An Addition Less Ordinary

by Beth Herman

Though art aficionados and friendly Francophiles Margaret Rubino and Sal Fiorito wanted more for their standard brick post war Chevy Chase, Md. home, an addition that spoke precisely the same language was not—in parlance of the country they adore—de rigueur.

Defying their standard two-story, 1,200 s.f. Colonial brick issue with a series of small rooms, including an inefficient kitchen also acting as a kind of hallway—a deterrent to their love of food and entertaining, Rubino, Fiorito and architect Steve Lawlor envisioned a kind of colossal glass room with a view, or perhaps two views.

One would extend outward to nature and the couple’s lush gardens, and the other, inherently more poetic, would foster an appreciation of an eclectic, intimate collection of the couple’s cherished art and objects. With all of that, the homeowners did seek some integration of the existing and new structures so that the addition wasn’t isolated “like an appendage,” Rubino said. Much like a disparate, though pleasurable piece of art categorized as mixed media, there needed to be cohesion between the elements.

Accordingly, a faux-Colonial fireplace was replaced with a gleaming marble surround, and openings between the rooms on the ground floor were notably enlarged so the inside of the house felt much more modern in light of the addition, Rubino explained. With Fiorito’s background in glasswork and architectural sculpture, an architectural glass front door he designed for the existing Colonial replaced a tired, traditional entrance, flanked by flush, contemporary porch lighting.

Mapplethorpe, machines and minestrone

“The addition itself is a reaction to the post war house—it’s not like we were trying to extract its DNA—we are playing off the house,” said architect Steve Lawlor. Referencing Leo Marx’s 1964 literary criticism “The Machine in the Garden,” a metaphor for contradictions in society and challenges to our own thinking or interior landscapes, Lawlor indicated the new space was to be a paean to the homeowners' unconventional tastes and ideals.

For globe-trekking interior and garden designer Rubino, owner of D.C.’s—and pre-9/11 NYC's—Rooms and Gardens (featuring early 20^th century French antiques, vintage and other kinds of French furnishings, art and garden art), a kitchen/gallery space in which to relax, entertain and quietly showcase decades of cherished art was the goal. Objects that included sculpture — such as polychrome bloody saint’s feet found in Paris, furnishings and photography(Rubino’d been photographed herself by Robert Mapplethorpe) featuring a Jim Sanborn radium clock image — clearly needed a platform, albeit an informal one. For Fiorito, a driving force for many years behind Washington’s emerging and burgeoning art scene, including the pioneering Washington Project for the Arts (WPA), a place to showcase his art collection as well as his love of cooking was high on the agenda.

Siting the new construction at the rear, the original living and dining rooms (the latter subsequently turned into a study) were left in the existing part of the residence, with the living room wall bumped out for a more fluid entry into the new space. The old kitchen became a side entrance, transformed into a mudroom and transitional point to the rest of the house. With the addition conceived of as one large space, a new terrace for al fresco dining can be accessed through ceiling-height glass doors that open to the outdoors.

Defined by sweeping glass and clad in low-maintenance Galvalume (sheet steel) siding and stucco, which worked well with the new space’s massing, the stark contrast to the existing structure’s nondescript brick is apparent. “Hardiplank or wood wouldn’t have looked right, and stone didn’t fit in with the aesthetic they were interested in,” Lawlor said.

Pendant lights and partial nudes

For the interior, the homeowners chose the finishes, and Fiorito built and/or installed them, including marble countertops, ipe flooring and a combination of stained, rift-cut wood and high-gloss lacquered cabinets. White walls act as a clean canvas. “It’s intended to be a relatively minimal palette to showcase the art,” Lawlor said, adding, “…it’s hard for me to tell in this project where the architecture ends and the interior design begins.”

Amiably called “provocative” in everything they do by the architect, the homeowners acquired a life-sized semi-nude (named Tanya) by photographer Chan Chao, featuring the result on a divided pantry door that projects into the space. “A partially-clad woman in the kitchen isn’t for everybody, but it’s exactly them,” Lawlor said, noting because most everything else is built in, the pantry door’s three-dimensional aspect makes it a real focal point.

“I can’t have full frontal nudity in the kitchen,” Rubino quipped, because of their young son. “But she’s actually more compelling the way she is.”

