2100 L Street Delivers

If you think of West End office buildings as being largely bland, dated and indistinguishable, you are largely correct, or at least you were.  One project just completing that may serve as a coda on that visual mediocrity (yes there are exceptions) is 2100 L Street, which has just completed, and recently saw the addition of an exterior "veil" that adds a striking and reflective embellishment to the glass exterior.  DC-based Akridge is putting the final touches on what it hopes will be a class A LEED platinum certified building, which it developed as part of a deal with the District of Columbia to resurrect the Thaddeus Stevens school (which will complete in August) and surrounding lot.  2100 L will sport a rooftop terrace and lounge and exterior courtyard adjacent to the Stevens school.

Gary Martinez of Martinez and Johnson (as base building architects) and OTJ (a commercial interior design firm), combined forces to design the building, and the two companies in fact merged halfway through the project.  But the exterior "dynamic texture" was courtesy of Jan Hendrix of Mexico City, who designed the stainless steel leaf structure evocative of the willow oak tree, a vision that was fabricated by Kansas City based Zahner (a website worth browsing for a visual trip).  Akridge planned the office building on spec, but signed Morrison & Foerster before construction actually started, says David Toney of Akridge, and has now leased more than half the office space.  Morrison & Foerster will move into its space in January of next year.

click image for photo gallery

Martinez, who has seen the project through from the outset more than 10 years ago, spoke to the desire he and Akridge had to make the project stand out from the surrounding buildings, while not overwhelming the Stevens school next door.  "We had to work through HPRB to get approval due to the school, but we projected the building out 4 feet over the property line on the corner, then leading up to the school the building is set back 4 feet to allow a better vision and emphasize the historic school."

Martinez said the design took its influence from the 10' by 10' grid that has dominated architecture of the last two decades, "adding a sculptural piece, almost hanging free from the building, a piece of art apart from the glass box underneath."  Martinez hopes the artistic portion will become a new paradigm within the architectural community.  As for the suddenly perplexing issue of office worker health, Martinez said the building already had some of the touchless features now obligatory, but that OTJ was working on a more holistic approach including mechanical and design changes to future buildings, considering what changes might be permanent and what might be temporary given the long lead time for such buildings.  "A lot changes over 10 years."

Project:  2100 L Street

Address:   2100 L Street, NW, Washington DC

Developer: Akridge, Argos Group

Architect: Martinez & Johnson, OTJ Architects, WDG (architect of record)

Use: 190,000 s.f. office building

Expected Completion:  Summer 2020

Washington D.C. retail and real estate development news

Thaddeus Stevens School

Development of the Thaddeus Stevens school is, after more than a decade of attempts, nearing completion.  The District government began the process with a solicitation in 2008 that saw Equity Residential selected as the developer, an award that was revoked over controversy with the developer and selection process.  A second solicitation occurred in 2011 eventually led to the selection of Akridge and the Argos Group as public-private partnership with the District government to renovate the school and build on the adjacent land.  Both projects are now nearing completion, with the Stevens School scheduled to open for the start of the next school year in August.

click image for photo gallery

The two-part development project saw the construction of 2100 L Street as an office building surrounding the Stevens school, and a full renovation of the school as an expansion for School Without Walls.  Akridge's involvement in the school building will cease once exterior construction has completed this summer.

The school, "the first modern school in the District built for African-American students,” built in 1868 for children of freed slaves, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and even hosted First Child Amy Carter in the 1970's.  The surrounding block has recently undergone a massive transition with new projects and redevelopments, a new Ruth's Chris across the street and DC's second Proper 21 opening imminent.

Thaddeus Stevens, a staunch abolitionist member of Congress from Gettysburg, is perhaps remembered more vividly from his depiction in "Lincoln" by Tommy Lee Jones.

Project:  Stevens School

Address:   1050 21st Street, NW, Washington DC

Developer:  Akridge, Argos Group

Architect:  OTJ Architects, Martinez & Johnson

Use:  School

Expected Completion: August 2020

Washington D.C. retail and real estate development news

West End Development Raising Tensions. Again.

