What Goes Down Must Come Up

You just can't help but stare - but it's okay. The Rosslyn Best Western (pictured) succumbed to the wrecking ball this week to make way for Turnberry Tower, a luxury highrise condo that is to take its place in Spring 2008. The project, after several fits and starts under other names and other developers, is being developed by Turnberry Ltd. of Florida. The 247-unit condo will be decidedly more upscale from the hotel it replaces, with condominiums beginning in the low $800's (thousands, of course) and topping $6m for its penthouse with more than 5000 s.f. All units will have private terraces; and valet parking and elevator access directly into the unit are some of the options available. BBG-BBGM Architects is designing the building for Turnberry, but the new construction isn't nearly as cool as watching the wrecking ball smash the hotel to bits.

At 26 stories, Turnberry Tower will be one of the tallest buildings in the region, competing in height (and sales) with Waterview by JBG, a new condo going up 2 blocks away that has now topped out at 29 stories. Condo sales for Turnberry began in June 2005.

As the Turnberry Turns...

In our latest installment of the Turnbery Towers tale, the Best Western Hotel, located at 1850 North Fort Myer Drive in Rosslyn, has officially closed, making way for construction of this new high-end condominium building. The Turnberry Group is expected to strip the interior of the hotel down to the studs, as well as start demolition of the exterior of the building this October. Official groundbreaking for the new residential building is set for January 2007. The 247 condos at Turnberry Towers (ranging from 1-bedroom to 3-bedroom (configurable to 5-bedroom) units) start at $800,000 and go up to $7 million for the penthouse (slightly higher than the typical night’s stay at the Best Western) – Turnberry reports that approximately 30 percent of the units have already sold. While all units feature amenities such as Miele appliances and terraces, the units are to be delivered "designer-ready" – it’s up to you to finish them. When complete, Turnberry Towers, designed by BBG-BBGM, will be the tallest building in Rosslyn, and the most expensive in the DC region to boot.

Arlington Virginia commercial real estate news