Carr Properties to Build Glass Box onto Corcoran Art Gallery

The historic Corcoran Gallery of Art is set for a significant addition in the near future, as Carr Properties and architects at SmithGroup have submitted a design concept to the Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB) for feedback. A recommendation will be returned by the HPRB at its next meeting on November 18th. Their recently submitted application reveals that developers are attempting to move forward with a nine-story office addition to the previously expanded northwest corner of the art gallery that was originally designed by Charles Adams Platt in the 1920s.

Although some Corcoran staff may occupy offices in the new building, it will act and operate separately, generating lease revenues that will assist the Gallery in its effort to grow the collection and the College of Art's endowment. While operating separately, the structure is technically intended to be an addition, as original plans have always called for an expansion of the Gallery in this direction; the addition will be connected to the original 1890s building through a stairwell and partly cantilevered over the Clark Wing.

In August, the Corcoran Gallery granted Carr Properties a long term ground lease of the site on which developers will apparently build, own, and operate the new offices. Unless an extension is requested by Carr, if all the required public approvals are not secured prior to December 15th of next year, the lease will automatically terminate. The property's street address is 1700 New York Avenue, NW, fronting New York Avenue to the south and E Street to the north. Rising several stories above the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the top floors of the addition will offer panoramic views of the White House, the National Mall, the Capitol, and the various surrounding monuments. In addition to office space and a basement for storage, the expansion will also increase parking availability at the gallery, with three levels of garage set to sit below the new building.

The recently submitted designs by SmithGroup go in a much different direction from previously submitted plans. Hartman-Cox had received approval from the Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA) and the Historic Preservation Review Board as far back as 1988, but never followed through on their plans for a 120,000 s.f. addition. Again in 2008, Hartman-Cox resubmitted similar renderings on behalf of the Corcoran Gallery, but HPRB called the firm's aesthetic of choice "clearly historicist, [and] perhaps more in vogue in the 1980s than at present," advising the architects to reconfigure the building's design so to more "clearly reflect its own identity and purpose." Smith heeded this advice with hopes that their starkly modern and minimalist stylistics will be better received by HPRB; but developers know that regardless of the outcome, a long road of applications and meetings and approval decisions lies ahead.

Washington D.C. Real Estate Development News

Bethesda Highrise Sets January Start Date

Bethesda's Monty will be underway by January, say developers of the 17-story apartment building, planning what will be the neighborhood's second tallest building. Florida based developer Bainbridge Companies closed on the Monty site just this June and expect to build by "late January," the only Woodmont Triangle project with construction timelines despite the area's long list of expectant projects.

Though Bainbridge only recently acquired the land, the deal had been in the works for several years and came with the original SK&I designs and the county's approvals, leading Bainbridge to predict that demolition of the current retail stores would commence by the fall. The mid-block apartment building will feature a 20-foot wide pedestrian right of way connecting Fairmont St. with St. Elmo's Avenue with retail fronting both streets as well as the ped path, cutting the long block and giving the building a corner presence. At 174 feet plus mechanicals, The Monty - a name that current team will retain - will be slightly shorter than the 200 foot Clark building.

"It will be very tall for the area, so its going to be like a sculpture" said Senior Associate Federico Olivera-Sala. "It will be shaped in a way that will give it some articulation, it disintegrates as the building goes up, like a box at the bottom, but parts start to disappear as it rises. This is meant to animate the Skyline of Bethesda." The building will feature a gym and terrace on the 15th floor for fitness buffs that prefer a view, and four levels of below-grade parking.

The Monty will bring 200 rental units with 30 moderately priced dwelling units and should begin occupancy by early 2013, the first high-rise mixed-use project to be constructed under the Woodmont Sector Plan. The project owners hope to achieve LEED Silver certification; a minimum of LEED certified is required for projects in the area.

Bethesda, MD real estate development news

Montgomery County Planning Board Gives Wheaton Safeway Go-Ahead

Create a landscaped terrace and art installment, or fork over nearly a million dollars to County Planners: thanks to a Montgomery County Planning Board ruling last Thursday, developers at Patriot Realty will do both. Last spring a "favorable" staff report concerning Patriot's mixed-use "Wheaton Safeway" redevelopment proposal across from the Wheaton Metro questioned whether their efforts to satisfy the "20 percent public amenity requirement" was satisfactory. Apparently not quite, as the Planning Board gave developers the green light to move forward with the plans for the 50,000 s.f. Safeway and 17-story apartment complex, but required that Patriot contribute $961,161 to a public amenity fund in addition to its proposed public terrace. But pay to play seems

de rigueur, as Patriot and local urbanists are just happy the large-scale, transit-oriented project is finally moving forward.

