Safety First: Dissecting the Mexican Cultural Institute

By Beth Herman Its array of explosive Latin American murals propels one through history, geography, space and time. Standing before the dramatic interior walls of the Mexican Cultural Institute, tilling the fields or tickling the gods are well within reach. For Monarc Construction Principal John Bellingham, upgrading the Institute’s labyrinth of safety and security systems, and addressing handicap accessibility issues, without disturbing its signature murals and coterie of antiques, gilded objects, cut crystal, tile and ornate grille work was not your grandmother’s construction challenge. "It is magnificent inside," Bellingham said of the series of galleries that define the 40,000 s.f. space, and his commission to expand them. “It’s a four-story (Italianate) structure with 20-ft. ceilings that had been neglected badly.” Built as a residence at 2829 16th Street NW for President Taft’s secretary of the treasury in 1910-11, the building was sold to the Mexican Embassy in 1921 and then designated as a cultural center in 1990 by President Carlos Salinas de Gortari of Mexico (the embassy had moved to another venue the previous year). While adroitly circumventing artist Roberto Cueva del Rio’s masterful murals was indeed part of the challenge, major concerns included inadequate 30-inch-tall handrails in the building’s sprawling three-story stairwell, often utilized as space during receptions, as well as antiquated electrical, plumbing, fire and other safety systems, and also interior environmental issues. In fact when the Institute’s executive director, under whom the work began, was replaced by current Executive Director Alejandra de la Paz, elements such as an exterior envelope upgrade and restoration were added to the already comprehensive task list, with an emphasis on windows.

Of wind and mortar “I remember standing there in the winter and the curtains were just blowing in the breeze because the air was coming in so much,” Bellingham said, adding for sustainability and preservation purposes the goal was not to replace but restore them, some 16 feet tall. Brick work was cleaned – the limestone repointed, and Bellingham noted because the bricks are German (thin and long), repairs had to come from cutting other bricks when nothing comparable could be found. In what was once a greenhouse in the back of the building but is currently a public space for presentations and the like, exquisite Calavera tile was restored with tremendous effort. When a match could not be obtained from its manufacturer in Puebla, Mexico, Richmond, Va. celebrated artisan and sculptor Charlie Ponticello was commissioned to replicate the tile. Scalpel, please “In buildings of this age, typically there are a lot of vertical chases as they were heated with hot water radiators,” Bellingham explained, adding the question of how to cut the art-laced walls for equipment upgrades was a painstaking issue. “It’s a matter of finding the chases again, opening them up, taking out abandoned piping in some cases and replacing it, and forming new chases,” he said. In the third floor library, with its polished walnut ceiling, years of incursions for construction or mechanical purposes had damaged it considerably, and Monarc also had to install components of its safety systems. Bellingham said by the end of the process, there was no way to determine where any work had been done, resulting in a great enhancement of the space. With the original wood balustrade just 30 inches high, safety concerns abounded for those gathered on stairways, especially during parties and receptions. “You could be pushed or literally fall backwards,” Bellingham said, “with the handrail coming up only to the back of your legs – not your waist.” Seeking not to impinge on the beauty of the balustrade or disturb it any way, a glass handrail was fabricated to stand in front of it. And among the project’s more prickly challenges was the method in which to “sprinkle the stairs,” Bellingham recounted. “It’s a four-story lobby with an atrium that goes all the way from the ground floor to the roof,” bathed in murals and more. A decision to enhance the original cornice – which ran up under the stairs – and hide new pipes between the old and new cornice work camouflaged necessary pipes, Bellingham explained. Located on 15th Street in back of the structure, a 1,500-s.f. carriage house with collapsed roof was also restored, transformed into a new housing unit for visiting dignitaries and other personnel. “The whole building is a solid masonry structure,” Bellingham said of the Institute. “There was a lot of exploratory work, and we took down parts of the ceiling, went through walls, cut passageways and took down moldings to hide pipes and wiring, not to mention working around an old organ. We had to protect these great artifacts.” 

Washington DC commercial design

No Mo' for East NoMa This Year?

Charles "Sandy" Wilkes founded The Wilkes Company over three decades ago and began investing in NoMa - North of Massachusetts Ave - shortly thereafter, acquiring property as early as 1985, when Reagan was in office, Mandela wasn't free, and Back to the Future was the highest grossing film in the U.S.  That investment may soon pay dividends, as Wilkes plots a course to finally develop the block of property at 3rd and M Streets, NE, in Noma's long underdeveloped eastern branch. While signs of construction have been evident at the site for several months, Wilkes is holding back on development until the moment is right. That moment may well depend on Douglas Development and its development of Uline Arena; restoration of the historic 60-year-old Uline/Washington Coliseum, according to Douglas, depends on finding a marquee tenant, which they are actively seeking. Despite other real estate projects in the Northeast area rolling forward - Valor Development's 49-unit condo at 3rd and L, slated to begin in spring of 2012; the AvalonBay's 215-unit apartment project at 3rd and I; and Guy Steuart's Giant project at 3rd and H - Wilkes seems to be keeping an eye on what may be the city's most unique entertainment venue just across the street. 