As developers prepare for a massive redevelopment effort in DC's West End, following years of battle over the nature of development, yet another fight is brewing, this time over where to put the temporary fire station. An open field in the West End is on a short list of potential sites, but some neighbors say that park, Francis Field, is not the ideal spot.  Ultimately, the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) must decide on a temporary site for the station, but the issue is already raising tensions.

Current West End Fire Station. Image: Gary Griffith

The West End fire station, as well as the West End Library and the Special Operations Division for the Metro Police Department, must relocate in 2013 when Eastbanc begins work on redevelopment of two West End parcels, one of which houses the fire station.  The city awarded the lots to a team of private developers in 2010 under the agreement that they would rebuild the West End Library and the fire station, in addition to building condominiums and retail space.  The process has been blocked by a Ralph Nader-led advocacy group claiming to protect the public library.

In the meantime, the city must find a temporary location for the fire station.

Work on Francis Field. Image: Gary Griffith

DMPED confirms that it has three sites on its short-list for the fire station: Francis Field on 25th St. NW between M and N Streets, the tennis courts on 23rd St. between N and P Streets, and the vacant Stevens School at 1050 21st St.  Each of the sites presents some awkwardness for a temporary fire station location. The city awarded Stevens School, vacant since 2008, to another private developer in September.  The tennis courts are located in a residential area, making them a less likely alternative.  Francis Field, the final possibility, is therefore drawing scrutiny.  But a group called Friends of Francis Field argues that relocating the fire station there would destroy hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of recent investments in the park. 

Gary Griffith of Friends of Francis Field said his group worked to raise $350,000 through a zoning process for renovations to the field in 2010.  Those improvements, made by the developer Vornado when it built West End 25, involved planting trees and putting up a fence, among other things.  "We don't think that those renovations should be undone," Griffith told DCMud.  "We think it would be a bad precedent on the part of the District...what other private company would ever want to put funds into a public park if the District were just going to tear it out?"

Work on Francis Field in 2010. Image: Gary Griffith

Griffith said the Steven's School might be the best suitable temporary location, but the District has already awarded it to a private developer.   "In giving away all these buildings to private developers, they have got nowhere to put the fire station."  Griffith questions the city's planning and timing surrounding the sell-off and temporary relocation of public infrastructure.  "We think that the deputy mayor has created this problem and he should solve it without taking away needed district property."

Jose Sousa, deputy chief of staff with DMPED, told DCMud that DMPED had been working with the National Park Service to discuss the feasibility of the tennis courts and Francis Field as possible sites for the fire station. Sousa said representatives from DMPED and Fire and Emergency Medical Services (FEMS) would be meeting with with ANC2A and ANC2B next week to "share additional information about the benefits and challenges associated with each of the proposed sites."

"Our goal is to try to come to an accord on this in the near future. We've been working closely with the office of Councilmember Evans on this as well," Sousa wrote in an email to DCMud.

For now, the Friends are looking to the West End Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 2A take a stand on the issue.  Although the ANC is not a decision-making body, its recommendation could have sway with the city.   The fire station temporary location issue is on the ANC2A agenda for November 14th.  No matter what the city's decision, it seems no one is likely to be happy.

Rendering for the redevelopment of Francis Field (completed) - Image: Public Record

West End Hotel Construction Begins

OTO Development has begun work on the Hilton Garden Inn at 22nd and M Streets, in DC's West End neighborhood.  The project had been on hold for years as a previous team sought to put a fashionable "1 Hotel" on the site, but failed to get the project off the ground.  Turner Construction, the general contractor on the project, began site work last week.

OTO, based in Spartanburg, SC, is one of the three developers partnering to build the West End Hilton, along with newly-formed partnership including Starwood Capital Group and Perseus Realty, LLC, a partnership that brought the financing needed to start construction.  Shalom Baranes of Georgetown is architectural firm designing the terracotta and brick, 10-story, 237-room hotel, which will feature a second-floor, landscaped courtyard, meeting rooms, a rooftop garden and pool and a green roof.

