Douglas Announces Plans for Historic Hecht's Warehouse

Any commercial logos in the rendering are maskings for any large tenant.

In the last five years, the former Hecht Co. warehouse east of Gallaudet University on New York Avenue NE has changed hands and seen plans sparkle and fade.

Lights designed to glow inside the iconic crown tower atop one of the most significant art deco commercial buildings in the region - and perhaps the country - stayed dark. 

But those lights could shine again soon.  According to its new developer, the building will be converted into office space and retail and ground breaking could come in the next 90 days, Douglas Jemal of Douglas Development told DCMud.
 

Tower and lighting element.
Image courtesy of NRHP

Financing secured, architects announced

Jemal said that financing for the project came through at the end of July.  The conceptual design is the work of architectural firms Shalom Baranes and Antunovich Associates and calls for 550,000 square feet of office space, 200,000 s.f. of retail, and 1,400 parking spaces.  The approximately 10-acre site is bounded by NY Ave. NE to the north, Okie Street NE to the south, Fenwick Street NE to the west, and 16th Street NE to the east.

Shalom Baranes will focus on work that involves the original structure, which features tan glazed brick and glass block with ribbon windows around the main facades.  The original structure, built in1937, got additions in 1948, 1961, and 1986, and a renovation in 1992, according to the National Register of Historic Places.  Antunovich will focus mainly on the design for new retail buildings that will replace structures built as additions on the eastern two thirds of the site.  Those structures have not been determined to be historically significant.

Developer plans to offer alternative to expensive downtown office rates

Jemal said plans for the site would meet a growing need for office space in the area, which he said was under-served. "I feel I can offer office at below downtown rates," Jemal told DCMud.  "It has easy parkway access, and you are 15 minutes away from the capitol, you are two miles from 7th and H, and you are one mile away from a Metro," he said. "I will be renting office space there at $25 a foot and downtown space is $45 a foot."

Corner of NY Ave. NE and Fenwick St.
Image courtesy of the NRHP

The announcement comes slightly more than a year after Douglas picked up the title to the 4-parcel property at 1401-1403 and 1545 New York Avenue, NE and 2001 16th Street, NE at auction in July, 2011 with a bid of $20 million.  Douglas already held the promissory note on the property, which, as reported by CityPaper, it bought from U.S. Bank in March of last year after Penn.-based Patriot Equities was unable to keep up with a $66 million loan.

Patriot Equities abandoned plans for "Patriot Yards"

Patriot Equities had initially bought the complex in 2007, for the hefty price of $78 million. The building - a classic Streamline Moderne with a striking facade and extensive glass block - was a canvas for the bubble's finest po-mo dreams.  Developers showed off the art deco gem and there was even talk of a grandiose multi-level car showroom.  But the scheme fell through.

Another developer with eyes on the corridor, Abdo Development, permanently shelved plans for a 16-acre mixed use development called Arbor Place, in 2010.  Patriot Equities scuttled its own mixed-used plan, called Patriot Yards, and the Hecht's Warehouse property went into foreclosure in 2011, when Douglas scooped it up.  It's not the first time Douglas Jemal has moved on New York Ave. properties.  Jemal was behind renovation of the old People's Drug Stores Inc. warehouse on NY and Forida avenues NE, which he also turned into office space.

Good bones

Architect Patrick Burkhart of Shalom Baranes, who will be mainly working on parts of the plan that involve the historic structure, said the building would be a good fit for offices.  "It has really good bones for that - it has tall floor to ceiling heights and a robust concrete frame." Architect Kevin Sperry of Antunovich will be working on the retail portion of the project.

NY Ave. NE, looking west. Image courtesy of the NRHP

The six-story building, designed by engineer Gilbert V. Steel of the New York engineering firm Abbott and Merkt, was part of a plan by the Hecht department store chain of Washington, DC to improve deliveries and add stock space. Burkhart said the Hecht Company also planned to one day open a department store in the building as well, so the design is dual-use, but those plans were sidelined as the U.S. went into World War II. 

Original developers had hoped New York Avenue would become a major corridor into the city, but things didn't quite go like that, Burkhart said.  "New York Avenue went from a major corridor into the city to really a service corridor and a commuter arterial to the city," Burkhart said.  When Macy's bought the Hecht's chain in 2006, the warehouse closed.