 In addition to the combined Uline and Ice House project by Douglas and 300 M St NE, there are two other substantial planned projects on the boards for East NoMa proper: Union Place II, a 500-unit apartment with 30,000 s.f. of retail by The Cohen Companies, now in the design phase and looking to break ground in first quarter 2012, according to TCC's executive vice president, Eric Siegel; and the long-way-off Burnham Place project, a massive, billion-dollar build by Akridge.

300 M Street has long been idle and is being used for parking in the interim; the reason for the long wait time, according to Wilkes, is that he is "taking the time to determine the right mix of uses [at the site] and determine the right timing." The market is a big factor, specifically the uncertainty of the market for office space in the immediate area, and the unknown effect of substantial commercial density being added to west NoMa. Wilkes is familiar with the market, as well as the ongoing changes in NoMa: along with being an owner of substantial property for over 25 years, he invested in the construction of the New York Avenue Metro stop, and serves as vice chairman of the NoMa BID (a map with the boundaries of NoMa is found below). 

Although the specifics may change given Wilkes' earlier statement, an original design for 300 M, conceptualized by D.C.-and-New York-based Beyer Blinder Belle , incorporated retail, loft-style residences, and office space catering to a large organization: a non-profit HQ, government agency or trade association. One thing is clear about the future use of the site,"It will require zoning relief," explains Wilkes. The Ward 6 location is zoned C-M-1, low bulk commercial and light manufacturing uses, with a maximum height of 3 stories or 40'. Wilkes asserts that the zoning process will take some time, and that ground breaking at the site is not imminent. Wilkes also claims that east NoMa will eventually develop as more of a nod to New York's SoHo and Tribeca than anywhere else in DC, and "patience" is required, but that patience is wearing thin for some. For now, it seems Wilkes' project will sit on the sideline for the rest of the year, as west NoMa continues to witness the highest concentration of construction in Washington D.C. With over $3 billion of private investment shuttled into the whole of NoMa since 2005, 15.7 million s.f. of the neighborhood has been developed, and with 16.8 million more square feet to go, more patience may be a necessary asset. 

Washington D.C. real estate development news

A Penthouse Defined by Color and Comfort

By Beth Herman


Chromophobia... fear of color.

You won't find it anywhere in interior designer Camille Saum's Washington oeuvre, and certainly not in the Edgemoor condominium she created for renowned D.C. area real estate broker Sherry Davis.

Known as much for her personal style as prodigious use of color (think: sun-yellow floors and skin-pink ceilings), in more than three decades Saum has yet to acquiesce to the beiges, blacks, browns and greys of convention –unless absolutely pressed!

"You do have to listen to the client—that’s what success is all about," Saum affirmed, conceding that she has worked very hard over the years to be able to strike a balance between clients' desires and her own evolved design ideas.

Transitioning Davis from a sprawling 4,500 s.f. Bethesda home to a 2,500 s.f. penthouse in the same neighborhood, Saum said in addition to the use of color for depth and drama, economy of space was paramount. By the same token, the client’s priorities clearly needed to define the space.

"The instructions that I had at first were that she’s got to live in this room,” Saum said of the living/dining room space, because unlike the expansive home Davis was leaving, there were no other areas to which to escape except for a bedroom and guest bedroom. Desiring a comfortable, largely contemporary environment, accommodating a cherished, aging schnauzer with accruing health problems named Max was also high on Davis’ dance card and factored heavily into fabric and flooring. A durable “nubby” fabric was subsequently chosen for the couch and loveseat, and a wool rug that could be easily cleaned was added.

Because size mattered, Saum had furniture custom-made which allowed more flexibility in scale. “You have to be creative,” she said, reaffirming the smaller room mandate. Recalling an issue at The Westchester, where she resides, Saum said she’d once witnessed a failed attempt to load a magnificent antique sofa through a doorway. “Every piece of furniture I order for every space—I measure doorways and everything else,” she said, whether custom-made or otherwise. “You can take the feet off and do other things, but I prefer not to do that.” In fact, in the client’s aptly named Panache Penthouse, Saum made the sofa backs shorter, for easier entry, so the cushion sits up three inches above it and looks beautiful.