Designed by Baltimore-based architecture firm Hord Coplan Macht, the new building will shoot what appears to be 3 vertical towers skyward, dwarfing all the other buildings in Wheaton. But the towers are simply a visual ploy to avoid the appearance of a mammoth monolith of a building, as each column is connected at the center. But the break up of the massing does succeed in this capacity, as the giant structure does not at first glance appear to be a singular integrated building. Lee Driskill, a Principal with the firm and the lead architect for the project, explains that "the skin" of the building "has been organized to have these three tower elements come to the fore." The result is not a bland block, but a "tall and elegant" building.

The 195-foot building will feature a new Safeway on street level, an underground parking garage for shoppers, a 486-unit apartment complex (60 of which will be offered as "moderately priced dwelling units"), and three levels of residential parking above the store. A cutback in the massing in between each tower offers the luxury of a fifth-floor courtyard atop the parking garage. Here residents will be able to simply enjoy the view or take advantage of the pool, outdoor lounge area, fire pit and/or open lawn. In total, some 70 percent of the roof will be green, which is expected to assist the project in earning LEED Certification (upon completion of course). The approved 59,000 s.f. of ground-floor retail space will house not only the expanded Safeway, but also a Starbucks, SunTrust, and a Bergman’s Drycleaners (everything a Maryland suburbanite knows and loves all in one place).

Although the planned on-site, public-use terrace offered by developers only totals 7,615 s.f. and 9.9% of the net lot area (10.1% too little), Patriot will make amends for their shortcomings with a $961,161 "donation," which will assist in the redevelopment of 13,800 s.f. of off-site public green space. A public art installment also helped woo the Board into approving the proposal, as several bronze figures ranging from 14 inches to 28 inches tall will be arranged throughout the public terrace. Judy Sutton Moore, a Silver Spring artist, will craft the statues that are set to be welded to a stainless steel pole and "float, as it were, above the flowers, grasses, and shrubs in the planters." Planning Board members specified that the public statues must "avoid depicting art as a commercial expression of Safeway-life."

But before the meandering grocery shoppers can enjoy cute puppy statues, the public amenity funds must be released into the escrow account, demolition and building permits must be secured, and 17 stories of concrete and glass must be amassed; with Board approval at last in had, developers will look to keep things moving as construction is set to commence by early Spring of next year.

Washington D.C. Real Estate Development News

Officialdom To Inaugurate Convention Center Hotel

The Washington Convention and Sports Authority (WCSA) has announced the official groundbreaking of the convention center Marriott next Wednesday at 11am. Legions of suits and ties, CEOs, Mayors and Mayors-elect will make official what in fact began last month: construction of one of the region's largest hotels to help transform what was supposed to have been a neighborhood-transforming project.

The four-star hotel is expected to be complete by the spring of 2014.

Washington DC real estate development news

Opus Dei Retreat Resurrected in Tenleytown

Tenleytown may soon make space for the Opus Dei religious order, now that it has a fresh HPRB approval in hand. The Yuma Study Center Inc. and its owner, the Heights Foundation, are planning to construct a residential addition to the landmarked Convent of Bon Secours at 4101 Yuma Street in Tenleytown for Opus Dei. The new building would entail a cloister constructed around a central courtyard and, according to a 2008 Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB) report, consist of “meeting and classroom spaces, residential space and a chapel for fifteen members of the Opus Dei religious community.”

The Heights Foundation has a long history with the HPRB. Plans to renovate and alter the Bon Secours Convent first came to light in 2003. At the time, HPRB was considering the Convent for a historic site designation—a move that would shield it from being razed by its owner, The Heights Foundation. In 2004, the Convent officially became a historic site, requiring all changes to pass through the HPRB, which has since reviewed designs for the project three times—most recently back in January of this year.


Though the concept received initial approval, the HPRB required revisions to a planned roof deck, porch, alley parking, and walkways before complete approval could be granted. In a hearing, the Board has also raised concerns that the architects' original renderings for the project are vague, perhaps intentionally so.

The architect was equally vague in describing the timeline for the project. According to the architect, Alvin Holm, the timing has been a “source of contention.” He then declined to comment further, citing privacy concerns. The architect is well-known in his home town of Philadelphia, and nationally for his classic architecture, having founded the Philadelphia chapter of the Institute of Classical Architecture and Classical America.

According to HPO staff reviewer, Tim Dennee, The Heights Foundation has not submitted any new plans, schedules, or drawings to his office since January.

If it goes forward, this will be only one of three projects to begin on the same block, with plans for a new library and school addition, all contiguous, nearly ready to begin.

