The Coming of "Baby Wale"

Residents from around 9th Street, in Shaw, have been excitedly waiting for Baby Wale, Tom Powers new casual counterpart to Corduroy, to appear from behind its 50's cartoon marketing banner at 1124 9th Street  for some time. Walking or driving past the sign gives no idea of the progress being made and some wonder if it will happen at all. Tom hinted in Eater DC, in January, that this would be sooner, rather than later, and as with all construction projects later is the better bet, so be patient my friends. So just how far along is the construction/re-model?  

People have been watching with anticipation "what's behind the cartoon"?

Below is a pic from the early construction, at this stage a floor has just been added on the back section of the structure. This is the upper balcony bar/lounge (assuming that the renderings are still in play). Obviously at this stage its hard to see the vision that Tom Powers has. The structure is a shell, the iron girder outline was completed as part of the original owners plan. (for a high end condo).

At this stage, the restaurant is still rumored to be Velour. Later, Herringbone and now finalized as Baby Wale

I have followed the construction for some months, and now I am happy to show you the current state of the construction. As you can see, there is a Roof, Skylights and HVAC systems all in place, and yes, inside there is a stairway leading to the balcony bar/lounge (not shown)

For those wondering "Wale" is the name for the ridges in Corduroy

First look inside - before I got chased away

The construction work has moved inside, so take heart neighborhood foodies, it really does exist behind the "Good Food Coming Soon" sign we have all watched. By following the transition from shell to (work still needs to be completed on the front/facade) completed exterior, it seems that the Tom Powers dream is soon to be realized as well.

And here is the rendering, as published November last year in Washingtonian

See You Soon for "Good Food"