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Window designer Amy Herbert.
Photo by Andrew Lightman
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It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas on the Hill and one of the highlights for local residents is the Coldwell Banker window display at 605 Penn. Ave. SE. For almost a decade, many have strolled down the avenue, gingerbread latte in hand, just to see the miniature villages, moving reindeer, and oversized ornaments. And the story behind it is filled with as many interesting details as the display itself.
It all started with Capitol Hill’s own Phyllis Jane Young. Resident, realtor and 100% Santa’s helper, she’s been making holiday magic on the Hill since the mid 1970s. She was one of the forces behind “Christmas at the Market” years ago, which brought Santa to the plaza next to Tunnicliff’s where Phyllis and other volunteers handed out candy and snapped Polaroid’s of kids (and often adults) perched on Santa’s lap.
Then on a weekend trip to Rehoboth Beach, the self-described “ultimate shopper” came across a delightful store that had a host of Department 56 Christmas village miniatures at a discount price. With visions of Manhattan storefronts dancing in her head, she called Don Denton, VP and Managing Broker of her Coldwell Banker office, and pitched the idea of sprucing up their four bay windows for the holiday season. Not quite sure what he was getting himself into, he gave the green light and Phyllis headed home to DC, car stuffed like a stocking with over $6,000 worth of holiday cheer.
But just as her festive brainstorm was taking shape, September 11, 2001 shocked the nation. To lift the spirits of a grieving community, Phyllis said she was, “hell bent to make those windows come together.” So she put the word out for a genius who could bring her dream to life and found Bruce Starr, former Hill resident and current Philadelphia designer. He and his recent successor, Amy Herbert of H Designs, have both spent days transforming ridiculous amounts of staples, extension cords and spray foam into an annual window wonderland.
Throughout the years, this neighborhood exhibit has truly evolved. New pieces are added regularly, like the detailed renderings of neighborhood landmarks such as Riverby Books and Nationals ballpark (adapted from a Wrigley field miniature.) But there has also been a good deal of trial and error. Phyllis laughingly recalls a late night phone call from next door’s Henry’s staff imploring her to run to the window to see what was the matter: the electric train had jumped the tracks and was methodically ramming into the glass!
Thanks to the train wrecks of Christmas past, she has had to call on the help of a few local hobbyists to tinker with, dismantle, and clean them. Bill Phillips, a train enthusiast disguised as an investment and retirement consultant, has donated a lot of elbow grease to the cause. Amtrak employees, Bill Sales and Joe Markase, have also lent helping hands. And Phyllis even took a field trip to the Bronx Arboretum just to pick the train brains there.
But despite the decking drama, she agrees with her Coldwell Banker colleagues who said, “Don’t ever question why you did this.” From the kids’ noses pressed against the windows to the wistful stares of elderly couples, it has all been worth it. She wants it to be a holiday destination you can walk to - a modern day Norman Rockwell streetscape - and hopes that other businesses will follow suit.
So whether you’ve been naughty or nice, be sure to make the Coldwell Banker Christmas window display part of your holiday tradition this year. |