Georgia Avenue's Beacon Center Gets its Wings

Tally another mixed-use development for the Almighty, as religious groups around the District seem to have a leg up in building these days (Bethesda church, Clarendon church). Following a long and contentious Zoning review process, and following several trying meetings with the Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB) and the National Park Service (NPS) concerning the project's potential effects upon the neighboring Fort Stevens, the Emory United Methodist Church Beacon of Light in Brightwood received Board approval in the early Spring, and are finally ready to move forward with their Beacon Center project.

Granted a raze permit for 6120 Georgia Ave, NW late last week, neighbors can expect demolition and construction to begin shortly.

The $30 million development, designed by PGN Architects, will offer 180,000 s.f. of multipurpose housing and various congregational and community facilities. The Beacon Center will supply transitional spaces (24 units) in an effort to aid the homeless work toward permanent residency. Also in the works are 34 units for seniors citizens, 17 units reserved for veterans, and 16 affordable rentals. A college-sized indoor multi-sport gymnasium (basketball and soccer) and rec center will be available to the surrounding community. The aggressive expansion will also feature a full service banquet facility, office space for the church and for lease, senior citizens services (such as optometrist, podiatrist, etc.) and ground-floor retail. Additionally the current sanctuary (doubling as a community theater) will be renovated and expanded to 500 seats. Patrons will have access to roughly 100 underground parking spaces and several rows of bike spaces.

Sean Pichon, a Partner at PGN Architects, said his firm has been especially challenged by the need to adjust their designs to the steep grade of the property. Other difficulties included maintaining the "view corridors" and balancing the affordability of the project with the goal of an attractive and congruous facade. Working hard to best the obstacles, designers created features like "curved green roofs" over the retail space to create and "continue the imagery of the hillside." To allow for views from Georgia Avenue his team situated the main entrance on the side road, Quackenbos; this maneuver also enabled multiple access points and preserved the historic stairs leading up to the old church.

Not all were satisfied, however, as the NPS and Civil War Preservation Trust wrote strong letters of opposition, contending that "the proposed five-story wall along Old Piney Branch Road would create a significant visual intrusion on the fort." Opponents also voiced concern that "the Beacon Center’s overall size and floor plan [read too big]...would have an adverse impact on Fort Stevens and subsequently the other remaining Circle Forts." But the representatives of the Church, including the Pastor, convinced Zoning Board members that they had made significant and genuine efforts at compromise, with the Board ultimately deciding that the overall positives of the project outweighed what little impact the building might have on its neighbors. Instead of a reduction in height and massing, NPS will have to settle for 359 square feet in the new building, reserved for their use as a welcome center/gift shop to "educate and promote the history of Fort Stevens." Reenactors and Fort Stevens staff can imagine the impending sounds of the Bozzuto-lead demolition and construction as the distant rumblings of the long ago battles.

Washington D.C. Real Estate Development News

Of Branding and Behemoths

By Beth Herman

It survived decades of war, recession, a Great Depression, whispered and public liaisons (Studebaker-Packard Corporation, for one), changes in demographics and even a post-WWII employee in its Argentine division named Adolph Eichmann. But for all of its challenges, and to make it a true daily double, Alex, Mercedes-Benz remains the world’s oldest automotive brand still in existence.

In 2004, when the time came to gild the proverbial lily, and with something close to 1,000 automotive facility designs in the firm’s fight book, Chris Lessard, Lori Hall and Hernani Codera of The Lessard Group took Mercedes-Benz’s branding philosophies out for a test drive when they designed a 27,000 s.f. Old Town Alexandria, Va. dealership at 200 S. Pickett Street, one that embraced both the product and the neighborhood. And they did it again this year as the facility experienced a renovation in a mid-Atlantic salute to the brand’s progressive, industrial, high-tech German image.

“Auto manufacturers create branding books so when you go to different dealerships, you can identify with some of the elements in each dealership,” Lessard said, noting that Autohaus is Mercedes-Benz’s image and branding program. But in a storied venue like Old Town, where historical parameters govern building design, applying branding principles such as Mercedes-Benz’s steely facades can be like walking a diplomatic tightrope at best. “As a firm, we do a lot of other things, not just auto dealerships,” Lessard said, emphasizing that zoning and entitlement work often follow suit, though Alexandria is one of the “tougher jurisdictions.”
“We also had to present some renderings to the residents,” said Hall, who is the firm’s director of automotive facility design, because they, too, were concerned with how it was going to look. They wanted to know what their view was going to be.”

