Okay, I just spent that last few fcking hours tracking this down and I could have used the time to make actual money, but what the hey? I'm going to put everything down and don't fckng care if some of this has been said before. Just take what you will out of it. So I started with the square footage of Comet which I found here:
http://www.propertyshark.com/mason/Property/11881126/5037-Connecticut-Ave-NW-Washington-DC-20008/
It has 3925 square feet. That would be equivalent to this two story home for perspective:
https://www.houseplans.com/plan/3925-square-feet-4-bedrooms-3-5-bathroom-french-country-plans-3-garage-8851
I'm thinking that house looks pretty damn big, but I need to confirm this two story info. I'm dicking around until I stumble across a site that has CONSTRUCTION HISTORY!!!! Yes, this is what I want. Here it is:
http://commercial-real-estate.findthedata.com/l/113710/5037-Connecticut-Ave-NW-Washington-DC-20008
CONSTRUCTION DETAILS:
Number of Floors 2
This site gives a lot more information, but it pulls info from County Records so the original construction was two floors and that's where it's stayed. I was thinking maybe the two floors didn't include the basement, but the original construction included a flat roof which it has, and no change in the real estate info. It would seem that if a top floor were taken off, the real estate price would reflect that because the square footage would drop which it hasn't.
As I said this site has more info and includes previous owners. I don't see the Thai Room which was the restaurant before Comet Pizza took over. Not sure why. But it does show Big Cheese LLC and Comet Pizza at the location. Big Cheese LLC is the name of the business, and Comet Pizza is the name they're doing business as. It's confirmed by the liquor license application signed by James Alefantis. The profits are split between the two names. Again, not sure why, but maybe it's a business thing that makes sense to them.
http://anc3f.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/5037-Conn-Ave-NW-3-12-2014-Comet-Pizza.pdf
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DamnTheTorPEDOES ago
Prohibition. The place was built in '32 a year before it ended... Most facilities that had basements used them to either store transport brew or cater liquor. Tunnels were used during prohibition as well. More likely, that place was built with a basement not included in the original plans. Chevy chase has a history during prohibition several speak easys were there in basements pre-1933. I mean think of being a business guy in 1931-1932 not knowing when prohibition would end, and knowing how hard washington was clamped down on for liquor, knowing congressman visited certain speak easys to drink...wouldnt you raise a big building with a semi secret basement asap?
quantokitty ago
OH, WAIT!!!! DING, DING, DING!!!! Did you say prohibition? Didn't they have tunnels to secrete liquor shipments in and out?!!!! Now we're getting somewhere!!!! And he is using an OLD LIQUOR STORE sign!!!!
Scoundrel ago
You're totally on to it. Great connection.
quantokitty ago
The beauty of it is that the tunnel wouldn't be recorded or in the public records. That would have been defeating the purpose of having it.