To court the sun and extend the addition’s vistas, fixed floor-to-ceiling light-cut windows, but with operable units at the bottom for ventilation, frame the garden as art.

When the sun goes down, eight Ko No aluminum pendant lights by Tre Ci Luce—six over the marble island and two over the kitchen table—that are lowered and raised manually provide ample task lighting on day-to-day activities. Additional low voltage recessed track lighting is “aim-able,” according to Lawlor, and can be directed toward the table, floor, walls or wherever favorite art and objects would benefit.

“The addition is probably more in the spirit of who the homeowners are than is the original house,” Lawlor said, noting the couple’s art is not just randomly collected, but infused with history and personal memories. “They wanted something different, something big and loft-like—an open space in which they can live with their art and feel comfortable.”

photos courtesy of Maxwell MacKenzie and Margaret Rubino

WPC's Wheaton Residential Project to Break Ground In May

Washington Property Company's 245-unit residential building at 10194 Georgia Avenue is on target for a spring groundbreaking, adding to the long list of greenlit revitalization projects in Wheaton. "We're out to bid now [for a general contractor], and hope to start construction in early May," said Daryl South, Vice President of Development for WPC. "Everything's ready to go."

Washington Property company acquired the 1.65-acre parcel, which is just steps from the Wheaton metro station, in 2005.

According to a site plan approved by Montgomery County planners in October of last year, the Preston Partnership-designed building will be a six-story u-shaped structure, opening to the south, with the interior space used for a swimming pool and greenspace. Designers used a "variety of masonry and glazing" as well as small parapets and height variations ... to minimize the sense of building mass." Underground, developers are shooting for at least 230 parking spaces spread over two levels, and will be required to offer 12.5% of the dwellings as (subsidized) MPDUs. The site is the former home of the First Baptist Church of Wheaton, which has relocated to Washington Christian Academy while construction on their new building in Olney is completed.

WPC's residential tower is just one of several projects that have gained recent momentum in downtown Wheaton; just a few blocks north is the already approved 17-story Safeway/residential project from Patriot Realty, and across from that is the Computer Building, set to be converted by Lowe Enterprises into a residential tower. At the Wheaton Metro station, bus bays are to be converted into an office complex by B.F. Saul, which is also in talks with the county about converting nearby Wheaton Triangle into a massive mixed-use megadevelopment that would bring nearly a million square feet of office space, retail, a hotel, and a public plaza to the area.

Wheaton, Maryland real estate development news

Today in Pictures - Rhode Island Row

After years of urban planning-speak about the untapped potential of Rhode Island Avenue, many false starts notwithstanding, its first major project is now coming online. Rhode Island Row, the joint venture between A&R Development and Bethesda-based Urban Atlantic, is on the way to a September completion. The 8.5 acre, $109,000,000 project with 274 new residential units above 70,000 s.f. of retail broke ground in May of 2010, with some District help, and sits along a new and expanding bike trail, just a scoot away from bustling NoMa. Rhode Island Row - formerly Rhode Island Station - was designed by the (now defunct) Lessard Group, but switched to Lessard Design. Developers completed the first few residential units in December, and have now delivered 2 of 8 phases of the two residential buildings. 59 of the units are now open, and most of those have already been leased, according to Caroline Kenney of Urban Atlantic. "There's a seriously wide mix of people geographically and demographically," she notes, and that despite the Avenue's inglorious past, "this part of the city is finally getting to be on the map." Of course being right on the red line and bike trail is not a bad marketing hook, and the development team has capitalized with "a ton of bike storage". Kenney said she hopes to have a Capital Bikeshare location on site in the future. Retail tenants are also on the way, with CVS the first to sign on. While Kenney won't divulge names of other retailers, she says 60% of the retail is unofficially spoken for. In all, the project will have 531 parking spaces, some of which will be short term retail parking, plus the new 215-space Metro garage.

Once just a theory...

Washington D.C. real estate development news

MoCo Approves North Bethesda Market II

The Montgomery County Planning Board approved plans for the JBG Companies and MacFarlane Partners' North Bethesda Market II last week, continuing the area's stunning streak of approved megadevelopments.

