Good morning. This is the NOTUS Metro newsletter for Sept. 8, 2026. You can get it in your inbox every day by signing up here — it’s free!
THE LATEST
When a century-old D.C. library is standing on nothing but stilts, it can make anyone nervous.
“One wrong move by one excavator could take the whole thing down, so the stakes were literally very high,” says Jaspreet Pahwa, the director of capital planning and construction for the D.C. Public Library system.
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That was one of the pitfalls of the 2 ½-year renovation of the Southeast Library in Eastern Market, which wraps up this week ahead of the library’s reopening on Thursday.
It was built in 1922 as one of the city’s three Carnegie libraries — the others are in Takoma and Mount Pleasant — so library officials had to balance protecting the historical landmark with trying to expand one of the 10 busiest neighborhood libraries in the city.
That involved digging between 24 and 40 feet under and around the building, allowing for an expansion of the ground-floor level and the addition of a basement level that will now largely serve kids. With that, the Southeast Library will double in size but leave the original historic building largely intact.
“This was a really complex project, to say the least,” says Rich Reyes-Gavilan, DCPL’s executive director. “The need was there. It was just about finding the money and the ingenuity and the know-how.”
To ensure the new basement level didn’t feel like it’s underground, a new skylight was carved from the roof down the center of the building, drawing natural light all the way into the deepest recesses of the library. Reyes-Gavilan — who has overseen the modernization of dozens of libraries in his 13 years leading DCPL — says the skylight is the library’s “architectural marvel.”
And there’s more: An extension was built in what used to be an alley behind the library, connecting it to a neighboring rowhouse and allowing for a new main entrance to be constructed along South Carolina Avenue.
The renovation wasn’t cheap. The $40 million price tag is roughly double what was originally contemplated, because of both increasing construction costs and a need to comply with historic preservation rules. But library officials say they were able to leverage federal COVID recovery funds to pay for it.
The next projects for the library system include a brand-new facility in Congress Heights and another in Eckington/Edgewood. Future renovations include libraries in Chevy Chase and Shepherd Park. To Reyes-Gavilan’s relief, none of these projects is expected to be as complicated as the Southeast Library makeover.
FROM THE DISTRICT
A federal planning commission has approved the transfer of the D.C. Armory, the headquarters of the District’s National Guard, to local control, NOTUS’ Kendall Staton reports. The transfer still has to be approved by D.C.’s mayor, the D.C. Council and Congress.
D.C.’s Department of Public Works is testing rat-proof trash bins in high-traffic areas of the city, WUSA9 reports.
President Donald Trump has become obsessed with “architectural immortality” — building monuments around D.C. that will outlast him, New York Magazine reports.
Former Kennedy Center chair David Rubenstein has purchased the large sculpture that was removed from the grounds of the venue last week, The New York Times reports. Rubenstein, a billionaire philanthropist who owns the Orioles, sat as chair from 2010 to 2025, when he was ousted as part of Trump’s takeover of the center’s board. Rubenstein reportedly paid more than $2 million for the abstract sculpture, titled “Blue.”
The grieving tree: D.C. residents have been leaving condolence messages on a large tree in Dupont Circle that was severed by last week’s wild storm.
FROM MARYLAND
All aboard! The stretch of the Red Line between North Bethesda and Friendship Heights reopened Monday after nine weeks of construction work. The project finished “on time and on budget,” Metro said in a news release.
D.C. TRIVIA
Where did the first D.C. Public Library branch open in 1911?
- Anacostia
- Capitol Hill
- Takoma
Email us the answer — the first reader who gets it right gets a shout-out. The answer will be at the end of the newsletter tomorrow.
SPORTS
The Commanders should have plenty of bulletin board material this season. In a roundup of preseason coverage and power rankings, NOTUS’ Alex Schiffer reports that many national analysts and pundits are down on Washington ahead of a pivotal year for GM Adam Peters and coach Dan Quinn.
“Skinny quarterback who got hurt last year combined with nobody who can block?” The Ringer’s Bill Simmons said on a recent podcast. “I’m out.”
High school football season is fully underway, with Maryland public schools kicking off this past weekend. NOTUS’ Noah Ferguson highlights five standouts from around the area in our Players of the Week column; this week’s group includes a Quince Orchard DB who nabbed three interceptions and a Gonzaga running back who scored four touchdowns.
DMV native Frances Tiafoe has advanced to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open. The 28-year-old Tiafoe, currently ranked the No. 12 men’s tennis player in the world, will face 22-year-old American Alex Michelsen today at 1 p.m. Tiafoe is chasing his first Grand Slam title.
What to Watch Today
MLB: Nationals at Padres, 9:40 p.m. (MLB.TV)
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The newsletter was produced by Jaden Amos, Michael Errigo and Nikie Johnson. Library photo courtesy of the D.C. Public Library system. Commanders photo by Stephanie Scarbrough/AP.
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