The Demise of Mini-Me

The structure, which was built essentially to swallow and to some extent incorporate a small, deteriorating mid-century Oldsmobile dealership on the site, is wood and red brick (think: ubiquitous northern Virginia) with traditional detailing and arched windows. But because the city’s saga’d image has evolved and become less restrictive in the last six years, and in compliance with Mercedes-Benz’s current identity that sanctions exposed steel, a blue arcade, silver panels and blue columns with chrome caps, the architects were able to integrate these elements into the renovation.

According to Lessard, Autohaus examines each dealership and estimates the level of business it’s going to do. “With that, they give a very defined programming requirement that they want to have appropriate service and waiting areas,” he explained, noting they are adding more bays in Alexandria to deal with the dealership’s service component. “It’s very prescriptive,” he said, “especially with Mercedes, where you’re getting the high level of service for the consumer that either buys or services a car there, or while servicing a car, looks at a new car.” To that end, according to project manager Codera, the Old Town facility will also be able to accommodate 580 vehicles, up from 520, when the renovation is complete. “In the 1950s, you had auto sites that didn’t have a lot of cars on them, but that’s not how it works today,” Lessard said. “You have to count every square inch of the site to make sure you can meet the requirements of inventory.”

Message in a Building

In Silver Spring, Md., a roughly 60,000 s.f. two-story Mercedes-Benz dealership at 3301 Briggs Chaney Road, that actually turns a corner, careens toward a March, 2011 delivery date with LEED Gold looming. “At the time we were designing it (first submission was in 2008, though construction issues stalled the process), LEED wasn’t really a factor,” Hall said, referencing the firm’s best practices standards. But with Montgomery County’s current mandate for all new commercial construction to meet LEED certification requirements, and actual construction beginning just this year, energy efficient lighting comprised of both LED and CFL’s is just one component of the glass and steel building which, by its nature, will also utilize natural light.

Trumpeting Mercedes-Benz’s perspective on precision and luxury, and branding elements such as exposed steel, black high gloss tile and “beam outriggers” that reinforce the German industrial machine look all withstanding, the psychology of the Silver Spring facility will involve what the automotive company calls its “triad,” where the service area and lounge, parts accessory boutique and the showroom are all visible from the middle of the building.

“If I’m going to get my car serviced, I’m going to want to sit in this beautiful lounge and enjoy myself, wander through to accessories thinking about whether I want to get a new keychain or new wheels, and while there, I can be looking at all the brand new cars thinking maybe it’s time to upgrade,” Hall explained. In fact, when a new car decision is made, the new car delivery area, painted an effervescent yellow, is sited so that a new owner and family can be somewhat isolated from the throng (think: sort of a private screening), but other customers can also experience the “bragging rights” of the new owner driving away. In the service lounge, according to Codera, customers can actually see their car being serviced through glass that abuts the service bays. “It’s a retail selling process,” Lessard said in summary, “whether you’re servicing or buying a new car – it’s making you feel happy whatever you’re doing and making you want to come back.”

Speaking to any perceived constraints of working within the parameters of branding specifications, Lessard maintained that while the auto manufacturer has certain standards, they are not always precise and do allow for creativity and change over time. “You can be part of that change,” he said, affirming that as an architect, he’s “not necessarily into social engineering.

“I’m really trying to make sure the building is servicing the needs of whoever’s using it, whether it feels good inside, or whether it encourages someone to do something. That’s what this firm is about, so branding actually helps me,” Lessard said. “It makes clear what the program needs to be, and I can improve on the requirements by making the building even better. It really reinforces the message.”

Bottom 2 photos of Mercedes-Benz Annapolis.

GW to Add Science Building and Go Solar

George Washington University has another construction project in the works. Thanks to funding from Square 54 and low construction costs from favorable market conditions, the university has approved replacing an 8-story, 1200-space parking garage with an 8-story, 400,000 s.f. science and engineering complex with buried parking. The university also has separate plans to green its residences by adding what it says will be DC's largest single solar power network.

Although the city has not yet approved the science building, GW expects to start the $275m project within a year. The university’s project team includes Philadelphia-based Ballinger Architects, as well as Hickok Cole Architects, Boston Properties as the project manager and Clark Construction for pre-construction services, all of which are working on Square 54. The LEED-Silver designed building will double the space on the GW campus dedicated to science and engineering.

"The board’s decision to build the Science and Engineering Complex marks an important milestone in the development of George Washington into a world-class research university," said GW President Steven Knapp.

The science building, at the corner of 22nd and H streets, NW (see map, above), will feature two levels of below-ground program space, approximately 350 underground parking spaces and a retail venue on the ground floor along Eye Street.

The building is expected to be completed in late 2014 with occupancy expected in early 2015. Project planning has been underway since 2006. GW is using ground lease payments from Square 54 as part of the financing for the new project, and has been working to redistribute the lost parking as part of the Campus Plan, but has yet to release any details about where the 850 lost spaces will go.