With small grandchildren, space in a concentrated area for them to spread out for reading, games or art projects, or to be able to participate in holiday meals, was achieved with two built-in pedestals that double as seating, with colorful cushions on top, or as low table surfaces.

Saum chose a favorite in her signature color palette for the space’s tray ceiling—the resulting shade of “plantain” redolent of the sun. Reflected in accessories such as pillows, lamp shades and especially a wall-sized acrylic canvas by artist Linda Cafritz, the plantain hue transforms the room into a bright, shining environment. “I always try and make a space happy, because when you walk through a door, you want to love to be there,” Saum said.

Enlightening space and client

Not enamored of recessed lighting, Saum said her client had to be convinced to try it and when she did so, never looked back. “She thanked and thanked me, as we had to think about what we were going to do in the living room when a floor lamp wouldn’t be enough,” Saum said. An antique chandelier from Dominion Electric Supply added sparkle to the living/dining space, and table lamps “float,” according to Saum, with holes drilled in glass-top tables and skirts to conceal cords.

In the master bedroom, a custom 72-inch leather headboard in a deep camel with green cording complements neutral walls and soft, moss-green furniture. Twin Donghia lamps were painted to accent the room, and a camel-colored area rug with 3-inch banding and mitered corners completed the space. The penthouse’s guestroom utilizes an iron bed from Davis’ former home, along with a crisp mustard-and-white-striped chair in Donghia fabric. A simple Pottery Barn bedspread, cuddle pillow with a solid flange, and toile quilt and sheets - also in a Donghia fabric - reflect a serene and gracious environment, with chili-red lampshades providing a dollop of drama.

Of her designing life and proclivity for color, Saum maintains she was “born with it in her blood.” A bona fide daughter of Georgetown, among Saum’s earliest memories is a move from one home to another where she recalls the placement of every piece of furniture, along with the color and texture of the wallpaper, when she was just 4 years old.

“It’s intuition, and all the school in the world cannot change that if it’s not there,” the designer affirmed. “Color is inside of me.”


photos courtesy of Gordon Beall Photography

Takoma Park Progresses on Twin Developments

SGA Companies and Level 2 Development are finally watching construction progress at their joint residential-and-retail project at 235 Carroll Street NW in Takoma Park, a long dormant site that Bethesda-based SGA Companies, founded by Sassan (Sas) Gharai, purchased in 2004. Three years later, site prep was undertaken, including extensive environmental remediation and the removal of rusted-out oil drums left over from the former gas station and truck rental facility on site. Still, four years went by before construction began, last month.

Of the changes at 235 Carroll Street in the Takoma Park Historic District, Sara Green, Commissioner of ANC 4B 01, has no complaints. It's the site next door, at 231 Carroll St, also being developed by SGA and Level 2, that is giving her some grief.

The developers' plans for the adjacent site (231 Carroll) were approved, with suggested refinements, yesterday, June 30th, by the Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB), and now await final approval by the Historic Preservation Office (HPO).

Although Green submitted in her testimony to HPRB yesterday, "Everyone I have talked to is excited about seeing a vacant and ugly lot on our 'main street' developed, and this design has several very appealing and creative features," her concerns lie with the back of the building at 231, not the appearance from the front.

Along the new "main street," the two buildings will be distinctly different, thanks to community feedback and HPO recommendations, as the HPRB Staff Report by Anne Brockett details, "The design for [231] has changed dramatically in its exterior appearance since submission. Initially it was proposed to match the design of 235 Carroll."

In the interest of visual diversity, the newest plan for 231 Carroll St is a 5-story complex with 60 residential units, 35 underground parking spaces, and a retail component, designed with a "warehouse-inspired aesthetic" using predominantly red brick. In contrast, 235 Carroll St is a longer but shorter building, with 4 stories, 84 residential units, 70 underground parking spots, and 6,500 s.f. of ground-floor retail, featuring "yellow brick with panelized bays."

The two residential-and-retail complexes will be connected by a glass "hypen" of sorts that at once connects and separates the two buildings, which Commissioner Green appreciates, as does much of the community, according to her.

Of 231, the staff report explains that "large, street level openings have brick arches and are covered by a corner canopy suspended from metal rods. The upper story windows are 6-over-6 hoppers with steel lintels and sills. The side elevation along Cedar Street continues the warehouse materials and detailing of the main block and then at a setback and lower wing changes to a mix of stucco bays and hardiplank-sided recessed balconies. Along this elevation, the northernmost corner loses its top floor for a terrace, thus stepping down toward the adjacent historic home on Cedar."

It's the "step down" plan, on the corner of Carroll Street and Cedar Street, where Green's concerns are focused.