Image courtesy of the NRHP

Burkhart compared the structure to the former Trans-Lux Theater and retail space, which opened in 1936 (just one year earlier than the Hecht Co. building) at 738 14th street between H and NY Ave.  The Trans-Lux, which had art deco ribbon windows similar to the Hecht Co. building, was torn down three decades ago.

"Preservation was in its infancy and there just wasn't enough political will to preserve it," Burkhart said.  "It was one of the losses that helped bolster the will for preservation in the city, especially for commercial buildings."

The bottom line, Burkhart said, is that the building is very special.  "I can't think of anything of this size and scale that exists anywhere, in this city or really anywhere," he said.  "It really is a special project and something I really look forward to working on."

And the lights in the facade tower at NY Ave. NE and Fenwick St. are still in good shape.  "The lighting element needs a little renovation, but it still would be capable of producing that magnificent glow," Burkhart told DCMud.  "It has been such a long time."

Washington D.C. real estate development news

Image courtesy of the NRHP archive

Your Next Place

This fabulous hillside Colonial is located in Barnaby Woods, which sounds like the name of a pro basketball player from the Seventies, but is actually a really swank section of Chevy Chase.  Did you know (no you didn't) that Barnaby Woods has no commercial zoning at all?  Which means it's entirely residential, and almost unnervingly sedate and beautiful.  It also means that if you forget to go on a beer run until like five minutes before the store closes, you're going to be stuck drinking cooking wine for the rest of the night.  (Pro tip:  hold your breath during each drink, then exhale as slowly as possible afterwards.)

This wonderful house boasts a bright, large living room (with fireplace), a formal dining room, and a sporty wood-paneled den.  The kitchen, which was recently renovated, has acres of counter space and top-shelf appliances.  Upstairs, the bedrooms are realllly spacious and have a ton of personality, and the master bedroom has a small adjoining room you can use as a nursery, or sitting room, or the world's nicest walk-in closet.

I also loved the massive screened-in porch.  I have a non-screened-in porch, which means I'm wearing black socks this week so the little spots of blood aren't visible from the mosquito bites all over my ankles that I've scratched until they bled.  There's also a beautiful, private backyard screened off by a wall of greenery - perfect for nude sunbathing!  Growing up in Iowa, a couple lived next door who constantly laid out naked in their backyard, only my bedroom window looked right down into their yard.  Everything I know about sex, I learned by watching a Journey roadie roll around with his girlfriend on a filthy picnic blanket after like eight hits from an apple bong.  (Any of my exes reading this just nodded knowingly and then shuddered.)

6687 32nd Place NW
3 Bedrooms, 2.5 Baths
$725,000

Washington D.C. real estate news

Vacant Lot In 14th Street Corridor to Be Mixed-Use Building

The Zipcar lot at the corner of 14th and Corcoran is likely to be replaced by a seven-story mixed-use development, as the concept design was recently recommended for HPRB approval. The Hickok Cole Architects-designed building at 1617 14th Street, NW would feature ground-floor retail and six stories of dwellings on the site, which was formerly an Amoco gas station. The proposed building would be bookended by "a row of early 20th century commercial buildings" on the north and, to the east on Corcoran Street, "a coordinated row of Italianate rowhouses." On the opposite corner is the historic and Romanesque John Wesley AME church (pictured below), and right next to it is the Central Union Mission building.

According to the HPRB report, the design calls for a "five-story masonry block fronting on 14th Street," with another slightly smaller four-story masonry block facing on Corcoran. Each block would feature "punched windows deeply set within the masonry walls." Along 14th Street, plans call for "projecting storefronts," as well as a "vertical projection consisting of canted glass bay windows extending to the top of the fifth story." The six and seventh crowning stories would be built of metal and glass, with each floor offset with the other, and "wall planes broken between apartment units."  According to the report, "design intent is to provide a contrast between the more formal, disciplined masonry blocks below with the more dynamic canted glazed upper stories."  Developers are seeking zoning variances to decrease the parking spaces requirement, and to increase the building's height to allow for the elevator overrun.

The staff evaluation of the concept design found that "the design has been developed in recognition of its site, influenced by the large auto showrooms along 14th Street (all long since replaced), the smaller-scaled rowhouses on Corcoran, and its location in the Uptown Arts District. The reports finds the height and masonry "compatible and complementary" with the church and the mission, with the building's stepdown and smaller windows on the Corcoran side preserving a successful relation to the adjacent rowhouses. The report goes on to heap praise upon the "exemplary" juxtaposed design of the top floors; whereas most buildings in the area are "begrudgingly recessed simply in an effort to squeeze additional space while trying to make the building appear smaller," this building's "setbacks and unusual geometry" result in "a harmonious juxtaposition of design elements and a distinctive roofline."

