See the earlier Bates blog post on 1611 1st St NW.
1611 1st St NW before construction of the pop-up
1611 1st St NW during construction of the pop-up
Now see this 06-03-2015 comment from a neighbor:
I noted a mention of the popup coming to Truxton Circle. It was, of course, referring to 1611 1st St. NW (the house that never stops hurting). That address has been a thorn in the neighborhood’s side for many years. It was home to drug traffickers. Their operations in the unit block of Q, the 100 and 200 block of Q and the alley which runs behind the unit block of Florida Avenue were headquartered at that address. Over the years, the police raided it several times and confiscated drugs, firearms, money and arrested fugitives. In the meantime, users littered the alley with drug paraphernalia, condoms, feces, urine and all sorts of trash. Thefts and burglaries were common there as was prostitution. The house had an enclosed backyard and their guard dogs would bark all night at the junkies and prostitutes who frequented the alley. The home was owned by an elderly grandmother and inhabited by her younger family members, some of whom were the problem. Things became so bad that the neighbors formed a group called the Triangle Association (a triangle is formed by Florida Avenue, 1st St. and Q St.). Meetings were held with the police, political representatives and the Atty. Gen.’s Office (which threatened the grandmother with declaring the property a nuisance). While the trafficking occasionally would abate, usually after some arrests, the problem never went away. A couple of years ago, the grandmother died. Unbeknownst to the younger generation, she had taken out a mortgage which drained out all of the equity. The mortgage was foreclosed, the drug traffickers evicted and the alley went quiet. The property was sold to developers for 600K and has ”popped up” three stories above every other house in the neighborhood (it appears to be well in excess of 50 feet and is seven floors counting the basement and roof deck). It can only be characterized as obscene. I am not against pop-ups, after all, these homes were built at the end of the 19th Century to house people who were much smaller or whose lifestyles required considerably less room. Space can be added to these old houses without offending the rest of the community. Unfortunately, when only the bottom line is considered, the neighborhood ends up on the short end of the stick with ugly. The developers will take their profit and go away, as did the drug traffickers, but the house will keep on hurting the neighborhood as it did for many years and will for many years to come.
Another neighbor provides this counterpoint:
Bates Area Civic Association 
Are you seriously comparing a popup to the problems an ingrained drug dealing family caused on that block for years. The worst that will happen is that there will be a parking problem when this building is complete. You will be able to enjoy your home a lot more than you ever did with the drug dealers. If you really hate it that bad keep protesting it, let the builder give up, stop work and then some more drug dealers can move back into it and wreak havoc on the neighborhood again. Ask yourself which on is uglier before making these comparisons. Drug dealer….popup…..I will go for the pop up every time
I have to agree with Mona. What is more likely to happen is the neighboring houses will, some day, also get popped up like this and the uniformity will be restored. That is always my thought when I hear complaints about the aesthetics of pop-ups. I understand and appreciate the concerns regarding density, but Shaw and Truxton and Bloomingdale are in high demand with limited inventory. And while parking will always be an issue in DC as it continues to grow, I would gladly have the residents of a few newly renovated/developed condos in that building as neighbors rather than the people who lived there before. The more this happens, the more attractive other areas of the neighborhood become for investment. I’ve love to see North Capitol street with new businesses and retail and flourish, but that won’t happen without some density to support it. And right now I’d take anything over what is there.
Also, that is not seven floors, even if you count the basement. It is four stories, five with the basement. I would imagine the final result will have a unit that is the basement plus first floor, then two more units above. But even if it ends up being four or five units, from the store you posted about the prior residents and the traffic in and out of that house when it was a drug den, I doubt there will be more people there than before.
Also, if C-2-A zoned, this appears to be in line with the requirements.
I also haven’t heard that this house was such a horrific pox on the neighborhood before the owners moved out. I spoke with a guy who owns a house next door to this one and he said he hadn’t had any problems at all with the house in question or its residents.
And I agree that comparing drug dealing and prostitution with popups is a little ridiculous. This whole anti-popup movement is getting out of control. What’s the rallying cry? “Popups threaten the fabric of our community” or something like that. Really? They threaten the architectural fabric, yes, but please don’t use the word community there. Not talking to or getting to know one’s neighbors is what really threatens the fabric of the community.