In her testimony to the HPRB yesterday, Green stated, "The Takoma Central District Plan specifically addresses height. It states that 'new commercial and residential buildings should be no more than 2-4 stories in height to match existing residential scale' and to preserve Takoma’s 'small/town village character'."

She continued by saying that, "The Takoma Overlay District permits heights of up to 55 feet, but as I also understand it, you have the ability to reduce the height, as needed, on case-by-case basis."

Yet, overall, the project has been well received by both ANC4B and a majority of the immediate Takoma Park community. Green also asserts that Sas Gharai of SGA, and Jeff Blum of Level 2, have worked diligently with concerned parties, and have revised the design at 231 Carroll into something commendable. Still, she believes, it could be better, and specifically, shorter.

Meanwhile, the complex already underway at 235, dubbed Ecco Park early on, had planned for condos but turned rental in the spring of 2008. The project was also once in the hands of Ellisdale Construction, in the summer of 2010, but is currently being built by Hamel Builders; Hamel Builders could not be reached this morning, and Ellisdale would not disclose any information on the change.

Washington D.C. real estate development news

Douglas Close to Construction on 14th Street

Redevelopment abounds along the 14th Street corridor within the mile-long strip that runs from Meridian Park through U Street and into Logan Circle, with several condo projects and new retail on track to arrive within the next one-to-two years. At the top of the corridor, at 2221 14th Street (14th & Florida Ave), Douglas Development will soon add another: a 6-story, 30-unit, mixed-use residential-and-retail project. Sasha Rosen, principal at R2L:ARCHITECTS – responsible for the design – relays that the permitting process is underway and involved parties foresee construction will start in three months or less. Per Rosen, the design for the complex has not changed since reported in November of last year, when Rosen stated that "the massing, form, and rhythm are in the Washington historic tradition, but the details are contemporary." 

Located within the Greater U Street Historic District, the project first sought approval from the Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB), which gave Douglas the go-ahead, and the OK to demolish the crumbling Latino Auto Sales shop on site, at the end of last year. In January, the Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA) also approved the project's plan, and granted the developer zoning relief, with a few conditions, including one-time mass-transportation and/or car-sharing funds for future residents, as well as requiring "that a temporary mural [be painted] on the south façade of the building,which shall remain on the building until such time as construction on the adjacent property to the south would obstruct the mural." Douglas Development could not be reached for comment this morning. 

Washington D.C. real estate development news

Washington DC's Retail Prices Surge

The best, or busiest, intersection in Washington D.C. is at H and 7th Streets NW, in the heart of Chinatown - at least according to those who own property on either axis. With four corners available to capitalize on the heavy traffic, only one corner remains open to incoming retailers. But it'll cost 'em. The lofty asking price for the ground floor of the future mixed-use site at 675 H St NW is just one indication that retail around the city is in high demand as retailers vie for limited retail space and rents around the city rise quickly, sometimes dramatically.

The joint-venture in control of leasing the retail space, as well as developing the site, is McCaffery Interests Inc. and Douglas Development, which obtained the property at auction in February. According to Juan Cameron, Managing Director of McCaffery, "The site commands a strong asking price." That price has been relayed, by several sources, as asking $250-$300 per square foot.

Cameron, who declined to speak on the record about price points, acknowledged that the space will "be on the high side" and asserts that the companies are "looking to set a new benchmark," but won't divulge specifics while leasing is underway. However, Cameron added that "the site has generated a considerable amount of interest."

John Asadoorian, founder and head of Asadoorian Retail Solutions, confirmed having heard an asking price around $250 p.s.f. for the corner spot, which is adjacent to the Friendship Arch/Chinatown Gate, a one-block stumble away from a Caps game at the Verizon Center.

Asadoorian did not speak to the feasibility of the high asking price at 7th and H, however agreed with site developers that the intersection is the closest D.C. has to New York's Times Square. Fuddruckers, located on the intersection's opposite southwest corner, struck a deal early in the decade for about $80 p.s.f., a price that raised eyebrows then, before the substantial investment in Chinatown in 2006.

Asadoorian notes that although retail rates have been rising in the few years following the recession, the jump in price at this location is relatively the largest. Whereas Georgetown leases have generally increased by around $50 p.s.f. in the last 10 or 15 years, the jump in price at Chinatown would be double that, and in less than half the time.

The increase in price underscores the fact that D.C. is fast becoming a vibrant spot for unique retail, as well as a foodie destination and Food Network-inspired hot spot, with a proliferation of national restaurateurs and chefs - even a barrage of food trucks.

It remains to be seen whether retailers will pay $250 to $300 p.s.f. for prime real estate in the District, but it's visible that the pace of retail space being leased is picking up.