The site was formerly approved in 2005 for a similar steel-glass-and-limestone building, designed by Brennan Beer Gorman Architects and developed by FLGA, LLC, a decision that, at the time, created a minor controversy, as the similar "Rapture Lofts" project at 14th and T was rejected by the board, raising accusations of preferential treatment from some community members.

Washington D.C. real estate development news

New Project to Add to H Street Corridor

Thanks to small and not-so-small developments along H Street, the once troubled area is enjoying a renaissance and rejuvenation. 301 H Street, NE is the site of the newest project along the H Street corridor.  Located across the street from completed Senate Square and 360° H Street - Steuart Investment Company's project to build a Giant supermarket and apartments now underway (pictured, below) - 301 H Street is a smaller piece of the development puzzle.

The original lot, pictured above, has 5000 s.f. available for multi-family and retail. Capital City Real Estate shared that although they are still in the permitting and design phase, they plan a mixed-use building with 20-plus condominium units and ground floor retail and/or commercial space. They may also build commercial units available on the second floor and basement.  Permits have been submitted to DCRA detailing the project plans. According to Anthony Bozzi, of CCRE's brokerage company, "the project is still so new and delivery is at least a year out."

Washington D.C. real estate development news

Your Next Place

This house has a rooftop pool.  Not the cleverest opener, I admit, but I feel like we can agree that this fact deserves top billing.  I'd live in a hospital for the criminally insane if it had a rooftop pool.  I'd even live with my parents if they had a rooftop pool.  (Which is sort of another way of saying I'd live in a hospital for the criminally insane.  Though perhaps that's a tad unfair - hospital for the criminally annoying, maybe.)

But even aside from the rooftop pool, this house is one-in-a-million.  Originally two carriage houses, they've been combined into a spectacular, yawning, four-bedroom, five-bathroom living space.  The atrium-like living room is an incredible two stories tall; if you think the silence between you and your significant other during commercial breaks is awkward now, in your normal apartment, just wait until you live here.  The awkwardness will grow to epic proportions!

The dining room and kitchen also sport 20+ foot ceilings, as well as all the high-end finishes you'd expect from a house of this caliber; recessed lighting, stainless steel appliances, hardwood floors, magical phone booth.  Yes, you read that right.  There's a bright red British-style phone booth that magically moves up and down between levels, ie. an elevator, if you insist on being all boring and unmagical about things.  Think of it this way, you'd definitely be the only one of your friends who had a whimsical elevator, unless you're friends with, like, Willy Wonka.

There are three decks up top (yes, three), and each of the four bedrooms features an en-suite bathroom; just a short drunken crawl from toilet to bed!  (Or, since no one else shares your bathroom, just collapse right there on the bathroom floor and sleep it off.  Just try to slide a towel under your face as you lose consciousness, or you'll have the tile-grid imprinted on your cheek the next morning, and everyone at brunch will ridicule you when you claim that it's "just eczema."  I speak here from experience.)

2220 Q Street NW
4 Bedrooms, 5 Baths
$3,999,500

Today in Pictures - St. Elizabeths

After nearly a century of being vacant, the District government opened the east side of St. Elizabeths to the public this weekend.  While construction on the federally-owned west side continues in anticipation of a new home for multiple agencies, the District is still creating a plan for what to do with their half - 183 acres with some of the most notable vistas and architecture in the city - which the federal government turned over to the city 25 years ago.  DC's portion still holds patients like John Hinckley Jr., though far fewer patients than the thousands that filled the asylum in the last century.

Washington D.C. real estate development news

Union Station Master Plan Released

Amtrak released details this week of a much-talked-about $7 billion plan for Union Station's tracks, platforms, concourses, and parking that will dramatically overhaul the space.

Train shed looking southwest, Image courtesy of Amtrak

 

Under the Union Station Redeveloment Corporation, Union Station is already undergoing a renovation of its Grand Hall.

