Dupont Circle’s Old Frat House To Become Alley Home

• January 30, 2013
• 15 Comments

by Shilpi Paul

2123 Twining Court NW

In a city chock full of row houses and condos, unusual properties can be hard to find. However, this recently purchased Dupont Circle building, tucked into an alley off of P Street, definitely fits into the unusual category.

Located at 2123 Twining Court NW (map), the property, built in 1905, has a varied history. It was originally a carriage house with a stable and servant’s quarters, and is in the National Register of Historic Places due in part to the fame of its builder, John McGregor. In the 1950s, the two-story building was converted into a restaurant. In recent decades, it has been home to bars like the Frat House and more recently, Omega. Omega closed at the end of 2012.

In its next life, someone will call the building home. It just sold to a family for $1.9 million and is being turned into a 5,850-square-foot single-family house.

Agent David Smith of J Street told UrbanTurf that the family has experience restoring historic buildings, and were searching specifically for an alley dwelling for their new home. They have started working with an architect and interior designer to transform the building into a cozy, livable space. They are working on getting approvals and hope to complete the project in the “near future,” said Smith.

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• The Pursuit: Downsizing to an Alley House

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/frat_house_turned_home_coming_to_dupont_circle/6584

16 Comments

1. Vincent said at 6:23 pm on Wednesday January 30, 2013:
   Great, let's close down a popular space, ending a bunch of jobs, etc and replace it with a 6000 sq ft 'single family home' in the middle of a business district because some rich douchebag wants a 'alley dwelling'. I seriously hope they have no idea went on in that place.

1. D.B. said at 6:27 pm on Wednesday January 30, 2013:
   @ Vincent, this place was already closed, so no one lost their jobs as a result of the purchase.

1. MH said at 6:59 pm on Wednesday January 30, 2013:
   @D.B. Not true. Omega closed because the building was purchased. A direct result. So yes, people did lose their jobs.

1. Sanderlina said at 7:00 pm on Wednesday January 30, 2013:
   That's not really the "business district" - it's on P Street, by some apartment buildings and large hotels. I'd be more concerned about what exactly goes ON in that alley, though. Mostly because I recall being quite grateful that when I lived on that block of P, my view looked over P Street, not out the back...

1. Mark said at 7:03 pm on Wednesday January 30, 2013:
   D.B., you are mistaken. I know the manager and several others who worked at Omega. They were given only a couple of days to get all the equipment out of the building and those were the last days of their employment.

1. Sanderlina said at 7:04 pm on Wednesday January 30, 2013:
   Also, I'm sure that the owners of this place will be employing people to work on it. Clearly, it's going to need quite a renovation.

1. jj said at 7:29 pm on Wednesday January 30, 2013:
   @Vincent, if you're going to be pissed at someone, don't be pissed at the so called "rich douchebag"... the buyers had nothing to do with Omega closing, all they did was buy a broken down old building in a great location. But really you shouldn't be pissed at anyone--except whomever decided to give such short notice to the employees. The sellers likely needed the money and they buyers were willing to pay it..and 1.9 million is nothing for a house in that neighborhood. I would prefer to see condos there but it is more likely it will be the new owner's home and home office.

1. Skizh said at 7:44 pm on Wednesday January 30, 2013:
   I've heard it's a couple that met in that bar back in the day. Really sad to see it go. 17th St corridor better pay attention or they'll die off like P St has.

1. Redraider said at 7:49 pm on Wednesday January 30, 2013:
   If anyone should be pissed at anyone it should be at our "community" who abandoned this gay establishment for the other side of the circle and Grindr long ago.

1. TWC said at 8:24 pm on Wednesday January 30, 2013:
   I remember going there years ago and there was a guy who whenever I walked by would always say "need t, weed, coke?" I wonder whatever happened to him?

1. Disappointed said at 8:26 pm on Wednesday January 30, 2013:
   If anyone is to blame for the untimely ending of this institution in the gay community, it's the owner! This man checked out years ago! Slowly, but, surely ran it into the ground. Shame on him!

1. mona said at 9:55 pm on Wednesday January 30, 2013:
   The owner of the property had every right to put this buiding up for sale and sell it. Perfect world is he would have kept present occupants alert of the progress of any contract he had on the property but he isn't required. It would have been the owner of Omega's responsibility to know what was going on with the building and alert his employees if the business was closing. Once the new owners finalized that contract it was their building and they deserved to have it delivered to them at closing unoccupied. It is a building not a child or even a puppy that was sold. If Omega had wanted to stay in businees they would have found new place and moved there before the closing of this sale. No the owner or the purchaser of this building fault but the fault of the owners of Omega for running from what it sounds like a pretty poor business.

1. Ronald Young said at 6:55 pm on Thursday February 7, 2013:
   To Who it may concern, The building was purchased in Oct of 2009 for $11 million dollars by executive Inns Inc(Glenn Thomson)for the sole purpose to keep it as a gay club,as the building was up for sale by A.A.Green Associates(The Brick Skeller).The probated taxes for that building were to be $95k a year via DC tax,the city rezoned that area in 2010 with in a 4 block radius in that area by the DC Zoning and Planning in what they called commercial 4 (C-4) properties,which was proposed DC counsel for tax revenue.(What a scam)Executive Inns property tax from $95k to $600k a year .The Brick Skeller (A.A.Green) liquidated the hotel and their bar to some private corporation from China.The Mc Donalds on P St closed and was sold to the cooperation that bought Brick Skeller. Next in line will be the Fire Place who's lease is coming up shortly,Too Story Books,flower shop on 20th and P was the first to go if anyone remembers(bought by Philips Gallery).So if there's a blame it's the corruption of the city greed,you voted for them.

1. GBB said at 7:57 pm on Saturday April 13, 2013:
   gotta say, this is really dumb on so many levels. yes, I consider it the "business district" of P street, even if it's 1/2 a block off. 2. that alley is absolutely gross. 3. why would anyone want to live in a building that was formerly a pretty seedy bar? 4. these 2 dudes have annoyed a lot of people by doing this. and i'm seriously concerned someone would vandalize the place, hope not, but think about it. 5. it's pretty anti-community for 2 guys to buy the place to live in it and yet lose another gay establishment in the area. and for the record, i am a DC native, gay and approve this message. and seedy or not, the omega (formerly known as the frat house) was a pretty cool place. shout out to JC, craig, and perry that lost their jobs over this, and others....

1. Wil Mc said at 7:51 am on Friday July 18, 2014:
   Please excuse the typos in my previous comment. I saw no way to correct them on this site. Use your journalism skills to to mentally correct them. I'm a bit inebriated from the bars at the moment and stumbled upon the article of the closing of Omega Bar...

1. Wil Mc said at 7:45 am on Friday July 18, 2014:
   To make this short, it saddens me that such a mecca of an established succumbed due to the 'real estate politics of the city'. Although Wash DC has finally recognized it's value of being the nation's capital & is jacking up property values throughout the city, distasteful that the history and core of businesses and people that made the city are force to move out. I'm a native DCtonian but reside in Manhattan, NY. The Frat House/Omega Bar facilitated a great place for urban professionals to unwind, relax, converse, dance, drink, sing, play pool, be in drag, and just be the expressive individuals of which we all enjoyed portraying. *i am absolutely in Shock that it was purchased at $1.9 million! It was practically stolen from its proprietors. It should Not have been purchased for less than $8 million. It should Not have had to end its history of serving its community. I'm pissed! And have relevant sentiment to many other similar venues that succumbed to real estate politics...