Washington, D.C
The Ned, a Luxe Membership Club Born in London, Is Coming to D.C.
The pinnacle of an Art Deco-era building near the White House will welcome two new restaurants this winter — but the masses won’t be able to actually eat there.
Meet Ned’s Club Washington D.C., an elite downtown club where members will mix and mingle across three upper floors formerly home to iconic institutions Riggs Bank and American Security and Trust Company (734 15th Street NW). The Ned, birthed in 2017 by a pair of Soho House bigwigs as “a space for the discerning” in London, expanded to NYC and Qatar’s capital of Doha in 2022. The fourth edition in D.C. will be its first club-only location that caters exclusively to members.
Up in NYC, the Ned is nestled in the 167-room NoMad hotel and features dining establishments the public can also enjoy. That includes Cecconi’s — a modern Italian restaurant serving pastas, pizza, and seafood — and Little Ned, a Prohibition-era cocktail bar with small plates and views of the Empire State Building.
In D.C., Ned’s Club will house two private restaurants called the Loft Restaurant and Rooftop Terrace. Members can dine and drink while soaking up 12th-story views of President’s Park, the 82-acre landscaped grounds that call the White House and the U.S. Treasury building home. Menu details are slim for now, other than the fact Ned’s plans to use local and global ingredients in its drinks and food. The executive chef will also be revealed soon.
The number of members Ned’s Club will accept in D.C. is TBD, and the fee to join is being finalized soon. Applications go live in May, but there’s a inquiry page here. The Ned comes from Soho House founder Nick Jones and billionaire investor Ron Burkle, whose public company Soho House & Co Inc. oversees both global brands.
Per the NY Post, Ned NoMad opened with a $5,000-annual membership fee (plus an $1,500 initiation charge) and immediately attracted A-listers like Leonardo DiCaprio and Rihanna. The under-30 set and existing Soho House members get a discounted rate.
The Ned, which originated in London’s former Midland Bank headquarters, gets its name from the building’s 1920s-era designer Sir Edwin ‘Ned’ Lutyens. The space includes a private members’ club, Ned’s Club, and a private events floor, alongside 10 restaurants and 250 bedrooms.
Ned’s Club Washington D.C., situated atop the 12-story Walker Building and an old bank, is going for a “Roaring ’20s” vibe. A 60,000-square-foot branch of nonprofit Milken Institute, which owns the six-building complex, is opening below next year.
“We’re not just providing physical spaces but an environment that reimagines networking, entertainment, dining and events in an iconic building and location that only D.C. could offer,” says group managing director Gareth Banner, in a statement.
Adaptive reuse of century-old downtown buildings into dining destinations is a hot trend right now, with NYC import La Grande Boucherie having just debuted nearby inside the old Federal-American National Bank Building.
The Ned’s interior spaces will sport their own names, like the Drawing Room and Conservatory. Rooms across the 10th floor pay tribute to former U.S. presidents. The Dining Room, filled with stained-glass fixtures, handsome wooden accents, and “sun-drenched dining settings,” is meant to evoke the Kennedy years. The Library transitions from a leisurely area by day to a nighttime lounge with an elegant bar and fireplace.
One permanent art collection entitled No President speaks to historic gender inequality in the nearby Oval Office with works from 46 American female artists. A second gallery will showcase all-local artists either born, raised, or trained here, with commissions ranging from “museum-level names” to rising talent.
Membership perks include monthly happenings like CEO-led workshops, rare whisky tastings, panel discussions, live music, and invites to offsite sporting and cultural events. Members across New York, London, and Doha can access all of Ned’s Clubs globally until the end of 2025.
Washington, D.C
House Republican questions DC’s encouragement of noncitizens to vote – Washington Examiner
House Administration Committee Chairman Bryan Steil (R-WI) is demanding answers from the Washington, D.C., Board of Elections over its encouragement of noncitizens to vote.
Steil sent a letter expressing his concern over the passing and promotion of the Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2022, which allows noncitizens to vote in local elections. A recent postcard from the board encouraging noncitizens to vote prompted his letter.
“American elections are for American citizens only,” Steil said. “Every American deserves to have confidence in their elections, and it does not instill confidence when we see our nation’s capital encourage non-citizen voting in local elections. I’m working to hold the D.C. Board of Elections accountable and stop non-citizen voting.”
The postcard in question gave instructions to noncitizens on how to sign up to vote but acknowledged they could only vote in local elections.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“As Chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on House Administration, which has broad oversight of our nation’s federal elections, I write today to express my concern about the District of Columbia’s Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2022 (‘Act’), which allows non-citizens to vote in local elections,” Steil’s letter reads. “Despite the Act’s passage by the District of Columbia (‘D.C.’) Council, federal law continues to prohibit non-citizens from voting in federal elections.”
Steil’s letter to the board included a demand for answers to various questions, including one asking if embassy personnel of foreign governments could vote to decide the affairs in the U.S. capital.
Washington, D.C
DC Mayor Bowser and police chief to testify to Congress on GWU campus protests – Washington Examiner
Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser and Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith will testify before the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday regarding the pro-Palestinian protests and encampment at George Washington University.
Officials from the House Oversight Committee and the mayor’s office confirmed to the Washington Examiner that both Bowser and Smith will appear before the committee as part of House Republicans’ “crackdown” on antisemitism spreading across college campuses due to the war in the Middle East.
The hearing, “Oversight of D.C.’s Response to Unlawful Activity and Antisemitism,” will begin at 1 p.m. on Wednesday. Both House Oversight and Education and the Workforce committees have demanded answers from district leadership over reports that police “refused” to clear pro-Palestinian encampments at the university.
“It is deeply disturbing that while GWU has attempted to take concrete measures to protect the safety of its Jewish student body from persecution and harassment, it is hindered by the MPD’s refusal to provide assistance clearing out the encampment, over fears of public criticism,” Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) and Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) wrote in a letter last week.
On Tuesday, Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) began circulating a letter to Bowser about the situation at George Washington University for other members to join. The letter says it is “well past time for District officials to intervene and protect all students on campus.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“As early as April 26, one day after the encampment was set up in University Yard, GW President Ellen Granberg requested MPD assistance. You ignored that request for help,” the letter said.
“GW has called upon you, as Mayor of Washington, DC, to step in and provide action and resources,” the letter continued. “You have an obligation to assist, and you should not hesitate any longer. As Mayor of Washington, DC, you must do more to eradicate hatred and protect all students on campus and local residents of Washington, DC. We would hope that you share my concerns and want to protect the community from hate.”
Washington, D.C
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