The five-to-six blocks along 14th Street, NW between the U Street Corridor and P Street is witness to a similar retail surge, and the retail space here is "practically all leased up," tells Asadoorian. Steve Gaudio, JBG Rosenfeld's leasing manager for the District Condos at 14th and S Streets, said the 18,000 s.f. of ground-floor retail at the 125-unit complex is already entirely leased up, and construction is only recently underway.

Although Gaudio won't talk shop on pricing for the retail space, JBG, which is about to start Utopia a few blocks north, and the Atlantic Plumbing site, and is already mentioning higher retail rents than the $40-$50 p.s.f. rates that have prevailed in the area recently.

To return to Chinatown, if the final price for retail at 675 H Street is anywhere near $300 p.s.f., then the site will secure the highest per square foot retail lease in the District; higher than Georgetown, which commands $100 to $120 p.s.f. for similar-sized retail space, and higher than Union Station, which is currently the highest in the city, up to $200 p.s.f. That, in turn, may get the attention of property owners around the city, who may get even bolder with the prices they expect.

Washington D.C. real estate and retail news

A Tree Falls in Arlington

By Beth Herman It wasn't a Midwest-style twister, but a storm still powerful enough to deliver a neighboring tree to the top of an old, one-story enclosed porch addition to a post-war brick Colonial in Arlington. Sited on a busy, residential street, the home overlooks the Donaldson Run Bike Trail in the back, marked by lush vegetation and mature trees that tower over the residence despite the arbors' location on a deep incline. "The client came to us probably eight years ago, before the storm,” said Jane Treacy of Treacy & Eagleburger Architects, noting the porch was neither well insulated nor well heated, restricting the homeowners to limited use. “We did some schematic designs for making it bigger, maybe another story taller, and using the space better, but they didn’t want to do it right away.” Then three years ago, the storm wiped out the addition completely, and the phone rang. Eviscerated down to a supportive slab, the former 12-ft. wide porch was situated over a one-car garage of the same proportions, appearing almost below-grade from the front. It was accessed via a steep driveway in the back which rendered it useless in inclement weather, according to the homeowner. A decision to widen the slab to 17 feet, for a total dimension of 17-by-22 feet, resulted in its transformation to a family room, adding value and usable space to the home (the garage became storage space beneath). But the renovation’s focus was clearly skyward: to a second story. “This was just a little post war two-story box,” Treacy explained, noting there were hundreds built throughout Arlington County in the same time period. “They do make a nice scale in the front, though, and have a comfortable neighborhood feel, so we didn’t want to lose that.” To that end, and with an eye to creating a glass tree house of sorts that would appreciate the verdant view in the back, the architect made a decision to step a second story back about six feet from the new family room beneath, so as not to overpower the front of the house. Views out of this new master bedroom suite were to be directed primarily to the back, with a wall of rust-hued aluminum-clad windows and four clerestory windows –in what the architect calls an eyebrow—creating a light-inspired space. “We considered the eyebrow almost like a dormer,” Treacy said, “though not truly because a dormer is embedded in the roof.” In this home, the plane of the wall continues up and the architect “popped the roof” to accommodate it. On the interior, a flat, stained, slatted Douglas fir ceiling with recessed lighting and sconces also pops exactly where the roof does, to an apex of 11.5 feet, providing height to the moderate 16-by-17-ft. space. “The scale here is what connects you to the trees in a dramatic way,” Treacy affirmed of the project they aptly named "Rear Window." Stainless steel cable rails provide a barrier to enable the master’s French doors to safely remain open, catching a cool breeze from the adjacent forest, and also encircle a deck off the first floor family room. “I guess you could say that their hand was forced by the storm,” Treacy said of the homeowner’s ultimate decision to build the glass tree house. “Now the addition is completely integral to the house.” photos courtesy of Celia Pearson

Your Next Place...

By Franklin Schneider

There are very few "I'm king of the world" gestures more effective than living in a penthouse. I mean, you're right up there, on top, lording it over everyone. It's too literal to even be a metaphor. The only thing more kingly is to be an actual king, wearing a big gold hat and sitting in a chair bigger and higher than everyone else's. Though of course with that you have to worry about a possible peasant uprising followed by possible exile or execution, whereas with a penthouse pretty much the worst thing that could happen is what, they might raise your condo fees?

This incredible two-level (three if you count the roof) penthouse unit in the Beauregard boasts a private rooftop terrace (with cabana!) and three separate balconies. There's a gourmet kitchen with Caledonia granite countertops, and an expansive living room with floor-to-ceiling windows and a correspondingly breathtaking view. The master bedroom is truly masterful, and the master bath has more marble in it than many museums. There's also a den where you can sit quietly and write letters to your exes, in-laws, and rivals: (“Enclosed are pictures of my new penthouse; those balcony pics aren't duplicates, I actually have three separate balconies. How many do you have?”)

