A building that once housed wounded sailors will soon be transformed from a derelict, 150-year-old structure into a bustling community center.
The Old Naval Hospital is scheduled to reopen as the Hill Center in July 2011 — after about $10 million of restoration work.
“It’s in a state of complete deterioration,” said Nicky Cymrot, president of the Old Naval Hospital Foundation. “Very little has been done to it over the years.”
D.C. taxpayers are footing $5.5 million of restoration costs, and $2 million is coming from the federal government. The foundation, which is overseeing the project, is still seeking to raise more than $3 million for the work.
In 2002, community members first drew D.C.’s attention to the run-down building by submitting a proposal for its use as a neighborhood meeting place. After eight years of working with numerous D.C. agencies, the federal government and grant organizations, the Old Naval Hospital Community Foundation finally has funding, permission and a plan for the Hill Center.
The Center will rent out nine fourth-floor offices to non-profit organizations and use the rest of the building for concerts, exhibits, classes and lectures. From CPR training to urban beekeeping, the foundation says it will be happening at the Center. The hospital’s old carriage house will be transformed into a caf?.
“It’ll be nice to have stuff going on there,” said Kenan Jarboe, the area’s member of the Advisory Neighborhood Commission. “It’s been a relatively vacant building for a long time.”