West End Hilton Garden Inn, Washington, DC

The 15,600 s.f. lot at the corner of 22nd and M has been dormant since 2008 when the site's original developer demolished the Nigerian Embassy to make way for a boutique hotel.  Starwood then planned a luxury hotel but failed to secure financing for the concept.



In 2011, developers sought permission to modify the site plans and instead of a boutique eco-luxury creation, they announced plans for a Hilton Garden Inn (a brand categorized as upscale mid-priced) with 237 rooms, along with Shalom Baranes and OTO Development as a third development partner.  Although neighbors complained about the "fanny pack crowd that would frequent the hotel, the choice proved easier to finance.

The hotel will also feature a ground-floor restaurant and bar with indoor-outdoor seating opening onto the street on the corner of 22nd and M, and is the beginning of Hilton's play into more urban areas.

Washington D.C. real estate development news

EastBanc's West End Project Encounters More Legal Hurdles

The redevelopment of West End's library and fire station--that long running saga--has hit another speed bump. EastBanc-W.D.C. Partners LLC, the development team, had spoken optimistically about breaking ground in 2012, but it looks like a lawsuit filed by a library watchdog group will push that back until March 2013 at the earliest.

It's been a long road. The development team--which consists of EastBanc, The Warrenton Group, Dantes Partners, and L.S. Caldwell & Associates--was granted the project in 2007, then lost it due to community outcry that there hadn't been a fair bidding process. In 2010, they won a competitive bid, beating out one other competitor, and since then have held some 70-odd meetings (by their own count) to keep the community abreast of plans. 

The project has always been a complicated one. It includes two separate parcels: one, Square 37, sits at the corner of 24th and L streets and includes the low-rise, funky West End Library, as well as a police operations facility and a parking lot; the other is Square 50 at 2225 M Street and and includes the West End fire station. EastBanc won the project by promising to rebuild the library and fire station; in return, the city gave the developers the land, then valued at $20 million, for free.

And therein lies the problem. The DC Library Renaissance Project, an organization founded by Ralph Nader to improve the city's library system, claims that EastBanc is dodging the affordable housing requirements that exist under the city's newish inclusionary zoning policy by calling the library and firehouse "amenities."

"We don't understand why [the library and firehouse] would count on the balance sheet of the PUD process for the developer," explained Robin Diener, director of the DC Library Renaissance Project. "The city is selling the land to EastBanc. They're not giving money, they're giving new facilities as payment." As a result, says Diener, the developers should still provide a certain percentage of affordable housing in each square as required under inclusionary zoning.

But the DC Zoning Commission agrees with EastBanc. This spring, the commission granted the developer's application for a map amendment for Square 37. And in June, when the DC Library Renaissance Project applied for a reconsideration of that decision, the Zoning Commission denied their effort, writing, "The enhanced level of service that will result from the construction of the new library and fire station so clearly will enhance the neighborhood that they set a benchmark in excellence for any future requests for Inclusionary Zoning waivers through the PUD process."

In response, the library advocates filed a notice last week in the DC Court of Appeals that they intend to appeal the Zoning Commission's decision, not an idle threat since the group has been at least partially successful in stopping the project since at least 2006.

"We're certain there's no merit, but we'll file a brief arguing that no, the Zoning Commission didn't make mistakes in its decision," said Joe Sternlieb, EastBanc's vice president for real estate acquisitions, in response to questions about the suit. "It can take up to a year, and can cost developers up to $1 million to defend. It's really a nuisance suit."  When will the issue be resolved? "The courts will decide," said Sternlieb. "Hopefully before March."

Despite the threat hanging over its head, EastBanc is moving forward. Sternlieb said that the Square 37 project has gathered all the necessary approvals, including from the Commission on Fine Arts, and the firehouse is almost there. The company is currently working out construction documents and getting financing in place, and Sternlieb is hopeful that they could still break ground in March 2013.

