Temperance Hall is a restaurant/bar that recently opened in my neighborhood on Georgia Ave.  The establishment has been a huge success thus far.  It is the only place in the neighborhood where a person can actually sit down and eat a meal.  The rest of Georgia Ave. in the area is littered with liquor stores, dollar stores, abandoned buildings, Laundromats, take-out places, nail salons, and of course a strip club.  Temperance Hall is a beautiful establishment; the owner and developers paid close attention to detail, creating an exquisite 1920’s themed restaurant. The building itself had been abandonded for 20 years or so. They also created a yoga studio and office space above the restaurant.

Here are some reviews of Temperance Hall:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?node=cityguide/profile&id=1119152

http://www.columbiaheightsnews.org/Entertainment/Dining-and-Nightlife/Temperance-Hall.html

http://www.flickr.com/photos/abarrelofthis/sets/1298990/

http://petworthnews.blogs.com/petworth_news/2006/01/temperance_hall.html#comments

Who in their right mind would not be excited about a place like this opening up in their neighborhood?  Even if you lived in Georgetown or Dupont Circle this place would still be a great place to go.  Well, Sinclair Skinner almost killed the project by staging a massive campaign to deny the establishment’s liquor license.  The owner at one point had actually given up and called it quits; neighborhood leaders had to convince him that Mr. Skinner did not speak for the community.  Read on to see how Sinclair Skinner nearly single-handedly derailed this entire project.