At the same time, GW will implement "the largest source of on-site solar power in the District of Columbia," for "thermal" solar power, that is, not photovoltaic cells. The new solar thermal system will heat water for three residence halls, subtracting "about 70 tons of carbon annually," according to the school. The university intends to generate 10 percent of energy from on-campus renewable sources by 2040, and reduce carbon emissions by 40 percent by 2025, and by 80 percent by 2040 when it reaches "carbon neutrality." The remaining carbon emissions will be "mitigated" through the purchase of local offsets, such as planting trees. "This is just one of the very fist steps we are taking" says Michelle Sherrard of GW, of the solar conversion.

Skyline Innovations, a one-year-old Washington D.C.-based solar energy company, will install the solar thermal units on Building JJ, 1959 E Street and Ivory Tower free of charge and sell the hot water the systems produce to the school for a fee tied to the price of natural gas. According to Aaron Block, Director of Market Development for Skyline, the company assures lower energy costs for the user with no start-up costs by guaranteeing a lower-than-market rate for energy, which it finances by retaining the renewable energy credits. That makes Skyline the number one provider of solar energy in DC (it subcontracts installation). GW won't reveal the amount that it saves with its thermal energy conversion.

The system works by converting sunlight to thermal energy via hot water rather than electricity. An array of rooftop panels collect solar energy and convert it to heat. A series of tanks in the basement loop into the rooftop collectors, a heat exchange allows the heat to be converted from the closed-loop system into the public water.

With all the new construction, the GW Hatchet reports that Foggy Bottom residents are angling for a new Metro entrance as the completion of Square 54 adds more users of the single-entrance Metro station.

Washington DC real estate development news

HPRB Approves In-fill Project: Historic 14th Street Filling Up

Yesterday, the Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB) recommended approval of a six-floor office space development at 1525 14th Street, NW in the 14th Street Historic District. Originally approved in 2004 as a seven-floor residential project, developer Giorgio Furioso of Furioso Development decided to switch gears given the difficulty of financing and unloading a small-scale condo operation under current conditions. With the change from residential to non-residential, Furioso also ditched original architect Sorg for updated concept designs from Eric Colbert & Associates.

The development will be sandwiched by two eateries, as it is set to occupy the empty space (currently a parking lot) between the beloved Great Wall Szechuan House and the highly reviewed Posto. The project calls for an additional three stories to be affixed atop the historic and stylish facade of 1515 14th, "a classically-styled automobile showroom constructed in 1928 for a Hudson dealership" that now houses Posto on the ground-floor, and an art gallery on the top level (both entities will remain). The addition to 1515 will be set back roughly 20 ft. from the front façade, so as not to compromise the architectural integrity of the building. Furioso is proposing that the first two floors of the total 55,000 s.f. house retail tenants, while the remaining four levels will be reserved as office space. The building will rest atop three below-grade levels, the first for storage, and the bottom two accessed by a car elevator for parking.

The originally proposed residential project offered a much different aesthetic, as architects at Sorg had initially designed a Cubism-inspired building reminiscent of the work of Frank Gehry. And while the density and massing of the new proposal remain the same, the design is entirely reworked. Although not boring, the new design is certainly less adventurous than the previous. And while the design and materials remain of a modern flavor, the prevailing stone curtain system, and the arrangement of the columns, help better reflect and mesh with the proportions and the large showroom windows of the historic building next door.

HPRB Staff Reviewer Steve Callcott had previously expressed concerns about fluorescent fixtures from the offices becoming an unattractive anomaly on the historic nighttime streetscape. Due to these concerns one of the earlier drafts, a design employing a more generous use of unobstructed glass, was scrapped for the presently submitted rendering (pictured at the top). Architect Eric Colbert explained that increased architectural complexity on the facade as well as added louvers had diminished views into the office levels and alleviated Callcott's concerns. With Callcott and the Board's approval, the development team will now submit their proposal to the BZA, with a groundbreaking still some time off.

Washington D.C. Real Estate Development News

First Piece of Arboretum Place Puzzle: The Flats

On Wednesday Clark Realty Capital broke ground on the first phase of Arboretum Place. Amidst the late morning downpour, developers plunged shovels into the muddied earth at at 1600 Maryland Avenue, NE, signifying the start to the first phase of construction, set to yield 257 "high-end apartments." The initial phase has been dubbed "The Flats at Atlas District," and developers expect the residences along with 5,000 s.f. of ground-floor retail to deliver in two years time. Originally expected to initiate construction back in 2009, the market downturn put a significant dent in developer's optimism. But HUD's 221(d) financing program and now Wednesday's ceremony has brought some relief to those who've worked on the project. "We are thrilled to have finally broken ground on The Flats and become part of the exciting Atlas District community," said Project Manager Tracey Thomm at the groundbreaking, explaining that "Without the involvement of HUD, none of this would have been possible."

