Here's the plan: raise a mere $500 million over the next 10 years to fix the National Mall.
Developer Chip Akridge regularly jogs it, saw how seedy it was, and over the last five years
negotiated to create a 501(c)(3) "Trust for the National Mall." Yesterday he corralled 600 friends
for its first fundraising event. They put up a big tent, served an elegant luncheon of roasted
escolar on cucumber mint slaw, encouraged guests to wear straw hats, and invited a lot of
civic-minded people of means. Presto, they're on the road to restoring turf, improving restrooms,
and shoring up the sinking Tidal Basin.
Developer Sonny Small, his sister Susan Savitsky, and their legendary dad, developer Albert Small.
Sonny tells us he stepped down 60 days ago from WCI (to whom he had sold luxury homebuilder
Renaissance Housing in '05), is spending more time with his dad, and also marketing 1000
Connecticut Avenue that the Smalls own with the Gewirz and Kaplan families.
Besides Chip Akridge in the summery blue at the head of the table, we see some familiar faces
around the table like Vornado director (and late Charles E. Smith son-in-law) Bob Kogod, developer
Jim Abdo, Cafritz Foundation head Calvin Cafritz, and on the near left, in uniform, Director of
the National Park Service Mary Bomar.
Patricia Moore (wife of architect Arthur Cotton Moore) spruces up this array of real estate
groupies that also includes SmithGroup's Coke Florence, Staubach's Bob Peck, Arent Fox's Ed Rich,
developer Herb Miller, and National Building Museum President Chase Rynd.
Transwestern uber-broker Ken Marks, right, with AOL founder and "ubiq-thropist" (our word for
ubiquitous philanthropist) Jim Kimsey, and former Fannie Mae CEO (now Revolution Health investor
and director) Frank Raines. Ken tells us he's entrusting son Greg, a college junior, to colleague
Gerry Trainor for a summer stint in the DC office (Ken's in Bethesda). Always risky: When Greg
sees how Gerry mints money, he may want to drop out and start permanently.