In a move officials acknowledged was belated, they said the plan would help the nation's capital catch up with other parts of the world with high-speed rail service.  The plan, they said, would eventually triple the station's passenger capacity and double the train service over the next 20 years.  The plan goes hand in hand with plans for a 1.5 billion dollar project by Akridge development, Amtrak's private partner in the project, to develop the air rights over the train tracks into a $1.5 billion mixed-use project called Burnham Place.

Amtrak and Akridge, Amtrak's private partner on the project, released the master plan this week in a press conference attended by city glitterati, including embattled mayor Vincent Gray.

Greenway looking north along 1st Street, Image: Akridge

Burhnam Place, named after Union Station's original architect Daniel Burnham, is part of Amtrak's master plan, and will be developed by Akridge and architectural firm Shalom Baranes.  Developers plan, over the next 15 years, to build a 3-million square-foot mixed use development over the train tracks.  

In 2006, Akridge purchased the air rights to a total of 15 acres over the Union Station rail yard. The $10 million dollar sale marked the first sale of air rights by the federal government. As reported by DCMud, the conceptual construction plan began to move solidly forward and Shalom Baranes was selected as the architect in 2008.

Interior view of the train shed, Image courtesy of Amtrak

The plan envisions 500 hotel rooms, 100,000 square feet of retail, and 1,300 residential units built on a concrete platform over the tracks and supported columns placed throughout the rail yard.  Akridge went through years of technical negotiations with Amtrak before deciding on a construction plan, and the Smart Growth Alliance and Urban Land Institute (ULI) have both voiced support for the project.

Developers emphasize that the project will feature elements that enhance public space and amenities. One such feature includes a 1.5 mile elevated greenway with a bike lane along the west side of the station that will link the NoMa neighborhoods with Union Station and the Metro and connect to the Metropolitan Branch Trail.

Historic control tower into restaurant, Courtesy: Akridge

Plans also call for a "grand plaza" fronting both sides of H Street that will lead into a brand new Train Hall in what developers say will be "a grand northern entrance to Union Station."  

The plan also calls for pedestrian connections with adjoining neighborhoods, a new entrance near First and K Streets, NE, and a plan to turn the K Tower - a control tower - into a restaurant.

Will office workers and urban sky dwellers feel the rumbling of high-speed trains below them?  That remains to be seen.  What is certain is that the plan makes an ambitious promises to bring more natural light into Union Station, even while building above it.  

Plan overview. Image Courtesy of Akridge.  

Blue represents office space, 

Beige is residential, 

Green / yellow is naturally lit space,  and 

Brown is hotel space.

Red circles are vertical connections,

Red arrows are station entrances.

Washington, D.C. real estate development news

Your Next Place

 Located in a boutique building just a block west of Dupont Circle, this two-level gem has it all.  An amphitheaterlike open foyer, a floating staircase, hardwood floors, a fireplace, and a massive two-story exposed brick wall.  You enter onto the bedroom level, and the living room, dining room and kitchen are below; this is definitely a one-of-a-kind living space, and if I may be so bold, a prime candidate for a fireman's pole.  This level has beautiful hardwood floors and an awesome fireplace.  If you move into this place, when it gets cold you should get some of those synthetic logs that burn bright pink because, well, this is America.

The recently-updated kitchen boasts a silestone counter and a stone tile floor, as well as top-notch appliances and finishes.  There's acres of counterspace and a ton of cupboards to fill with food that, no matter what it is, will be utterly unappealing when you come home drunk at 3 in the morning. The master bedroom features more exposed brick, and some really cool concealed track lighting; I'd say it was totally masterful, but that would be too obvious.  (It's totally masterful.)


As an added perk, there's a 6.1 surround sound home theater system, so you can experience terrible movies in even greater intensity, and the kitchen is also wired with built-in speakers, so when your significant other is like, "you know, there's no law that says you have to finish a burrito in one sitting," you can quickly reach over and drown them out in midsentence with your music.  Can't put a price on that.

2007 O Street NW #105
2 Bedrooms, 1 Bath
$499,000

Victory Square senior community opens in Parkside

Victory Square - Photo courtesy of Communi-k

A little neighborhood east of the Anacostia River, in Northeast DC, is set for a slew of groundbreakings and developments, including a ribbon cutting this Thursday for an affordable senior apartment community.  Victory Square, the 98-unit senior community, is just one of the many new developments - built or planned - in DC's Ward 7 neighborhood of Parkside.  The project is part of the Parkside Master Plan, a 15.5-acre area that was acquired by City Interests in 2004.   