Comes with garage parking, a fitness center, front desk service, and another, shared, roof deck. Also, the unit is just steps from U Street and all its shops, restaurants, cafes, and nonstop nightlife. To paraphrase Dr. Johnson on London, “if you're tired of U Street, you're tired of life.”

2100 11th St. #PH2
Washington, DC
2 Bdrms, Den, 2 Baths
$939,000

Historic Rowhouse Façades Likely to Remain

A plan by the Third Street Church of God to raze three historic rowhouses at 1232-1236 New Jersey Avenue NW in the Mount Vernon Square Historic District (MVSHD) has been changed. The new plan, after recent consultation with the Historic Preservation Office (HPO), is for the church to retain the sound façades and demolish the decrepit rear, and is detailed in the Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB)'s staff report, published Friday, in advance of the upcoming Board meeting this Thursday, June 30th. If the Board grants approval, the HPO will then wave forward the Third Street Church of God's new plan for partial demolition.

The three rowhouses were originally four, however the southernmost one was demolished before the designation of the MVSHD in 1999. All three are flat-front, brick rowhouses built in 1866-1867, and according to the HPRB staff report, are "representative of the speculative housing built on the outskirts of the city in the boom years immediately following the Civil War."

The HPRB staff report, prepared by staff reviewer Brendan Meyer, outlines that "large portions of the three rowhouses are in extremely dilapidated condition... specifically the rear masonry walls and one-story ells are compromised structurally by numerous trees that have taken root in the walls." The staff report, released Friday, states that "[a]fter recent consultation with the HPO, the church has agreed to revise the raze application and now wish [sic] to pursuse a concept approval that would allow them to demolish only portions of the buildings not visible from New Jersey Avenue."

Although the rowhouses have suffered from longstanding exposure to the elements at the rear, resulting in extensive mold, a flourishing termite colony, and "nearly total loss of interior finishes... [and] structural integrity [of the back portions]." The front of the buildings are in "relatively good condition" and show "only typical wear for 150-year-old masonry," explains the staff report.

Because the façades of the rowhouses are salvageable, while the rear is impassable, the HPO is recommending that the Board approves this new, compromised solution to save some of all three historic structures - which front New Jersey Avenue. This new plan would restore the historic face of the property, and retain the "possibility that the current or a future owner may be able to incorporate the historic structures into a future development," as is stated in the staff report.

In the meantime, if the plan is approved and the church follows through with demolition of the back portion of all three rowhouses, the newly created space will be used for 3 to 5 churchgoers to park.

Washington D.C. real estate development news

Old Trash-Transfer Structure to be Thrown Out of Southeast

An old Department of Public Works (DPW) trash-transfer site at 900 New Jersey Avenue SE currently stands in the way of plans to reconnect I Street SE between 1st and 2nd Streets, and nicely square off the parcels to the north and south. But it won't stand for long; a raze application was filed on June 13th by the property owner, the D.C. Housing Authority (DCHA), and according to David Maloney, D.C.’s Historic Preservation Officer, “We will clear the raze application, it’s not a historic building; it’s a pretty typical industrial building from the 1940s, and we are not asking them to try to salvage any of it.”

Demolition of the structure will allow DCHA to sell the bit of land that currently overlaps the future I Street and protrudes into the land to the north, at 880 New Jersey Avenue, owned by William C. Smith + Co. (WSC). The belief is that DCHA will sell this small section to WSC, which will fill out the Square 737 site for WSC. However, DCHA will likely retain the majority of the property at 900 New Jersey Avenue, and develop it into additional Arthur Capper Hope VI housing.

"We hope that it's gone by the end of the year," says Michael Stevens, Executive Director of the Capital Riverfront BID, which will allow "I Street [to become] a major east-west connector."

Post demolition, land purchase, and the I Street connection, WCS will be able to begin phase one of its 1.1 million s.f. mixed-use project planned for the northern site, which it purchased from the Washington Post in 1999. Phase one will be a 13-story, 430-unit apartment complex.

Stevens adds that, "[WSC] intends to break ground in March of 2012, if everything goes according to plan with the trash transfer site."  The two-story, brick-concrete-and-steel structure was built in 1948 and is one of many designed by the municipal architect for the District, as was standard practice from the 1910s through the ‘50s.

The site is currently being used solely for the storage of Department of Public Works' vehicles.; trash-transfer operations and administrative offices have both already been relocated to Northeast, where the vehicles will also be headed. The old transfer site will likely need environmental remediation before construction is to begin, as it has dealt with waste for over a century. Previous to the current, 63-year-old structure, was a more rudimentary trash operation in place on the site at the turn of the 20th century.