While the name "North Bethesda Market II" may conjure visions of one of those upscale bodegas that has prosciutto and a surprisingly good wine aisle, that is not the case here. North Bethesda Market II will consist of four separate structures offering as many as 414 residential units and 368,000 square feet of retail. The roster of tenants is stacked with heavyweights; Whole Foods, L.A. Fitness, Arhaus, Seasons 52, and Brio, with others to come. The centrally-located 4.4 acre site is a block from the White Flint metro station, across from White Flint Mall, and just west of Rockville Pike. Of course, it's also right next door toNorth Bethesda Market I (which features the tallest building in Montgomery County).

"NBM1 has been very successful," said Charlie Maier, spokesman for JBG, when asked about the follow-up project. "The site used to be a one-level motel and now it's a model for development in the Wisconsin Avenue corridor." Maier also said JBG is looking to 4Q 2012 for groundbreaking.

The centerpiece of NBMII is a 26-story, nearly 300 foot tall residential tower that will eclipse its sibling development's tower as the tallest structure in MoCo. The Stu

dios Architecture-designed monolith features a stepped facade and balconies that will look out onto a European-influenced interior plaza designed by landscape architects Olin. The eye-catching building is sloped slightly backwards to catch the maximum amount of sunlight and, like the other three buildings, will feature a green roof. Architectural journals have gushed over the design, and the Washington Post likened it to "a Mayan Temple whose glass bricks have been shaken earthquake-like out of position." Units are planned as rentals, though developers have kept the condominium option open. Elsewhere in the development, developers also plan a movie theater with 175,000 square feet of office space above.

The development continues the recent(ish) trend of transitioning sprawling 50s-style car-centric low-slung areas into dense, vertical, mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly urban-style areas, leading to the question of, five years from now, will there be anything left for me to make snarky remarks about at dinner parties? Revitalization in White Flint was catalyzed (much as it was in adjacent Wheaton), when Montgomery County planners approved an updated White Flint Sector Master Plan in early 2010, and shows no signs of slowing down. Aside from the North Bethesda Markets, the Pike and Rose gained approval in February, and the Falkland Chase whole-block development was approved in January.

Montgomery County real estate development news

Rebel with a Reciprocating Saw: Creating El Centro

By Beth Herman

There are more than 18 restaurants, including Washington's acclaimed Masa 14, in his epicurean empire, at far-flung locations from D.C. to Denver to Dubai. So what could powerhouse chef/owner Richard Sandoval have in common with a Rhode Island School of Design graduate and her garage full of power tools?

For Brie Husted of Brie Husted Architecture, who created Sandoval's latest D.C. digs—the eclectic El Centro D.F. (stands for Distrito Federal), at 1819 14^th Street NW, the tools are her unconventional calling card. In fact with a knack for fabrication that rivals her creative prowess, Husted’s so-called guilty pleasures would seem to run more toward nail guns than nail color.

“One of the things I really should credit is my RISD education,” the architect said of her views on building and design. “The architecture school there is very hands on: Your first project begins with making something—then you ask questions.”

It’s all in the joist

In creating El Centro, “materiality” and “rhythm” were a key part of the creative process, as they are in all of Husted’s work. Her fusion of raw and recycled materials— rope, scrap metal, newsprint, lighting fixtures composed of metal sprinkler heads, reclaimed/repurposed old pine joists and broken Talavera tiles—resulted in a hospitality space that piques the pulse as much as the palate. “Art and architecture just feed off of one another,” she explained, citing a behemoth, textured mural of old newspapers and recycled wood in the restaurant’s main dining space, something she and her trusty battery pack nail gun fabricated in about five days. At 13-by-13-feet, its imposing, variegated cross design was actually subconscious, the architect revealed, as were the Talavera tile crosses she created in the restroom, though they’re emblematic of Mexico’s deeply religious culture.

On two levels and at 4,600 s.f., with an additional rooftop deck gilded by a single street-facing wall to absorb noise in deference to neighborhood below, three distinct dining spaces for 150 patrons facilitate El Centro’s alimentary experience. An open kitchen with distressed metal panels suggests a classic taco truck and separates the taqueria in front from the café in back. A cavernous, carved-out, below grade space, called the “tequileria,” implies the old time speakeasy atmosphere that appeals to Sandoval: He, Husted and Sandoval’s managing partner Ivan Iricanin began to conceptualize El Centro at an aptly-named Mexican speakeasy affair in NYC.

