Wednesday, November 30, 2011

District Releases Stevens School Development Solicitation


The District government has released a solicitation for developers to further develop the Stevens school, a historic landmark, in downtown DC / West End. The District is seeking developers to renovate and expand the historic school, built in 1868 to educate the children of freed slaves, making use of the adjacent empty lot. The DC government does not specify a use for the building, but does note that the ANC has expressed a strong statement of support for an educational institution - and the School Without Walls in particular - to take over the space in a manner "consistent with its African American heritage."

The Thaddeus Stevens Elementary School at 1050 21st Street, NW, was closed by the Fenty administration during its school consolidation campaign, which issued a similar request for development proposals in late 2008, but later voided the winning bid. The District government selected apartment goliath Equity Residential as the winning bidder in 2009, but after 18 months of strong community opposition to its selection, the administration nixed the award and mothballed the building.

The school, "the first modern school in the District built for African-American students,” is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and even hosted First Child Amy Carter in the 1970's.

Washington D.C. real estate development news

1 comments:

Rebecca Coder on Dec 1, 2011, 10:19:00 PM said...

Ken, thank you for the post. The ANC is excited about the possibility of continuing Stevens' educational mission, and capitalizing the historic school's renovation through the commercial redevelopment of the surrounding land. By referencing SWW, our intent was to squash the myth held by some that a downtown location wouldn't attract students (SWW is but one example). It was not to indicate a preference for one operator over another. Thanks, Rebecca Coder, Current ANC 2A Chair

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