809 Upshur St NW, the red brick building that used to be a small church and is now vacant, will be a restaurant focusing on pizza, Timber Pizza Co.

According to a neighbor who saw them out taking pictures of the building and confirmed later by Popville, Timber Pizza will open a local restaurant featuring their wood-fired pizzas. I've reached out to one of the property owners as well as Timber Pizza and will update as I hear more.

Update: I spoke with Andrew Dana, one of the owners of Timber Pizza, and he confirmed they're planning on opening in late fall or early winter, later this year. "It's true! We are incredible excited to become a part of the Petworth family!"

According to their website, I think this would be their first location besides a food truck:

"A few years back at a local tech company, Washington native Andrew Dana and Annapolis local Chris Brady met and became buddies who shared two primary passions in life: pizza and basketball.

The Timber guys serve authentic wood fired pizza using only the freshest local ingredients and incorporating new twists on traditional favorites. They can be found anywhere from local farmers markets to wineries/breweries and are available to cater your next private event." (Timber Pizza About page)

It'll be nice to see this location cleaned up and offering services to the community. While many were hoping for a retail business (I heard a masseuse was looking at this spot), a local pizza joint is pretty good. Maybe give Red Rocks a challenge?

6/11/15 Update: Read my interview with Andrew Dana, owner of Timber Pizza Co.