The project, which is being designed by TEN Arquitectos, WDG Architecture and Lemay Erickson Willcox Architects, hasn't changed substantially since 2010 (though TEN hasn't bothered to add the project to its website). Square 37 will become a 10-story building with a library and roughly 7,000 square feet of ground floor retail that faces 23rd Street--including a coffee shop on the corner, adjacent to the library--plus 164 market rate units above. That section does not include any affordable housing.

But the fire station portion does; in fact, all 61 rental units will be priced at 60 percent of the area median income. Some of those units are created under the inclusionary zoning policy, but EastBanc said it couldn't afford to make the entire building affordable without assistance, and so the District kicked in an extra $7 million to go the final distance.

Robin Diener and her colleagues aren't happy about that. Given that the two sites comprise some of the most valuable land in the District, they believe the initial development deal should have been structured so that the city made, rather than spent, money on it.

But neighborhood groups, including the West End Library Friends, Foggy Bottom Association, and the ANC covering the region, overwhelming support the project. 

Washington D.C. real estate development news

West End Hotel Ready to Start Construction

The future Hilton Garden Inn in DC's West End

In a deal that marks a step forward for a hotel project at 22nd and M - on hold for four years - developers are set to close Wednesday on construction financing for the project, OTO Development CEO Corry Oakes told DCMud.

If the deal closes today and construction moves forward in a few weeks as developers expect, deep-rooted weeds on the prominent corner in DC's West End neighborhood may soon be gone, salving neighbors' ire.

"We're very excited about moving this long-awaited project forward and becoming part of the community," Oakes said.  He said contractors would break ground on the Hilton Garden Inn, planned for 2201 M Street, within weeks.

Turner Construction will be the general contractor on the project, Oakes said.  OTO, based in Spartanburg, SC, is one of the three developers partnering to build the West End Hilton Garden Inn, a partnership which also includes Starwood Capital Group and Perseus Realty, LLC.  Also Wednesday, the three partners were due to close on a deal consummating their joint venture agreement.

Shalom Baranes of Georgetown is architectural firm designing the terracotta and brick, 10-story, 237-room hotel, which will feature a second-floor, landscaped courtyard, meeting rooms, a rooftop garden and pool and a green roof, according to a project architect.

The corner of 2nd and M has been an empty lot for years

The 15,600 square-foot lot at the corner of 22nd and M hasn't seen action since 2008 when the site's original development team demolished the Nigerian Embassy to make way for a boutique hotel. Developers later abandoned plans for a Starwood "eco-luxury hotel", billed as a "1 Hotel", when they couldn't secure financing for the structure.  They settled on the Hilton Garden Inn brand instead, but by the time developers applied to revise their permits, many neighbors and West End leaders had already gotten excited about the "1 Hotel" concept.    

"During the zoning hearings, I was not shy about my disappointment that the concept switched from the 1 Hotel to the Hilton Garden Inn, as I felt the West End really didn't need more hotels and at least the 1 Hotel was interesting, both as a destination concept and architecturally," West End ANC2A commissioner Rebecca Coder wrote in an email to DCMud Monday. "However, at this juncture the neighborhood simply wants the corner activated."

Developers abandoned plans for this "eco-luxury" hotel

In the project's beginning, developers included Starwood and Perseus with Oppenheim as the architect.  Original plans for the site called for a 150-room, 23-suite hotel, under the Starwood Capital "global eco-luxury" hotel brand "1 Hotel", featuring an organic day spa among other features built to LEED standards.

Years passed.  The lot sat empty, but D.C. wasn't the only place so-called "eco-luxury" hotels, envisioned to cater to a niche market of über-wealthy lovers of greenness and light, weren't sprouting.  According to HotelChatter.com, Starwood's plans for a 1 Hotel in Seattle were withering too, along with the economy. Starwood started excavations for a 1 Hotel in Seattle, but later re-filled the hole and the lot reverted to a parking lot when it couldn't secure financing for the project, according to the Seattle Times.

