Two years ago, CVS vacated its location down the street from Howard on Florida and Georgia Ave, leaving the building abandoned. Now, Ian Callender, a D.C. native with a passion for revitalization, wants to bring the empty building back to life.
“The moment that they vacated and we saw the sign come off, I said this might be the opportunity to do something,” Callender said.
His new project, Sandlot Uptown, aims to transform the deserted lot into an event space where Howard students and the surrounding community can gather, create and celebrate.
Sandlot Uptown is the latest addition to his brand, Sandlot D.C., which remodels vacant facilities for community events like concerts and art galleries. Like his other projects, he hopes it will clean up the surrounding neighborhood and support community-led events.
In addition to hosting programming, he imagines the space will be utilized by Howard students due to his partnership with the university. During the last week of September, a group of students from the School of Fine Arts visited the site. It was a part of their curriculum in Professor Charles Jean-Pierre’s class to sketch the CVS building before work was done on it.
“We’re doing our best to integrate into the university naturally, but still provide that incubator space for collegiate talent to be able to showcase their work, in addition to the gallery space that the School of Fine Arts has,” Callender said. “But again, this is off campus, I guess.”
Callender initially planned to open the week of Howard’s Centennial homecoming, but the space will not be ready for events by then. The new plan is to have respective days for current students, alumni, and the community to see the space.
“I think we are now planning to just hold an open house, versus events, considering timing and logistics,” Callender wrote in an update to The Hilltop. “We for sure will have an activity in the Summer Garden to celebrate Howard’s 100th homecoming.”
Freshman legal communications major Kristin Makuvire had never heard of the Sandlot brand, but she expressed excitement for the upcoming addition, especially since it will be close to Howard.
“I really do love how he’s connecting the students already, to get their input and to have their voices heard,” Makuvire said. “Anything that brings our community together is really great.”
Derrek Niec-Williams, executive director of campus planning, architecture & development in Howard’s Real Estate Development and Capital Asset Management office, said Howard owns several properties off campus and has owned the land where Sandlot Uptown will be for over 20 years.
“CVS moved out of that property and left it vacant. And so the university has an interest in making sure that those properties don’t remain in that kind of state. Because, you know that’s not a good look,” he said.
Niec-Williams said they found Sandlot to be their best option for a short-term occupant of the space by speaking to community members and “interviewing a couple of different stakeholders and candidates.” Callender said Sandlot Uptown has a multiyear license agreement with the university.
Jimmie Drummond, a class of 2013 Howard graduate who previously taught as an adjunct professor at the university, will lead the design-build of Sandlot Uptown. Callender said the site will have an indoor and outdoor capacity of 500 people. While there will be no kitchen, events with food options will be outside in what he referred to as the “Summer Garden.” People will use the old loading dock garage door to move in and out of the space.
This is not Callender’s first time undergoing a task like this. Each Sandlot location caters to the neighborhood it opens in.
“[Sandlot] Southwest is more sports-driven; at Audi Field, we’ll do the pregame stuff. Georgetown is more fashion forward, where we do the flea markets and the normal for Friday to Sunday cadence,” Callender said. “Anacostia: live music, concerts, gogo, like your larger festival experiences, 1000 plus people.”
He plans to allow students to utilize the space and have community-oriented events.
“You know, it’s like, hey, we’ll do a farmers market out there for the community like ‘The People’s Market’, get them out there having that sense of engagement,” Callender said. “But then do gallery experiences as well with the COFA students, or maybe a big artist that wants to come and do some stuff.”
Howard does not have a traditional student center like other universities. Sandlot Uptown could serve a similar purpose, and students like Makenzie Humphrey, a freshman legal communications major, said she would appreciate that. However, she wishes the Sandlot was closer to Howard’s campus.
“I do think that it’s really far,” Humphrey said. “Like I’d love it if it were on The Yard or something, but the thought itself is really great.”
Callender originally wanted to name the space “Sandlot Howard,” but the university did not agree to that. After brainstorming, he landed on “Sandlot Uptown.” Niec-Williams said Callender entered a contract with the university in agreement that the Sandlot would not use Howard’s brand.
“In standard agreements that the university signs of this nature, the university has to provide explicit written permission to use Howard University’s name or brand in association with projects,” Niec-Williams said.
He explained this policy is in place to avoid damaging Howard’s reputation and to give more creative flexibility to people like Callender.
“There are lots of reasons why,” he said. “The university wants to protect its brand.”
Although they can’t use Howard’s brand, Callender hopes to give back to the Howard community with Sandlot Uptown.
“To be able to touch multi-generational [people] is key, but again it goes back to an institution that has bred so many generations, so this is also a great mental exercise for myself,” he said.
Copy edited by Anijah Franklin
