EAST WASHINGTON LIFE
Uniontown Bar & Grill Set to Open by John Muller
C
hange is a slow process in Historic Anacostia. After years of false starts the opening of an anxiously awaited sit-down restaurant is now finally imminent. Uniontown Bar and Grill at 2200 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue will open soon a planned grand opening for the Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend this month. “I’ve always wanted to own a restaurant,” says Washingtonian and restaurant proprietor, Natasha Dasher. Drawing its name from the past, before the Civil War, developers created Uniontown, a 100-acre grid of 700 rectangular lots in present-day Anacostia to be sold under restrictive convents prohibiting the sale, rental or lease of property to any Negro, Mulatto, or anyone of Af rican or
Irish descent, according to the National Park Service. For many reasons, Uniontown as a suburb of downtown Washington never succeeded. Dasher, a successful marketing executive, had heard many of the “myths” surrounding Uniontown, and when she saw the photo essay at the United Planning Organization’s Anacostia Community Center on Good Hope Road, she knew it was the perfect name for her restaurant. Mindful of historic preservation, Dasher has fitted the exterior of the building to resemble Burys General Store which stood at 2200 Nichols Avenue (now MLK, Jr. Ave.) a cen-
tury ago. To thematically keep the past in mind, Uniontown will have historic photos of the neighborhood displayed on its walls. With 1,495 square feet, seating for 33, 14 seats at the bar, two large high-definition televisions, and an iPad, known as the “bar pad,” for customers to check their emails and play games, Uniontown is poised to be an intimate setting nearby workers and residents looking for a pleasant atmosphere is relax and enjoy. Despite the potential lunch business from the DC Lottery, the Department of Housing and Community Development, and two banks, along with other businesses, located within a minute’s walk to Uniontown, Dasher is aware she is blazing a trail others have not ventured. “Franchises are going to want to attack Anacostia. There is a large workforce here during the day, there is considerable foot traffic, and people cut through Anacostia on their way to
and from work,” notes Dasher. “Profit is going to be here.” “It will be a great place to have a cold glass of beer or a nice glass of wine after work,” says Bob Cannon, a project manager for the Department of Homeland Security and resident of Historic Anacostia. Cannon recently purchased a house on U Street. A native of the Boston area, Cannon sees Uniontown becoming Anacostia’s own version of “Cheers”--where everybody knows your name. Sensitive to and aware of the inner-workings of grassroots and long-time neighborhood stakeholders and institutions, Dasher reached out to Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners for support, as well as Union Temple Baptist Church on W Street. “When she planned to open the restaurant she came and told me of her goals and we offered our support,” says Rev. Willie Wilson, the head pastor at Union Temple since March of 1973, who praised Dasher for her entrepreneurial spirit. “Uniontown will help to change what has been a blighted and forgotten community in terms of certain services and amenities that other parts of the city have,” says Wilson. “We have 70,000 citizens and the only place you can get food and a drink is Players. We need a place where people can drink, relax, and be merry,” said Ward 8 Councilmember Marion Barry as he unwound at Jordan’s, a popular restaurant on Barracks Row. Planning to hire a staff of thirty-two to cover three shifts, Dasher has already received more than fifty resumes. With unemployment rates in East Washington the highest in the city, Dasher will hire residents of Wards 7 and 8. Although Uniontown will not be hosting live entertainment, there are plans for a DJ to spin from 10 p.m.2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Planned hours are Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Offduty MPD will serve as security. For more information on Uniontown Bar and Grill visit www.utowndc.com. ●
32 ★ EAST OF THE RIVER MAGAZINE
| JANUARY 2011