Then, sometime between the nadir of the financial crisis and the birth of Occupy Wall Street, developers decided to change course on plans for 22nd and M after Perseus contacted more than 40 lenders, all of whom declined to finance the West End 1 Hotel project.

In 2011, developers sought permission to modify the site plans and instead of a boutique eco-luxury creation, they announced plans for a Hilton Garden Inn (a brand categorized as upscale mid-priced) with 237 rooms.  The new incarnation now included Shalom Baranes as the architect, and OTO Development, a hotel development company based in Spartanburg, South Carolina, as a third development partner.  Changes included a redesign of the exterior façades, an increase in the number of rooms and a three-foot reduction in height to 107 feet, and 53 parking spaces in a valet-operated garage.  There were neighbors who balked.

Plans for the Hilton Garden Inn at 22nd and M, West End, DC

"Some neighbors have already said they fear the new hotel will attract "the fanny-pack crowd" to the West End neighborhood," the neighborhood group West End Friends wrote on their web site last year after an ANC2A meeting when developers presented their new plans.

But if hotel site plan changes sparked West End fears of fanny packs, site developers and project architects maintain there is no need to fret about that.  "This is very much upscale for the Hilton Garden Inn brand," lead project architect Patrick Burkhart said.

Burkhart said the hotel would feature a second-floor, landscaped terrace with outdoor seating areas, and a lobby with a fireplace, monumental staircase, and a water feature with plants cascading from the second-level terrace.  The hotel will also feature a ground-floor restaurant and bar with indoor-outdoor seating opening onto the street on the corner of 22nd and M. Burkhart said the hotel marks a move by the Hilton Garden Inn brand into more urban areas, including D.C. where he said it would be the District's third.

West End Hilton Garden Inn, Washington, DC

With a new hotel, the corner will see more activity in years to come.  Demand is up for hotel rooms in the District.  According to Jan Freitag,  Senior Vice President with STR Global, a hotel industry benchmarking and consulting company based in Hendersonville, TN, data shows 10.5 million rooms were sold in the first five months of this year in the Washington, D.C. market, 1.5 percent more than last year.  "More people are coming to DC."

At least some of those people may soon be destined for 22nd and M.  Lucky for the West End, even fanny packs can be luxurious too.

Your Next Place

By Franklin Schneider

A name can be so evocative. This place, for example, is located in the "Ritz Residences," so you know pretty much what you're going to get before you even walk in the door. Class, sophistication, timelessness, and various other virtues not at all embodied by my ironic mullet. (What, it's a commentary on contemporary mores. Also, it keeps my neck warm.)

And this place certainly lives up to expectations. Two entire walls of the elegant living room are floor-to-ceiling windows, opening onto a stunning view of the city. The formal dining room features more huge windows and a low-slung, very ritzy chandelier. The long, roomy kitchen features tons of cabinet space, a breakfast room, and a balcony. Then there's the master suite, which boasts another private balcony, and a palatial master bath that has more marble in it than many museums. There's a den (to do all your dennin' in) and all the bedrooms have, yes, massive windows, much like the rest of the place.


Amenities include a round-the-clock-concierge, two parking spaces AND valet parking to go with them. If you're a terrible driver like me, you know how much stress valet parking can alleviate. The last time I drove a car, I was sitting at a stoplight doing totally fine, until for some reason I thought to myself, “boy would it be bad if I suddenly forgot which pedal was the accelerator and which was the brake!” It was like that mental trick where you tell yourself, “don't think about a purple polar bear,” and then that's all you can think about. Next thing I knew, I was careening backwards at 30mph down a narrow one-way street. The only reason I didn't crash was because of my uncanny ability to drive in reverse at high speeds. (Not really, I hit a construction dumpster. Luckily, it wasn't my car.)

1111 23rd Street NW Unit S5A
3 Bedrooms, 3.5 Baths
$2,000,000

Washington D.C. real estate news