After all the sound and fury over the summer about the subdivision of a lot on the corner of 29th and Garfield Streets NW in Woodley Park, the neighbors' last-ditch appeal before the Board of Zoning Adjustment was denied, and the first of two giant single-family homes is underway–a reminder that neighborhood opposition can't stop [...]

After writing about the demise of Georgetown advertising firm Hammer Communications, I'm keenly aware of the misfortunes of America's big builders. Until this year, Hammer was seemingly swimming in cash from builders slowly gobbling up land across the Washington D.C. region. But when the housing crisis hit, the losses mounted.
Take, for example, national company KB Home. [...]

If you were selling McMansions in the heat of the ’00s bubble, you probably came across Hammer Communications, a Georgetown real-estate advertising firm. The company had squadrons of creative talent who specialized in designing brochures and advertisements to make sure your overvalued properties fetched every last dollar. Hammer’s people would get good placements in the [...]