; the others have operated Town Hall in Glover Park since 2005. BuilderGuru Contracting, Inc., the general contractor for the redevelopment, hired Streetsense to design a 3,900 square foot restaurant space that showcases and preserves the building’s history. Streetsense designed the base building renovation and collaborated with Jenkins Baer Associates of Baltimore, MD on the interior design.
The firehouse is surrounded by the new 400 Mass condo development, but has its own walls and structure. Streetsense had to solve numerous issues in regard to egress, deliveries, life safety, structural integrity, venting, and more. The historic building’s structure had to be strengthened to accommodate new loads on the second floor and roof, thus delaying its opening until February 2011.
The restaurant’s entry floor features a front bar and rear dining; the second floor houses the kitchen and a private dining room, with exposed roof trusses evoking the original structure and views through the historic front windows. A patio for outdoor dining is scheduled to be developed later in the year.
Comments