The proposed multifamily luxury apartment community that will eventually total some 674,757 s.f. and 430 units, is located on a ray of the newly improved "Starburst" intersection (still way less delightful than an actual Starburst), directly across the street from Hechinger Mall; some apartments will have views of the Capitol. According to the developer, the long-awaited complex will bring "high-quality housing to an area that has not benefited from new residential development in many years." In addition to the growing number of retail options in the Atlas District, future residents will plenty of amenities right outside their door - a pool, a business center, a gym, indoor half basketball court, entertainment space, and landscaped gardens complete with fireplace and "meditation courtyard" are all in the works.

Georgia based Preston Partnership brained the architectural aesthetic that fuses sharp angles and a modern facade of dark red brick, cement, and large glassy bays, conveying both a sense of sophistication and an industrial-tinged simplicity. The interiors are equally classy, the renderings of the common spaces inviting the eye to superimpose an image of a lady-wooing 007 onto the leather ottomans. Another Clark subsidiary - Clark Builders Group is charged with making the architectural drawings a reality, and will begin work just in time for the winter months.

Washington D.C. Real Estate Development News

Wilson High School Modernization Video

The city has released a video virtual tour of the Wilson High School in Tenleytown. The $85m project began in February of 2009 and is expected to meet LEED Silver certification when it is completed next July.

Buildings at 1776 Wilson Blvd to Crumble Soon

As Skanska continues to build up at 10th and G Streets NW, approaching "concrete topping out," developers expect the current buildings at their project site on the west side of the Potomac to come down very shortly. Rosslyn's Medical Service Corp. International office, Arlington Motor Cars, and Fashion Dreams, purchased from George Contis for ten million dollars in early 2009, are set to be razed in early December. Already approved development plans were included in the deal, and Skanska will follow through on the original RTKL-inspired vision of 142,000 s.f. of office space with a full ground floor of retail at 1776 Wilson Blvd. Although construction won't be coming "out of the ground" until February, with an official groundbreaking happening shortly after, Jessica Murray of Skanska assured DCMud that "you'll see activity happening before then." While Murray was able to promise impending explosions (figuratively not literally) and subsequent dirt-pushing, she could not report any lease agreement for the office or retail space at this time. "You'll know when that happens," she added.

Meanwhile, Skanska reports that construction crews are "currently placing concrete on the seventh floor" at 733 10th Street NW. Masonry work should begin next month and curtain wall glass is anticipated to begin at the end of November. Murray also confirmed that developers expect the 3,946 s.f. purchased from the First Congregational United Church of Christ's (originally the owners of the property) stake in the ground-floor of the building will likely feature a "white tablecloth" dining establishment as well as a cafe. The Church will maintain its presence in the new building with a freshly designed 25,000 s.f. of worship and office space. Substantial completion of the building is expected in September of 2011.

Correction: Skanska representatives wish to impart to DCMud and their readers that in fact NO EXPLOSIONS will actually happen during demolitions in Rosslyn. Furthermore, the restaurant space going there is not white tablecloth, quite the opposite, as the style of eatery will be either "fast casual" or a café. Jessica Murray explained that this is an important distinction given the zoning issues at hand.

Washington, D.C. Real Estate Development News

The Tell-Tale Architect

By Beth Herman

For D.C.-based architect Edgar Sever and his wife, interior designer Lenore Headly, of Sever Headly Design Group, the opportunity to renovate a deteriorating 160-year-old Alexander Jackson Davis Gothic Revival-style house in remote, sleepy Gallows, Va. seemed, like the dark rain that preceded it, to have fallen from the sky.

Lauded from D.C. to Tokyo for their signature industrial steel-and-glass fabrication designs and edgy interiors, the chance to ply their craft on the 19^th century rural residence at 66 Fissure Hollow that boasted decorated bargeboards, a castellated parapet and stained glass pointed arch windows - instead of iron outrigger beams and cantilevered brushed nickel and glass stairs, for example – at first glance seemed very much out of character for the architect/designer team. “It was just like a square peg/round hole scenario, but after talking with us, the young homeowner was pretty certain we should take a stab at it,” Sever recalled of their chance meeting one night as they contemplated changing a flat tire on a flooded country road. “In fact, he refused to let us go until we said yes.”

