SOLD: Whitman, Unit 610

Unit 630 is now under new ownership.

According to building residents, Joseph Honaker, who had rented his unit in The Whitman to anti-gay marriage leader Reverend Harry Jackson, has sold the property. The move closes a chapter for residents of the Convention Center condominium, many of whom were surprised to learn that the leader of the anti-marriage iniative claimed to live in their midst.

The arrangement facilitated Bishop Harry Jackson's ability to claim District residency and serve as the primary proponent of an initiative to reverse a D.C. law recognizing same-sex marriages performed in other states.

According to documents we filed with the Board of Elections prompted by a Washington Blade investigation, Jackson owned 2 homes in Silver Spring, and he worked and voted in Maryland. Whitman residents, including those living in adjacent units, reported that they had not seen Jackson in the building or that he would only stop in occasionally. In addition, the rental agreement appeared to be in violation of condominium's bylaw that placed a cap on the number of units that could be rented in the building.

Honaker purchased the condo for $669,900 when the building first came online in May 2007. The recent sale price has not yet been reported.

Jackson traded his $3,700.00 per month (yes, that's what the lease says) one-bedroom unit at the Whitman for a posh new apartment located near National's Park, according to documents filed with the D.C. Board of Elections to maintain his voter registration. The month-to-month lease is a relative steal at $2,082 per month. In fact, the apartment has thrown in three months of free rent and parking.

Jackson states that he "moved into" the Whitman on April 10 and "moved out" by June 20. I guess he just packed up his petition and left. Reverend Jackson, we hardly knew you.

The "move was precipitated by Mr. Honaker's decision to resume living in the District and my concern for protecting my family from the threats prompted by my involvement with the recent Referendum Concerning the Jury and Marriage Amendment Act of 2009," according to a letter to the registrar of voters filed by Jackson's Alliance Defense Fund attorney and an affidavit signed by Jackson.

But Honaker's sale confirms that he had no intention of moving back into his Whitman condo. Were Whitman residents so threatening to Reverend Jackson?