DC Metrocentric

The Providence is a newly renovated historic 1920’s building near Logan Circle being developed by Willco Residential. The building has 8 units over four floors however to fit that many units into the building, Prince of Petworth pointed out last week that the first floor is residential units instead of retail.

This isn’t really a bad thing since that block is a mixture of street level retail and residential, it’s just interesting that they put additional doors instead of leaving the space for more of those great warehouse style windows on the higher floors.

[Photo: PrinceofPetworth]

The dirt has started to fly along 14th street to make way for the huge new mixed use development that includes rentals above a 46,000 sq-ft YMCA. The WBJ is reporting that the apartments being built by Perseus Realty are going to be called 14W and will have 231 units. The best part of the project has to be the YMCA’s planned indoor pool. How great would it be to have an indoor pool in your building? The project is scheduled to be complete by December 2010.

[Rendering: Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum, Inc]

Ok what happen to the stairs of this Church on Temperance Ave off U Street? When we walked by it looked like there was some construction work being done around the property but not on the building. It also looks like the building would have had a hard time holding more than a few people at a time, let alone a congregation of worshipers.

Anyone know what’s up with this building?

[Photo: DCMetrocentric]

That’s right, even though there is clearly a credit crisis happening on Wall Street, on 14th Street NW Donatelli Development had no problem refinancing the Kenyon Square Condominiums. The development is only 70% sold but has fully rented its commercial space out to a bunch of retailers including The Heights Restaurant, a Fedex Kinko, and a Starbucks.

With steady retail like that and Kenyon Square’s prime location right across from DC USA’s plethora of other retail, restaurants, and transportation… the $22.5 million refinance deal is probably a safe bet. As a side note, isn’t it amazing how close the building actually ended up looking like the original sketches?

[Sketch: Donatelli Development ]

Penn Quarter - An old world Italian restaurant and wine store is coming to the historic Woodward building and the concept is from the fine folks behind Zola. [PQLiving]

Near Southeast - A raze permit is in the works for the former WMATA Southeastern Bus Garage right by the Navy Yard metro station and only a few blocks from Nationals Park. [JDLand]

Southwest - What credit crisis? Forest City managed to secure $250 million to build the first phase of Waterfront Station on M Street SW at 4th Street. [WBJ]

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 one of the few homes on Capitol Hill with a real front yard.

This is a house that’s banking on a little history to draw you in. In addition to the standard photo shots of the house both inside and out, there is this really cool photo below from the 1950s when the Barnum and Bailey circus came to town. The 4 bedroom home was originally built in 1860 and has been fully restored with Brazilian hardwood floors, crown molding, and a brand new kitchen.

So take your best guess and we will crown a winner next Thursday afternoon, and should you need some more information to help you, follow the jump for the realtor spin and a picture of a Master bedroom with a cool ceiling…

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Every time we walk down 22nd street we can’t help but notice the amazing street-scape outside the new Eric Ripert restaurant in the Ritz Carlton. The greenery changes with every season and really makes that block look great. It also helps distract from the fact that there’s a gas station across the street.

We’re big fans of property owners taking it upon themselves to beautify the block, it’s something that everyone ends up benefiting from! [Photo: DCMetrocentric]

Apparently it takes four months to build an inauguration stage. The entire front of the Capitol is now blocked off to get ready for the inauguration festivities coming up in January. This work plus the construction going on around the other side is going to make the Capitol one big construction site for the foreseeable future. Does it really take that long to build a stage?

[Photo: Erin M]

We just received word that a plan is in the works to try and reopen the Dupont Underground as an exhibition and event space for the arts community. There have been rumblings about what to do with the space for years. The space was originally a car barn for the Districts trolley system and more recently was a failed underground mall.

This rendering is what the refurbished space would look like if the the Arts Coalition for the Dupont Underground had their way. The coalition wants a long term lease from the city in order to recondition the space.

A bunch of local galleries are involved in the proposal including the Warehouse Theater and Gallery, Hunt Laudi Studio, and the Pink Line Project. We really do like the idea and its a whole lot better than letting the space sit empty for a bunch more years!

You may have noticed this week that construction has begun on the new Bike Station that we mentioned back in June being built at Union Station. We have been big fans of the very cool looking glass shell ever since we first saw the first futuristic design renderings. The 1,700 sq-ft building right by the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and 1st Street NE is designed for bicycle parking and bike rentals.

During the first two months of construction, parts of First Street will be shut down, but it shouldn’t have an effect on pedestrian traffic. The glass structure designed by KGP Studios will be able to accommodate up to 150 bikes, which is nothing compared to the facilities in European cities that can have upward of a thousand bikes, but it is moving our city in the right direction. We are really getting excited about this thing which should be open by next Spring.

What do you guys think about it?

No this isn’t New Orleans, it’s a house on Logan Circle that is undergoing a little renovation by Monarc Construction. This seems to be one of those deals where the house is for sale and being renovated at the same time. It’s a great location, and the building has a very original look that we like. Though someone should tell them the election is over!

[Photo: DCMetrocentric]

The never ending saga over what to do with the old JC Penny building in Silver Spring continues to hit road block after road block. The idea is to bring a music venue to Silver Spring, but the development project has had trouble from the start. The problems center around the details of the plan negotiated by the County Executive and Lee Development Group, and faces opposition from many in the community and the Planning Board. All the while the property has sat vacant for 18 year on a prime site in the heart of Downtown Silver Spring.

These renderings for the music hall are a little neon for our taste, but the sound bars on the facade, which look like they can change sure are a cool idea! We got word that all parties involved are still in contact so maybe they will be able to come back together and figure something out so the land doesn’t have to sit vacant for another 18 years!

[Rendering: Hickok Cole]

Not much has changed over the last hundred years at the corner of 14th and U Street NW. The corner building was originally the 14th Street Savings Bank (pictured left in 1906) but now is being refurbished and is looking for a new tenant. It’s amazing the building has survived all the changes U Street has gone through over the years.