A Descent Into The Maelstrom

It all began, according to Sever, when the couple borrowed a neighbor’s vintage Ford truck (affectionately monikered “The Relic”) before leaving their Kalorama home for an antiquing weekend. The truck was to help transport two late 18th century Pennsylvania Chippendale desks, located for them by a Southern Virginia furniture dealer, back to the District. Despite a weekend weather report that portended nothing short of a small typhoon, Sever and Headly made the trip.

“As a favor to a friend, Ed and I were doing a Georgetown row house,” Headly recalled, affirming that residential design wasn’t really their métier but “friends are friends.” Because of some unanticipated architectural incursions, in addition to the interior design work, they’d spent more than nine months in review, had just gotten Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB) and Advisory Neighborhood Committee (ANC) approval, and were anxious to find product and get going, rain or shine, she explained. The desks, along with a cherished heirloom Chippendale armchair and settee already on the premises, were to be the centerpieces of the 3,200 s.f. row house’s great room. The truck the couple borrowed, on the other hand, was not so cherished and suffered two separate flat tires, going and coming.

“The fierceness of the storm, the added weight of the desks and fear of damaging them, and the increasing darkness made it impossible to change the tire on the way back,” Sever said, adding that the Gallows, Va. homeowner who would soon retain their services seemed to appear out of thin air on the road that night, ushering them through the woods and down a broken path into the Gothic Revival structure to dry off. The evening turned into cocktails, dinner and a lantern and candlelight tour of the three-story structure after the storm doused the electricity. “Even by lantern, it was clear that an antiquated mechanical system, insufficient insulation, sagging cross-gabled roof, cracking foundation and leaks everywhere - not to mention drafts, cold spots, strange thumps and creaking noises we could not easily identify - would mandate razing the house in most cases,” Sever said, “but the homeowner wanted to save it. In fact, he wanted us to save it. He just wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

The Valley of Unrest

Months later, plans to gut and renovate the tired property had gone through yet a fourth iteration – and endured the purchase of two new computers. “It was odd,” Sever reported. “We would just finish what we thought were the right renderings and the next morning they would be gone, almost as though someone had deleted them. We finally gave up and got new hardware.” When the homeowner reportedly suffered a fatal machine accident, Sever said they were contacted by someone who explained he was a family member –in fact the great-grandfather of the deceased – who asked that the team be his weekend guests at the house in Gallows in order to gain a better perspective of his great grandson’s wishes. “He said when the weekend was over, we’d know exactly what was expected of us,” Sever recalled.

On a clear, biting (“We could see our breath,” Headly recalled) late October Saturday at dawn, the team, consisting of Sever, Headly, project architect William Wilson and team member Annabel Lee, left Washington for the four-hour drive to the house at Fissure Hollow, buoyed by the thought that the work might actually soon begin. Though sunny at the outset, darkening skies and a violent thunderstorm just outside of Gallows hastened them toward the site. “A note welcomed us and apologized once we got to the front door,” Sever said, “urging us to enter and fend for ourselves for the first night. It said the house itself would tell us what to do.”

Again without power, and following a dinner of cold canned chili and crackers from the pantry, the group set about by lantern and candlelight assessing a litany of design and structural flaws and rot. While the foundation they discovered of 20-inch thick granite would typically preclude razing a structure, even one with significant deterioration such as this, the team was more than certain the end result would be a total gutting and redesign, according to Headly. “We wanted to save what we could because that had been the homeowner’s desire,” she said, “and though our work tends more toward raw steel than stained glass, we are proponents of preservation, especially in a region like this.” The Gothic Revival hand carved wooden fireplace, she indicated, replete with “pointed arches and quatrefoils,” needed to be preserved to honor the 19^th century craftsmen whose legacy it illustrated.

With temperatures dropping and the power still out, Sever said the group carefully built a large fire and bedded down beside it for the night, only to have the flames quickly quelled by a burst of cold air. As the team huddled by dying embers, a constant tapping which turned to rapping at the door (and numerous attempts to determine what was causing it, to no avail) put everyone on edge, Headly recalled. When a final investigation by her husband yielded an ungainly black bird, it entered the room through the now half-opened door, circled the dentil, egg and dart crown molding, and perched on the pallid bust of a Greek god.

“We were somewhat surprised,” Headly said, “but nowhere near as mystified as when the diaphanous form of the homeowner appeared to tend the fire.”

“My great-grandfather, who died in 1978, doesn’t want anyone to alter this house,” he said, sort of floating, wiping some residual blood and thready nerves from a dangling forearm while explaining the elder’s plan to scare them all the way back to the District. “But I do. I really love it; it’s just that it needs to be modernized.”

“But aren’t you…also dead?” the group asked incredulously.

