Soaring rent tied to skyrocketing property taxes could force the owner of a D.C. jazz institution to close his doors permanently. Harry Schnipper, owner of Blues Alley in Georgetown, said 2007 could be the last year for his 150-seat venue, the oldest continuing jazz supper club in the United States and one of the few remaining jazz scenes in Washington.

“If my landlord didn’t charge me so much and the District didn’t try to sock it to me in taxes, then I wouldn’t have such a problem,” said Schnipper, a Capitol Hill resident. “The greed and expectation are going to crush the landmarks in Washington.”