City Interests charts a course for growth for the site near the Minnesota Avenue Metro Station. The neighborhood, home to 5,700 residents and described as poor and isolated by the Urban Institute, has seen an influx of planning and educational grants in recent years.  Greater, Greater Washington this year called the Parkside neighborhood a "place to watch".

Parkside Master Plan developers say the Master Plan foresees a "major transit-oriented development, slated to bring homes, services, jobs and educational opportunity to D.C.'s Ward 7."  City Interests gained approval for Stage 1 of the planned unit development (PUD) in 2007, and Stage 2 gained approval in 2011.  The plan calls for 1,500 to 2,000 residential units, up to 50,000 s.f. of retail space, and 500,000 to 750,000 s.f. of office space.

In 2010 the Zoning Commission rejected a bid by developers to delay first stage construction of the project, putting pressure on developers to push forward with the first stage of the project, which includes the Victory Square apartment community, or lose approvals. 

Victory Square Interior with view of Nevel Thomas Elementary School

The Victory Square apartment community for adults aged 55 or older opened in June.  Of the 98 units, 35 are public housing units reserved for the the poorest of the poor.  It is developed through a partnership between Banc of America Community Development Corporation, a subsidiary of Merril Lynch, and Victory Housing, Inc., the affordable housing arm of the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington. City Interests is the master PUD developer, but sold .65 acres to BACDC, a subsidiary of Merryl Lynch, to build Victory Square.  Victory Square was designed by Grimm and Parker Architects of Calverton, MD, and constructed by Hamel Builders, Inc., of Elkridge, MD.

The contemporary design includes a fitness room, an arts and crafts room, an on-site beauty salon.  It also has a wellness room where seniors will have access to wellness screenings, such as consultations with health professionals.

"It's been a long time in the making," Maurice Perry, senior vice president with BACDC, told DCMud.  Perry oversaw and managed the development of and financing process for Victory Square. "The rents in our property are relatively inexpensive compared to other apartments," Perry said of the units which are not public housing, and not paid for by housing authorities.  Rents range from $775 for a one-bedroom to $960 for a two-bedroom apartment.  Units range in size from 600 to 750 square feet.  Although the apartments have been open for less than two months, Perry said the units are now 62 percent leased.

Perry said the community was completed in affiliation with Victory Housing, Inc., an affiliate of the Archdiocese of DC.  "They do a lot of affordable housing and they will be the long-term owner of the property," Perry told DCMud.

In addition to adding to the housing options for residents of Ward 7, Perry also thought the housing project signaled good things to come for the neighborhood.  "It's a great neighborhood, residents are really involved, they care about the community, and have a lot of potential."

Victory Square Community Room

Another residential development in the Parkside Master Plan area is Mayfair Mansions, a renovation of 569 historic apartments that now serve as public housing,  by the non-profit Community Preservation and Development Corporation. DCMud reported in 2010 that 160-unit condo element - that had once also been planned for the  Mayfair Mansions project - was pigeonholed permanently.

Other residential units with groundbreakings this summer include Metro Homes at Parkside, an 83-townhome developed by Enterprise and the family of Abe Pollin, and Parkside Townhouses, a complex of 100 market-rate townhouses developed by City Interests. Also slated for groundbreaking this summer is "Park 7", a mixed-use development including 376 apartments developed by Donatelli Development.  Other retail in the Parkside Master Plan includes Ray's the Steaks At East River, which opened in fall 2008, and the renovation of a Safeway, completed in 2009.  

The Parkside Master Plan also foresees offices and health facilities.  It already includes the 227,000 square foot headquarters for the DC Department of Employment, with 700 employees, which was completed in 2010.  A groundbreaking is planned this summer for the DC Primary Care Association, a 43,000 s.f. primary care facility owned and operated by Unity Health, according to project developers.

Victory Square was built using tax exempt bond financing in the form of a construction loans from Bank of America, the DC Housing Authority, the District's Department of Housing and Community Development and tax-exempt bond financing from Bank of America. The project also received Federal stimulus dollars by way of the DC Housing Production Trust Fund. The National Equity Fund provided $4.85 million in low-income housing tax credit equity proceeds. Victory Square is located at 600 Barnes St., NE.  The ribbon cutting will be held July 26 at 10:00 a.m.  The community is located between the Minnesota Avenue Metro Station and the Anacostia waterfront, in northeast DC.

Washington D.C. real estate development news