Curtis, Four Points plan to transform Anacostia

Anacostia is getting a long-desired makeover, courtesy of a familiar name.

George Curtis III, whose family's furniture company built the 19-foot high chair at V Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE, is teaming with D.C.'s Four Points LLC on a planned 1.5 million square feet of new development in the heart of Anacostia's blighted business district.

The plans include 855,000 square feet of offices, 500 residential units, 165,000 square feet of retail, an eight- to 10-screen movie theater and a grocery store.

Developers and community leaders say the project, with construction possibly beginning in early 2009, could transform Anacostia's main corridor into a vibrant retail and business center.

"I think some exciting things are going to be happening," said Curtis, chief executive of Suitland-based homebuilder Curtis Cos. "It's always just been a timing issue."

The project envisions development of 9.5 acres -- nearly eight city blocks -- on the west side of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue around the big chair, a neighborhood landmark since it was installed in 1959 and whose survival over the decades has made it a symbol of the area's resilience.

The Curtis Bros. Furniture Co. was founded in 1926. Curtis' father built the company's first furniture storage facility in 1929, and his uncle Charles had the chair built as an advertisement.

Source: Washington Business Journal. View Article.

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