From the September 2009 Glover Park Gazette:
Tyrone Green is one popular guy. Green, who leases the big, blah six-condo building at 2136 Wisconsin, regularly hosts all-night, open-bar parties for hundreds of people in the space, which is called “Wisconsin Overlook” on invitations. [Its other names include “The Vixen,” “Hush @ Le Venue,” and “Guest DC.”] In April, neighbors began complaining to authorities after a particularly noticeable bash. [Invitation at right.] Though the $25 cover charge meant that alcohol was technically being sold without a license at the event, no government action was taken against Green.
Meanwhile, the parties continued as recently as early August, when revelers gathered to celebrate DC’s annual Eritrean festival. “Hours: 2 AM to 7 AM” read the invitation [top]. “Dress code strictly enforced: no rift rafts.” A party at the building on July 4 weekend that featured DJs, live music, a photography exhibit, a fashion show, and, naturally, an open bar, was so loud it could be heard inside homes on Tunlaw Road. [Invitation at left.]
Green told us by phone that he has had “three parties” in the building and that they were private and perfectly legal because “nobody pays money to come. I understand that you can’t sell alcohol.” In fact, no cover charge was listed on the Eritrean party invite, though the July 4th party—a benefit for a tutoring center in Jamaica—required donations of between $30 and $50, according to a listing on Facebook. The Internet contains references to several other paid parties at the building, including one on March 27 that cost $25. [It was $25 at the door; $20 in advance with the pass above.]
City Councilmember Mary Cheh says that the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs and the police department “are on top of this,” but that no action can be taken unless Green is “caught in the act” operating a business (such as a nightclub) without several needed government permits. DCRA spokesman Michael Rupert says citizens who observe potentially illegal activity at the building should call 311 and ask for the officer on duty. They can also email Rupert at michael.rupert@dc.gov. According to a Cheh staffer, the police department contact in the matter is Lt. Ralph Neal, who is listed at Ralph.Neal@dc.gov or 202-715-7300. [Invitation for a free February 7 party at left.]
The situation may soon resolve on its own, though, since the building is due to be auctioned for back taxes on the weekend of September 11. Owner David Cameron Someone has been making payments on the delinquent amount, but he owner David Cameron was still $23,036.87 behind at press time, according to the Office of Taxation and Revenue website. Two of Cameron’s creditors have also sued to force the property’s holding company into involuntary bankruptcy, though another creditor filed a motion to stay the action, according to trollerbk.com, a website that tracks bankruptcy filings.
Green says he has been trying to buy the building himself, and may do so at the tax sale: “My intention is to finish the building,” which now features wide-open spaces and blond wood floors. “I don’t plan on going anywhere.”
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The new owner of 2136 Wisconsin Ave., a tan stucco building formerly known as Wisconsin Overlook and The Vixen, got a little ahead of himself when he began advertising the building’s six condo units for sale, according to Najuma Thorpe, a spokesperson for the Department of Housing and Community Development. We reported in January that Virginia businessman Seung Lim had posted a “for sale” sign on the property, but Thorpe says that Lim has not yet applied to the city for authorization to convert the building to condos. D.C. law forbids owners from selling condo units until they are legally registered with both DHCD and the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs.
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