Helmed by project architect George Wabuge, whom Husted credits with keeping their mission “authentic,” general contractor and master carpenter William Camden was also part of the team. Brandishing his own set of power tools, including a chainsaw to fashion such elements as a light fixture from an old carriage house wooden beam, Camden also crafted a log trough sink in the restroom from a tree on his property. Millwork benches and more were built from reclaimed timbers—actually salvaged pine joists from deconstructed Adams Morgan and Mount Pleasant homes— by furniture maker Joe Mills. “We designed and made all of the furniture,” Husted affirmed of the artful collaboration.

Texture and tradition

For inspiration, rather than acquiescing to the “shtick” she said defines many Mexican restaurants, Husted spent time researching what is characteristic and enduring about the country. “Everything’s textured, and everything’s recycled in Mexico—nothing is put in the trash can,” she said. To that end, coarse masonry block walls—ubiquitous in Mexico— were used in the restroom, and the decision to recycle was manifested in items like the space’s decades-old steel sprinkler heads. The former Georgetown Refinishing warehouse had 13- or 14-foot ceilings, wherein fire sprinklers had been lowered by pipes to about 8 feet, which worked out perfectly for the team who figured out a way to transform them into rustic light fixtures. Much of El Centro’s wood, including the mural’s infill, is reclaimed wood lath, which traditionally backs plaster in pre-1920s residences. And 200 feet of rope—a natural material used in vertical fashion as a guardrail—embellishes the restaurant stairs, reinforced by turnbuckles for durability.

Of culture and carpentry

Eschewing what can be the anonymous cog-in-wheel nature of architectural firm work, as a young architect, Husted eventually focused on general contracting and carpentry work for personal projects she created (a home she bought; another renovation with a friend). She also worked as a construction administrator and carpenter before hanging out her own architecture shingle in 2000.

At her first formal meeting with Sandoval and Iricanin, the native Washingtonian presented a 12-by-24 piece of wood and some scrap metal, along with a few newspapers, declaring these were what she was considering for the design. “They said it was curious, but OK – they’d go with it,” Husted said. “One thing they say in school about professional practice is that you can’t have a good project without a good client. Ivan (Iricanin) really got this and encouraged it.”

In the cellar, or tequileria, the space was actually dug out and left raw, with a poured concrete bar, floors and walls. Because steel beams spaced on 5-foot centers supported a concrete floor on the level above it (not a lot of owners are willing to venture that far, according to Husted, who credits Sandoval and Iricanin with their sense of adventure), wood vaults with 10-foot arches could be inserted between the beams to give it a real cellar feel but with additional height and drama. Drawing on the cultural research she’d done in the beginning, Husted carved multiple niches tableside, in the walls, in which to display Mexican art.

“I went to Mexico and found something OK, but then Richard and Ivan went and searched all over,” Husted recalled. At the end of one day, they walked into a little gallery shop, (the now defunct) La Azteca, and found these masks, each based on a Mexican myth, and bought 20 of them for the tequileria’s niches.

As the brunt of design elements at El Centro were conceived onsite, Husted revealed the materiality and temporal nature of the project—four months from permit drawings to Cinco de Mayo grand opening—made creating many things ahead of time impossible.

“In my work, half of my ideas come from just looking at a material and imagining what it could be,” she said.

Washington DC retail and real estate news

photo credit: Rey Lopez

Your Next Place

By Franklin Schneider

This Logan Circle Victorian was renovated by a professional designer, and it shows. Where most "renovations" just mean tearing out the carpeting and painting over everything, this one legitimately

transformed the place. Boasting clean lines and tons of light (check out that bay window), there's also a ridiculously cool fireplace, some of the most impressive hardwood floors I've seen, and skylights galore. The master bedroom suite is huge, with a fantastic bathroom that features a spa-style tub and twin basins. (That way you can be married AND still have your stubble-hair-and-toothpaste-encrusted sink).

The kitchen is huge and has a "smart" island, which means that it's extra long and has a sink in it. This is brilliant and a potential game-changer. Why isn't this standard? If I had one of these I might even wash my dishes occasionally instead of letting them fester in the sink and then moving them out to the deck for a few months before shoveling them into a trash bag. (P.S. I'm thirty-three years old. Hee!)