The site is in a prime location, two blocks north of the Navy Yards Metro and east of Canal Park (now in development), and is part of the steady, ongoing transformation of the Southeast neighborhood into a vibrant live-work-play area.

"We'll see the trash transfer site and the [Florida Rock] concrete plant disappear, two of the last vestiges of our industrial history," says Stevens. "These sites will be put back to productive use. The Florida Rock site is already entitled as a major mixed-use project with office, hotel, residential and retail, but we don't know when they're going to pull the trigger on that."

Washington D.C. real estate development news

Trussed for Success

By Beth Herman

Among the legion of nationwide AME churches, D.C.'s John Wesley AME Zion Church, 1615 14th Street NW, is an integral part of the District's diverse, textured, historical fabric.

With Civil War-era roots and 21st century dreams, a parish house - which was the original church - and the present church structure built in 1894 had fallen short of the current sanctuary, educational, hospitality and administrative challenges of its dynamic congregation, with antiquated mechanical systems—especially an old boiler—draining the church's energy and finances. What’s more, and in part unbeknownst to the architects and developer at the outset, various architectural and aesthetic features and flourishes that had temporarily succumbed to renovation attempts in the past were uncovered in a kind of reverse archaeological dig—50 feet up into a rarefied space lost to generations of church members and staff.


What lies beneath

“Our focus has been more on the Corcoran Street and east sides of the building as far as restoration, underpinning and digging out underneath a space that was just crawlspace for new facilities and rooms for the church,” said Principal Bill Bonstra of Bonstra | Haresign Architects. Working with developer Fred Bahrami and project architect Jeremy Arnold, the team’s objectives were to restore, modernize and upgrade a total of 12,000 s.f. of space with limited financial resources.

“We were very sensitive to the budget of the church,” Arnold said. “We felt the most important thing was (to address) lengthy and overlapping programs with a number of different-sized spaces that can be used in different ways: multipurpose rooms; storage closets; changing rooms; new office space. We wanted to give them spaces that would help them use the building more efficiently on a day-to-day basis.”

Used for meetings, classrooms, banquets, administration and containing a dated and inadequate kitchen, the 4,400 s.f. parish house was a patchwork of disjointed spaces. Engaging a neglected crawlspace beneath the parish house, a hole was made in the foundation from the outside, followed by a ramp and dual bobcats (30,000 cubic feet of dirt was ultimately removed and recycled as fill, with recovered iron recycled as well), with the structure’s middle support replaced by brand new steel columns, beams and footings in a feat of subterranean choreography. The resulting 9-ft.-high new basement has become home to a full commercial kitchen with banquet space for 150, and ladies’ and men’s facilities, and also contains state-of-the-art plumbing, HVAC, fire and safety systems, and a new elevator.

The parish house above was gutted and became dedicated office space for the pastor and administrative staff, along with conference rooms that facilitate the simultaneous viewing of sanctuary services and events via advanced technology.

A glimpse of heaven

According to Arnold, during the team’s initial survey process, poking heads above a lay-in ceiling that had been installed years ago on the second floor and peering past a mélange of mechanical ductwork, a “fairly complex system of beautiful trusses” emerged. Springing at 45-degree angles from the corners, the trusses also traversed a 20-ft.-in-diameter rose window that had been eclipsed very possibly for generations by the dropped ceiling. Evidence of a fire sometime in the 20th century was also observed in black staining and charred trusses, where several of the roof trusses had been reconstructed using wood and steel.

Destined for use now as one of the primary meeting spaces for the church, accommodating up to 250 people, Bahrami is credited with pulling the mechanical ducts through the trusses resulting in “…an interplay of old and new,” according to Bonstra. “It’s incredible space. It’s 50 feet (up),” Bonstra explained. According to Bahrami, the wall around the rose window was deteriorating stucco, which was removed to expose fine brickwork and sealed. Lighting was directed so that wall and window now become a focal point of the church.

“The entire structure has about a 2-ft.-thick brick wall,” Bahrami said of the building, noting the wall makes for prime insulation by its nature. He added that 80 percent of the interior fell apart during the renovation process, which is ongoing through the end of July, so new structural elements that include steel, wood beams and flooring are being employed.

Outside, the façade off Corcoran Street had been neglected with evidence of damaged stained glass and disintegrating brick. Work expected to begin soon includes creating a more presentable entrance to the parish hall side, upgrading the ADA ramp, and landscaping for curb appeal. An ill-placed fire escape was removed from the front of the building, bringing dignity back to the stoic façade.

