DC Metrocentric

Penn Quarter - City Center DC might be the location of a new Apple Store but will they ever be able to match those unbeatable prices of the famous Crazy Eddie? [PQLiving]

Shaw - An interesting investigation into some of the old zoning cases that had faced community oppotition but were approved, while others with solid support never got built. [InShaw]

Petworth - The Neighborhood Development Company has announced it’s ready to have a topping off ceremony for The Residences at Georgia Avenue by the middle of next month. [PetworthNews]

Your weekly chance to take a stab at real estate appraisal. Submit your guesses in the comments and closest guess gets the PriceChecker crown for the week. This weeks PriceChecker is a Georgetown Condo with a truly spectacular view.

There really are not that many places in the district that afford such dramatic views because of height limits, but this little condo has views in every direction including the Potomac, the Washington Monument, and National Cathedral all through gorgeous floor to ceiling windows. 

This unit is actually comprised of the 3 top floor units of the original building which were assembled by the previous owner to create a super condo with over 6500 sq-ft. There are 6 bedrooms, two huge terraces… oh and there’s a pool on the roof!

So take your best guess and we will crown a winner next Wednesday afternoon, and should you need some more information to help you, follow the jump for the realtor spin and a picture of the living room with more of those floor to ceiling windows…

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With all the focus on building sustainable and LEED certified buildings, people sometimes forget that you really can’t get any more sustainable then reusing a building that already exists. So when companies like Fathom Creative find ways to take old crumbling buildings, and turn them into functional modern spaces, we are always impressed.

The place Fathom Creative decided on, with the help of their developer CGM, is the beautiful old brick Jensen Brake Shop building on 14th Street, NW. The entire brick facade is being refurbished and the interior will have state of the art studios for the Fathom designers. How great does this building look, and check out those incredible windows! This building and it’s future tenants are going to be a great addition to the neighborhood. [Photo: DCMetrocentric]

Follow the jump for another close shot of the brick facade…

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We’re not sure what sustainable practices are going on inside this Embassy along Q Street NW and it definitely doesn’t have LEED certification, but the exterior has to win some type of award for being the greenest in the city! We just love this house, which is right across the street from the Philips Collection. Though we always wondered why they let the ivy cover most of the windows, don’t those diplomats need light?

[Photo: DCMetrocentric]

Check out this proposed mixed use development being called Moda Vista in Silver Spring. It’s slated to replace the office building currently on the site but don’t get excited just yet, this thing probably wouldn’t be finished until 2011. As you can see, it’s an interesting combo of residential in the back and commercial in the front and gives new meaning to the saying business in the front, party in the back!

[Rendering: Fenton Group]

Each week we turn the site over to a different neighborhood blogger from the metro area and let them loose on a series of topics about what makes their neighborhood great. This week we are focusing on the DC neighborhood of Trinidad.

Site Name: Frozen Tropics

Neighborhood: I’m cheating and talking about multiple neighborhoods, not just Trinidad, because they are all clustered right there and it’s hard to separate them. Trinidad, H Street, and the larger area north of Capitol Hill. Trinidad is almost entirely residential, and H Street is the nearby commercial corridor.

Neighborhoods Best Kept Secret?

A few years ago I would have just said the neighborhood, but I guess that’s changing. Maybe Litteri’s Italian deli and grocery, or K. Young’s Korean deli.

Litteri’s- 517 Morse  (202) 544-0184 (carryout only).
K. Young’s Deli- 325 Morse (202) 548-0060 (dine in, or carryout).

Favorite Neighborhood Building? 

I don’t really have a favorite, but I will say that the Joseph Cole Recreation Center sticks with you, so I will call it the most oddly memorable. You wouldn’t believe how many people have told me they’ve had dreams about that place. Another odd one is the Uline Arena. Not only is the design unusual, but how many places can claim to have been both the site of a Beatles’ concert, and a trash transfer station?

Least Favorite Building?

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According to the National Association of Realtors existing-home sales have managed to hit a five-month high. Existing sales which includes single-family, townhouses, and condominiums jumped 3.1% in July up to 5 million units. The problem is that even though homes are selling again, they are going for 7% less than a year ago.

The interesting thing about the data is that despite overall prices falling, high end homes (like this one in Georgetown) are for the most part holding their value, while average homes are not commanding the prices they once did.

So do you think the high end real estate market will be able to hold out?

[Photo: DCMetrocentric]

If it’s getting knocked down in this city, you can count on us to bring you the glorious pictures! Site demolition is well underway at the site for the new PNC Regional Head Quarters at 17th and H Street right by the White House. We just love this type of demo where they basically take big bites out of a building till it falls down, it’s just fun to watch.

With the site getting ready for the new construction, we’re starting to get excited about the three-story climate wall that will cool the new buildings lobby with flowing water, we can’t wait to see what that looks like!

Another shot of the the glorious demolition after the jump…

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Construction has officially begun on the Walker Jones School and Community Center in Ward 6 which is the centerpiece of the Northwest One New Communities initiative. The project is being built on the former Terrell Junior High School site along NJ Ave between L and Pierce Streets NW .

The facility co-locates a new library, community center, and athletic fields all in one location. The school will be over 100,000 sq-ft and all the buildings on the site will meet LEED certification and incorporate a green roof. The school is slated to be ready for the 2009 school year. [Credit: Grundlepuck] 

Takoma Park is looking to reduce the number of lanes on New Hampshire Avenue to make it into more of a walkable boulevard. The idea is part of the study commissioned by the Takoma Park Council and could include bike lanes and street furniture. Compared to what that street looks like right now, this would be a drastic improvement!

We really like the boulevard effect separating the lanes out has on the overall street. This concept has had a lot of success in other areas so it looks like the Council is taking lessons learned from other projects around the area. [Credit: Just Up the Pike]

Block for block Columbia Heights has got to have more beautiful murals that any other area of town and now there are some more works of art to join the neighborhood. The painting was done this past week along Irving St NW by the the Latin American Youth Center which serves multicultural youth through a comprehensive set of social services and educational programs in DC.

[Credit: Immediatereaction]

Check out the detailed work that went into painting the mural after the jump… 

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Just like McCain’s good buddy Condi Rice, when he is in town he likes to kick back in his luxurious condo. McCain lives right across the Potomac from Condi in a 3 bedroom Crystal City Condo building that’s got great views and even a pool.

As you can see from the floorplan he has plenty of room to entertain, but clearly his eyes are set on trading up from his condo to a nice little white house back across the Potomac. Apparently though as you may have heard all over the news, McCain has a few other places to rest his feet if that doesn’t work out.

The Portico condos in Silver Spring are a 12-story building that faced extensive community opposition in its early stages, but as you can see is finally starting to put on the finishing touches. We must say though, the first floor retail does look like it is going to be fairly disengaged from the street… what do you guys think?

Update: Apparently there isn’t going to be any retail at all, the builders informed us that it is not in the zoning which is really disappointing for that area.

[Photo: Thecourtyard]