Is the National Bank of Washington Building Cursed?
Just listen to the history of this building at the corner of 14th and G NW: It was built in 1925 and designed by architects Alfred Blossom and Jules Henri de Sibour. Its first occupant, Federal American Bank, fell victim to the Great Depression in 1933, and collapsed, MarketWatch reports. Occupant No. 2 was the National Bank of Washington, which was closed in 1990 after it collapsed. Then, Riggs National Bank took over, but never moved in. Still, it eventually landed in hot water for allegedly laundering money for Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, and was sold to PNC Bank in 2005. Hahn Shoes, one of the building's lower-level retail stores, filed for bankruptcy in June 1995, and closed that August. And now, the curse appears to have thwarted the efforts of the Minneapolis-based Cafesjian Family Foundation to convert it into a five-story Armenian Genocide Museum. The museum was making headway until Sept. 11. The US needed Turkey's military facilities and therefore had to keep them happy. Turkey has never acknowledge the Armenian genocide, which means plans for the museum were put on hold. Now the Armenian Genocide Museum and Memorial Inc. has fallen behind on bills and property taxes and not raised enough money for the project. Building owners are looking at the possibility of turning the site into a flagship outlet. However, the Armenian group hasn't given up on a memorial in the capital. Last month, in recognition of the 100th anniversary, the Armenian Assembly of America launched an online museum. [MW]