“There were really no corners cut. One of our focuses was to make sure the bathrooms were comparable to the Ritz Carlton or something of that magnitude,” said Bahrami, whose previous endeavor with Bonstra | Haresign was D.C.’s luxury Q-14 Residences in 2007. “You really feel pampered with marble and granite and the design of some of the spaces—beautifully assembled and selected,” he said, affirming the team’s objective not to subordinate aesthetics to a restricted budget.

With occupancy again projected for August 1, Bonstra said the success of the project is attributed to Bahrami’s assiduous search for alternatives and value propositions for the church. “He did a great job in meeting all of their financial goals.”

Raze Request for 1860s Rowhouses

Three historic row houses, at 1232-1236 New Jersey Avenue, NW, in the Mount Vernon Square Historic District, are up for demolition. The raze request submitted in February by the property owner, the Third Street Church of God, will be reviewed by the Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB) next week, on June 30th. The HPRB will decide the fate of the badly decrepit row houses, vacant now for over two decades.

At first glance, the property looks unimpressive. Upon further inspection, and considering the 140-year history, the three residential row houses can be seen in a new light, or at least given a nod. However, the property is the worse for its 14 decades.

Director of Church Operations at Third Street Church of God, Theodore (Ted) Daniels, says that demolition is "one of the options" being pursued by the Church and if this route is pursued that the created "space will be used for parking" for church attendees. The Third Street Church of God has been at its location - next door - at 1246 New Jersey Avenue, NW for over a century.

Rob Amos, chair of the ANC 6C Planning, Zoning, and Environment (PZE) Committee, and president of Mount Vernon Square Neighborhood Association (MVSNA), says that the amount of parking that would be created is unimpressive, and that the PZE moved to oppose the raze request at the PZE meeting on June 1st. The full ANC 6C Commission meeting, however, split 3-3-1 and the ANC "took no action on the request [of the PZE]."

Bobbi Kengel, concerned citizen, says she was "shocked to discover that there could still be a real possibility of demolition of historic rowhouses within a designated historic district."

But, the "real story," according to Kengel, is that "churches and universities are still being allowed to commit demolition by neglect in large numbers, and they aren't even being taxed at the vacant or blighted rates." Rebecca Miller, Executive Director of the DC Preservation league, agreed that property owners should not be able to commit demolition by neglect. According to Amos, "Pastor Sanders [of the Third Street Church of God] testified that [the property] had been vacant for at least 20 years. The Church has been using them for storage for quite a while now."

Washington D.C. real estate development news

Convention Center to See More Marriotts

If all goes according to plans, three Marriotts will eventually be built on 9th Street NW, immediately west the Washington Convention Center at the convergence of Downtown, Shaw, and Mount Vernon Square. Although one notable hotel - the Marriott Marquis - is currently underway and set to complete in 2014, two more Marriott hotels are being conceptualized just north of the Marquis, at the foot of the Shaw Historic District.

The parcel in question, north of the Marquis construction site, running along 9th Street between L and M Streets, NW, bears six boarded-up storefronts. Around the corner on L Street a large co-op and two good-sized row houses have sat shuttered. The 1,175-room Marquis aims to fill a void in convenient hotel options for conventioneers upon completion, and although the new hotel will be the second largest in the District, original plans for the Marquis, by joint-development team Capstone and Quadrangle, were even bigger, calling for a 1,400 to 1,500-room hotel spanning L Street, and spilling into the blighted area to the north. The idea for one hotel, connected by a pedestrian bridge, was scrapped years ago, before the Marquis broke ground in November of 2010. But now, current plans by the same developers for the Marriott-owned land between L and M Streets call for the revival of increased hotel space in the form of two new Marriotts: a Residence Inn and a Courtyard Marriott. 

A source from Capstone says that building two additional hotels will “meet the city’s original goal for the convention center of 1,600 total rooms.” Marriott has not given a reason for building three hotels instead of one, but varying price points is likely a factor, as all three Marriott brands are targeted to different customers. The zoning process for the two additional hotels has not begun, says Norman Jenkins, president and founder of Capstone, and subsequently, “a start date has not been solidified.” However, the future plan is to “retain all of the boarded buildings that front 9th Street and incorporate them into the hotel," giving the redevelopment a “really neat old/new look.” As for the boarded-up real estate on L Street – the co-op at 919 L Street and the two row houses – the goal is to demolish them, if granted approval. 

The recent demotion of a few “non-contributing structures” (i.e. non-historic buildings) at the northern parcel of land created a small amount of space to be utilized as parking for an influx of construction workers for the next three years at the Marquis site.  Capstone was mum on where the development team is in the entitlement process, however, no permits have been applied for with the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA), so it seems Marriott's 2nd and 3rd hotels on the site will arrive well after the Marquis is finished. 

Washington D.C. real estate development news