Monday, June 04, 2012

Construction Begins on Wonder Bread Building

Posted by Travis M. Andrews on 6/04/2012 01:53:00 PM
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Construction has begun on the historic Wonder Bread building at 641 S street, NW in Shaw.  Douglas Development will turn the factory into an office building with retail filling out the first floor.
Douglas purchased the buildings - 2- and 3-story structures totaling 60,000 s.f. built in 1921 - in 1997.  Though added density will be attached to the back of the building, the building’s historic façade will be retained.  R2L:Architect’s Sacha Rosen designed the renovations to the building.

Douglas had applied for landmark status for the building last year with the D.C. Preservation League, which supported Douglas's plans. The Wonder Bread building is next to Progression Place, which is also under construction to build 100,000 s.f. of office and 205 apartments on top of the Metro entrance.


Washington D.C. real estate development news

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

The most lofty building in town is getting renovated into office space?

Anonymous said...

hell has frozen over, though in true Douglas fashion early to buy, last to develop still holds true. Wonder if he ever paid all those back taxes he owed on that property

Anonymous said...

office?! What a waste....

Anonymous said...

Silly Posters. This building has a masonry exterior and therefore cannot be considered acceptable for new residential construction in the national capital region.

Anonymous said...

My bet is that the Project will turn out to be Another Tremendous Improvement to Washington, D.C., just as all the rest of Douglas Developments have been. Washington, D.C. should thank Douglas Development for his past and continual Renovations / Improvements !!!!

Bob See on Jun 7, 2012, 7:33:00 AM said...

"office?! What a waste...."

C-2-B zone, and office space is a good use I think.

"My bet is that the Project will turn out to be Another Tremendous Improvement to Washington, D.C."

The neighborhoods manage to improve despite Douglas Deveolpment, not because of them.

Anonymous said...

Would have been awesome if the Wonderbread building became a location for local artisans and bakers to sell fresh bread and other baked goods...or a Little Debbie factory outlet mall. Ha.

Anonymous said...

If the building is indeed landmarked, a lot more than just the facade will be saved. With rare exceptions, the days of the "facadomy" are gone, thankfully. The article could be a lot clearer about this, much as it would be informative to have a rendering showing R2L:Architect's proposed addition. In the past, I've seen versions that were 6-7 stories tall, substantially (if in my mind, quite acceptably) altering the character of the building and especially its relationship to its small-scale neighbors. I don't know where that landed.

Douglas Development's tendency to keep properties vacant and dilapidated for indefinite years or decades is maddening. Yet no other developer in DC is as independent of the corrosive influence of national development financiers, people for whom every development is a commodity, best when it most closely conforms to (bland) national norms. Despite their shortcomings, I wish DC had a dozen Douglas Developments.

Anonymous said...

It's a sin that this incredibly cool building was turned into that! What is wrong with DC? A little edge wouldn't hurt!

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