Humane Society plans new headquarters in Northeast

By Michael Neibauer DC Examiner Staff Writer

The Washington Humane Society is planning to consolidate its shelter and administrative functions under a single roof on New York Avenue Northeast in an effort to replace its deteriorating facilities scattered throughout the city. The 137-year-old society, which rescues and shelters roughly 20,000 animals annually both privately and for the D.C. government, is asking the District to sell $5 million in revenue bonds to move the project forward. Under the deal, the Humane Society would repay the debt in full for the tentatively titled National Capital Area Animal Care Center, group spokeswoman Tara deNicolas said. “We have three different facilities that all are aging and need a lot of work and are not the vision of what animal care in Washington should be,” deNicolas said.

The society’s private shelter is located in an old row house on Georgia Avenue. The existing public shelter on New York Avenue, owned by the District, is more than 40 years old. Both shelters require major renovations and have little space for animals, much less office space and work space for staff, the society said, forcing it to rent a third center on Eastern Avenue for administration and to contract with private kennels for overflow. Staff and operations, according to a society statement, are far from cohesive.

The new center is tentatively slated to be completed in five years. Its exact location has not yet been released. The society focuses on rescuing animals, preventing suffering through education, producing spay/ neuter campaigns and enforcing the District’s anti-cruelty laws. In partnership with Alley Cat Allies, the group is slated to open a new regional spay-and-neuter facility in September at 1001 L St. SE, a center designed to facilitate 30,000 lowcost operations annually.