Friendship Heights Alliance Creates Colorful Venue for Teen-Led Concert
WASHINGTON, DC, MAY 22, 2025 ⸺ This weekend, the Friendship Heights Alliance is hosting a youth-led concert and simultaneously activating a new, welcoming plaza in front of the former Lord & Taylor building.
Teen Time Machine, a free, all-ages outdoor concert, will take place this Saturday from 3–6 pm. The event is produced by the Friendship Heights Youth Advisory Council, and will feature three teen bands The Frizz, Hi Def and Silas Frickert Jazz Ensemble. Each band will perform original music and nostalgic hits from the ’70s, ’90s, and early 2000s—soundtracking a journey through time and shared public spaces.
“We’ve transformed the empty space near the old Lord & Taylor building,” said executive director Natalie Avery. “This placemaking work is a key component of our efforts to help people reimagine spaces in the neighborhood when they see them filled with activity, people, color, and art.”
This is the inaugural year for the Alliance’s Youth Advisory Council, which includes high school students from Bethesda-Chevy Chase and Jackson-Reed high schools. The group contributes fresh perspectives and insights about the neighborhood, and has been involved in the Alliance’s placemaking, place management, and neighborhood visioning work. The Council also created a zine to encapsulate their first year that shares their perspectives and ideas on revitalizing Friendship Heights through the eyes of local teens.
Details: Saturday, May 24, 2025, 3-6 pm
Location: Lord and Taylor Mural, 5255 Western Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20015
RSVP on Eventbrite
The Alliance worked with Metro’s Art in Transit program to install the mural on Metro property in the iconic arched doorways of the former Lord & Taylor building last year. Splitting Light includes seven, 17-foot-tall panels that fill the arches over the doorways fronting Western Avenue. Splitting Light was painted and designed by Jessie Unterhalter and Katey Truhn, the Baltimore-based artist team better known as Jessie and Katey. So as not to disturb the actual facade, the piece was painted in Baltimore on plywood panels, then installed by the team at Pipkin Creative.
The Alliance then received permission from Metro to install colorful Adirondack chairs and tables in front of the mural, which will serve as a perfect stage for the concert.
***More Events in May/June:
The Friendship Heights Alliance launched a robust events calendar this spring with more than 100 free community events throughout the neighborhood, and 14 events in May alone!
Sunday Commons: Experience the heart of Friendship Heights like never before! Sunday Commons is a new weekly gathering where neighbors can come together over engaging activities, live performances, and delicious food such as artisanal baked goods, farm-fresh produce, and more. Organized by Trishtan Foods, which also organized the Chevy Chase Farmers Market.
Sundays, April 27, May 4, 11, 25, June 1, 8, 15 (7 Sundays), 9 am - 12 pm
5210 Wisconsin Avenue NW, DC
Wellness Wednesdays for Employees: Lobby pop-ups to connect with Friendship Heights employees with giveaways, activities, food, raffles, and fun.
Wednesday, June 4, 9-11 am
Location: 5530 Wisconsin Avenue, MD
Visit the Alliance’s online events calendar for hundreds of neighborhood events this year organized by the Alliance and others, including the Shops at Wisconsin Place, The Collection at Chevy Chase, Alfio’s La Trattoria, The Heights Food Hall, and Milk Tree by Bell Studios.
About the Friendship Heights Alliance
The Friendship Heights Alliance envisions a more vibrant, dynamic, and inclusive future for Friendship Heights, with diversity in housing opportunities and retail experiences, and a people-friendly public realm. This place-focused nonprofit coordinates the community building needed to reinvigorate Friendship Heights, focusing on the commercial corridor along Wisconsin Avenue from Oliver Street in Montgomery County, Maryland, to Fessenden Street NW in Washington, DC. The Alliance is a 501(c)6 nonprofit created in 2021 to focus on public space management and coordination; increase collaboration amongst property owners in both Maryland and Washington, DC, as development continues; promote the neighborhood; and engage with residents and businesses. For more information or to get involved, contact hello@friendshipheights.com, visit friendshipheights.com, or follow the organization on Instagram @FriendshipHeightsAlliance.