Out back is a nice cozy garden and the lower level is a self-contained one bedroom apartment. It's also in Logan, so it's close to everything you could possibly want to go to, as well as Logan Circle, which is a seriously underrated public greenspace and one of the best places to sit in the summer and pretend to read while eyeing attractive passersby. I spent a good forty-five minutes there one day last summer before realizing I was holding my book upside down.

1817 15th Street NW
3 Bedrooms, 3.5 Baths
$999,500

Silver Spring "Adele" Site Fails to Sell at Auction

The half-acre parcel at 900 Thayer Avenue in Silver Spring, formerly touted as the prospective site of the 96-unit Adele, failed to sell at auction last month.

According to Bill Hudson of Atlantic Auctions, there were several interested parties at the auction, and bids were made, but ultimately American Bank, present owner of the property, put in a token high bid and retained ownership. (Identities of the bidders and the amounts of their respective bids are confidential.)

American Bank is the holder of the property's note, which dates from November 2006, in the original principal amount of $5.15 million. American acquired the property after original developers Fenton Street Development LLC - a partnership between the Freeman Group and Bloom Builders - presumably defaulted. Fenton Street had gained approval in 2008 for an SK&I-designed mixed-use project, christened "the Adele," that featured 15,000 square feet of ground floor retail, 18,200 feet of second-floor office space, and 96 residential units, as well as a green roof and a public plaza. But when the recession hit, the project stalled (probably the most-typed phrase in real estate blogging), and eventually the property changed hands.

The 28,500-square-foot corner lot, located in downtown Silver Spring at the intersection of Thayer Avenue and Fenton Street,

seems like it would still be a viable location for the right project, and was already approved by the county. Zoning (3.0 FAR for mixed-use) and a location in the Fenton Village Overlay Zone (which confers certain building height exceptions) seem conducive to high-rise construction. The most recent listings for the property (which are over a year old) peg it at just over $7 million. Take note, prospective future bidders. (And don't forget to bring your $100,000 deposit to the next auction.)

Silver Spring, MD real estate development news

JBG's Woodley Park Residential Tower Reborn as 2700 Woodley

Construction on The JBG Companies' long-planned residential tower in Woodley Park, just east of the Marriott Wardman Park, is well underway with excavation nearly complete, and the project - formerly known as Wardman West - has been rebranded as 2700 Woodley.
Upon completion (delivery is anticipated in Q1 2014), the upscale David M. Schwarz Architects-designed tower will offer 211 rental residences. Ongoing speculation has centered on whether the project would be condos or apartments, and it turns out that developers have decided to go the "premier apartment community" route, a savvy decision considering the almost complete absence of new high-end rentals in the immediate area. Matthew R. Blocher, Senior Vice President at JBG, said a full-scale marketing campaign will launch in the fall. (Possibly from New York-based SeventhArt?)

A new rendering acquired by DCMud (top) shows a building structurally similar to the Esocoff-designed concept depicted in the earlier renderings (below, right), but with a vastly different, and more attractive facade. Whereas the previous design verged on minimalistic (if not outright post-Soviet Eastern Bloc), the new facade is more texturally interesting, and much more in keeping with the character of the nearby hotel.

While the 2700 Woodley tower will likely be successful, the building also represents something of a defeat for JBG. After buying the nearby Wardman Park hotel and its 16-acre parcel for $300 million in 2005, JBG and partner CIM planned to convert the hotel into residences, in addition to building the new tower. Marriott objected, the project stalled, and then the recession hit. The project lay dormant for some years before resurfacing in seemingly unrelated litigation between JBG and Marriott over a new Marriott hotel at the Washington Convention Center. After a JBG-affiliated entity filed suit to block construction at the Convention Center, a Marriott countersuit claimed JBG's suit was a mere tactic to force them to renegotiate regarding the Wardman Park hotel. JBG denied this, and eventually all suits were dropped.

Regardless of what it was really all about, the Marriott Wardman Park, the city's largest hotel, and onetime home to three former U.S. presidents (I'll buy you a drink if you can name all three without looking on Wikipedia), continues to operate, even as construction kicks into high gear just to the west.

Washington D.C. real estate development news