“Details,” the homeowner said. “So how about it?”

According to Sever, it took the team all of 30 seconds to exit the house and point the car back to Washington, the black bird on their heels.

“We’re somewhat concerned about historical review,” he explained a month later, noting that the design was currently in its fifth iteration, “but all signs point to a spring start.” When asked about working with a rather gossamer homeowner, Sever said it has its drawbacks, such as his entering meeting rooms unannounced, directly through closed doors, and hovering during project updates that the team wasn’t quite ready to share, but all in all, it’s working out.

“Over dinner the other night Lenore asked me if I’d ever consider doing another project of this ilk,” Sever said. “I wanted to say I was game, but wouldn’t you know it, quoth that darned black bird that followed us home, ‘Nevermore. Nevermore.’”

Happy Halloween from everyone at DCMud

Paradigm Begins New York Ave Apartment Project

Paradigm has ordered its army of construction vehicles into Mount Vernon Triangle to begin work on the hefty 390-unit rental building at 425 L St, NW. Indeed, ground had broken on what project manager Jimmy Dotson calls a "bold, urban building with all the modern comforts of home." Under construction is a mass of brick and glass that will eventually total fourteen stories, sitting on three levels of below grade resident parking. Along with the standard amenities (gym, roof deck, common rooms) the building will feature a few unique touches like the hybrid and electric car refueling stations to be installed in the parking garage. The barren surface parking lots that have sat vacant are now occupied by machinery and the warehouse at the eastern corner that has remained unused for years will soon be razed. The apartment building, built in partnership with Steuart Investments, was designed by Architecture Collaborative, Inc., while Collins & Kronstadt of Silver Spring holds the title of architecture of record. Developers expect initial delivery in the spring of 2012, with completion of the building wrapping up later that fall. Paradigm has apparently taken heart from the nearly sold out condo projects (CityVista completed sales this fall) and the largely stabilized new apartment buildings that surround it. Donohoe Construction is well into construction of 218 rental units directly across the street.

Washington D.C. Real Estate Development News

JBG and Grosvenor Unveil Name for 14th & S Condo Project

In an unparalleled combination of simplicity and genius developers at JBG and Grosvenor have titled their much-talked-about, seven-story condominium project set for 14th and S Streets NW District Condos! Today that name was officially christened. And while no champagne bottles were smashed over the corner of Whitman Walker Clinic, suits and ties from the development world, as well as Jack Evans and one well-recognized Jim-Graham-bow-tie, gathered earlier today to celebrate the newly-named 125-unit residential building and its impending groundbreaking (which is expected in just a couple weeks).

While the name might be a smidgen on the unimaginative side, the building's design, interior, and amenities will be nothing short of state of the art. Architects from Shalom Baranes designed the sleek and modern "glass and terracotta facade with balconies and terraces," while Cecconi Simone Inc. have been tasked with selecting the interior finishes, as well as designing the unit layouts, common areas, and amenities. JBG and Ceconi Simone have also teamed up with local retailer Vastu to stylishly furnish the common space and model units. Condo buyers wanting to add that modern-chic flare to their newly purchased units will have the option of employing the style-genius of Vastu and their product lines.

By tapping into the rich historic preservation experience of Shalom Baranes, and with much appreciation from former Whitman Walker Chairman and now Ward One Councilman Jim Graham, the beautiful brick facade of the former AIDs clinic will be improved, preserved, and incorporated into the new building. Although specifics weren't provided, Graham said he was more than pleased that JBG's project will honor and commemorate the hundreds of brave District residents who volunteered and were treated at the facility during the horrible AIDS crisis of the 1980s and '90s.

In addition to the indoor gym and the rooftop terrace, featuring outdoor living rooms, a kitchen, bar, fire pit, fountain, and sundeck, the building will also offer an additional 18,000 s.f. of retail. And with most of the vacant storefronts on 14th Street being pasted one by one with Zoning permits signaling the newest restaurant in line for the area, there is likely to be no shortage of interested tenants by the time construction is completed in the Spring of 2012. Potential buyers can "register" beginning today and actual sales will start sometime in the Spring of next year.

Washington D.C. Real Estate Development News

Rosslyn Station Kicks Off Today

Development of the expanded Rosslyn Station kicks off this morning with sacramental event to publicize construction of the $32m project. The 10am ceremony will highlight expansion of the underground station and replacement of the single elevator with three high-speed lifts intended to increase speed and create redundancy for Virginia's highest-trafficked station. The event will be attended by officials from Arlington, WMATA, the state's Congressional delegation, and JBG, which owns part of the site and has plans to build the Central Place development above it.

Arlington, Virginia real estate development news