The great thing about Artomatic is that it often introduces people to construction-heavy neighborhoods where there’s not much going on otherwise.

Last year, the event was held in NoMa. This year, it’s in the Capitol Riverfront, home to Nationals Park and…that Five Guys that President Barack Obama visited recently.

Read More “Artomatic Provides Panoramic View of Creeping Progress at Capitol Riverfront” »

Lehman Brothers had a stake in numerous Washington D.C. area projects, investing at least “$620 million in at least 15 Monument [Realty] projects,” according to a September Washington Business Journal article. “Among other things, Lehman holds an interest in Monument’s Half Street development near the ballpark, the Watergate Hotel project, the Monument View mixed-use project near Crystal City and two failed condominium projects that are seeking apartment investors.”

So it may come as a shock to some (me, at least) that despite its demise, Lehman is not only still hiring—it’s getting “’swamped with résumés,’” its newest CEO tells the Wall Street Journal in a story today.

Read More “Why Is Lehman Brothers Still Hiring?” »

New York magazine has an excellent cover story on this week’s issue about Dick Fuld, the CEO of Lehman Brothers, a major investor in D.C. real estate projects over the years.

*The Washington Business Journal reports the local angle on Lehman Brothers’ demise: “Over the past several years, Lehman has invested about $620 million in at least 15 Monument [Realty] projects, according to Monument’s Web site, often acting as an equity partner above and beyond any exposure as a debt provider on Monument projects. Among other things, Lehman holds an interest in Monument’s Half Street development near the ballpark, the Watergate Hotel project, the Monument View mixed-use project near Crystal City and two failed condominium projects that are seeking apartment investors.”

*Over at Slate, Jack Shafer provides a rundown of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac “villains in boldface” (his wording) and their back-scratching with Washington politicians. Shafer also digs up a six-year-old article from Washingtonian magazine about the same subject.

*People aren’t building as many homes as they were a few years ago. Surprise, surprise. But, check out the numbers over at CNN’s website, if you want more details. “Construction fell by 14.5% in the Northeast and was down 13.6% in the Midwest and 7.4% in the South. All the declines left construction activity 33.1% below the level of a year ago.”