DC Metrocentric

Again… the four story wrap-around development designed by Shalom Baranes Architects preserves the Old Friendship Baptist Church in SW, with plans for condos and office space. Unfortunately the project hasn’t been built yet and now the three year old approved PUD has expired. It remains to be seen whether the PUD will be renewed or everyone will have to go back to the drawing board. We always thought the condo was hugging the church a little too tight anyways.

[Rendering: Shalom Baranes]

The Rosslyn BID has a brand new marketing tool at their disposal courtesy of the fine folks are ArchBIM. The commissioned model of Rosslyn is scaled 1″ to 50 ft and does an incredible job of showing how the future of the Rosslyn Skyline is going to look with all the new projects in the works.

Rosslyn has over 8.1 million square feet of office space, 557,647 square feet of retail space, 6,365 housing units and 2,207 hotel rooms. The scale model features color coding based on building occupancy, height scale with relation to sea level and rotating round base. GIS site and building information from Arlington County was converted to precise 3D massing topo and structural models which were used to produce accurate representations of Rosslyn’s complex infrastructure.

More model fun after the jump including a mini Iwo Jima…

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Your weekly chance to take a stab at real estate appraisal.

Well your guesses are in and counted, and the actual list price on the four story townhouse at Iwo Jima with the monumental views is listed for $2,395,000 which is right about where most of the guesses were so we guess it’s appropriately priced?

Some great shots are all about the subject or the timing, but often times a great shot is what the photographer does after the aperture closes. Flickr user oilboy has perfected this really nice looking treatment on photos that makes them look just like a fine painting. We just can’t get enough of these pics!

The same treatment of the Building Museum after the jump…

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A bi-weekly take on the area from our friends at UrbanTurf.com

The Best New Listings in the DC Area

This week’s best new listings include a two-bedroom Federal cottage in Capitol Hill, a one-bedroom co-op at 16th and U Streets and a three-bedroom cottage in Del Ray a block from “the Avenue.”

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Looks like bringing the Franklin School back to it’s roots isn’t going to happen. The District has issued a new request for proposals to redevelop the Franklin School, after last years attempt to turn it into a charter school fell through. Due to the cost of renovation and the historical significance of the building, we imagine there are going to be a lot of submissions for hotels don’t you think?

[Photo: Smata2]

After some delays, the green roof project of the General Scott Condo in NW we talked about a while back is finally under way. Reader Fred sent in a couple pics of a crane lifting supplies to the roof. The renovation of the roof of the 1940s Art Deco building is being designed by French Studios Architecture and will have the largest green roof on a residential building in DC when complete.

Some crane action after the jump…

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Anacostia - The new neighborhood library is starting to rise (pictured) and the iconic tower is in place. We can’t wait to see how close this thing looks to the original renderings. [And Now, Anacostia]

Near Southeast - Two more foreclosures on the now vacant parcels of land on the corner of Half street where the Wendy’s used to stand. [JDLand]

Clarendon - New condo construction in Clarendon, does this mean the housing market is ready to rebound? [Clarendon Nights]

Check out these new renderings of the proposed addition to the Mount Pleasant Library. Interestingly most of the new design by CORE Architects will not even be visible from the street behind the current structure. Work will begin next year and last into 2012.

Another rendering from the other angle after the jump…

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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 right across the river in Arlington with great views of the monuments and a rooftop deck.

This 4 story townhouse is only steps from Iwo Jima on the hill that overlooks the Potomac and the National Mall, as a result, there are some great views from every floor, plus there is a rooftop deck for some real panoramic views. Of course with that view comes some nice interior amenities as well including your very own elevator!

So take your best guess and we will crown a winner next Tuesday afternoon, and should you need some more information to help you, follow the jump for the realtor spin and some more pics…

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A bi-weekly take on the area from our friends at UrbanTurf.com

The Best Open Houses in the DC Area

This weekend’s best open houses include a two-bedroom condo at The Lacey where the price has been dramatically reduced, a two-bedroom home in the H Street Corridor near one of our favorite restaurants and a very well-priced two-bedroom colonial in Bethesda.

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Last we checked in on the campus of Georgetown University, the new Business School building construction was well underway with the structural topping off of the buildings last year. Since then a lot of work has been done to finish up the intricate external details including the gorgeous stone work on the facade which we think nicely  connects the building to the iconic Healy Hall on campus.

Now that school in back in session the building is finally finished and open for business and reader Joe pointed us to a nice little virtual tour of the new building. So if you ever wondered what $82.5 million gets you in a cutting edge academic building, check out the virtual tour.

[Photo: TreyDanger]

It’s those little architectural details around every corner in this city that can turn every time we go out into an exciting treasure hunt! Many of the greatest details are on government buildings which we have discussed in the past, but the districts public high school are also a virtual cornucopia for the architecturally inclined.

George Julian Zolnay’s allegorical “Academic, Business & Manual Education” Granite Frieze At Francis L. Cardozo High School is a very interesting. The sculpture created the neoclassical figures of the frieze to look like among others, the architect of the building; Snowden Ashford, the architect of the District of Columbia; and Emory M. Wilson, the principal of the school.

Unfortunately, many of the newer buildings being built in the District have forgone these great details for a more modern vanilla look. There is a message being sent when public buildings feature art and details which set them apart!

Ever since the bids for all those empty schools around the district were due back in march we have been expectantly waiting for an update to see which proposals were accepted. Well unfortunately in the case of the Stevens School property in NW (pictured) things are still uncertain.

Apparently the WBJ is reporting that Equity Residential has been chosen by Mayor Adrian Fenty to develop the historic Stevens Elementary School into a residential property, however this choice conflicts with the preference of community groups, prompting Councilman Jack Evans, to try to get Fenty to reconsider. Strangely, the community preferred a plan by the Peebles Corp. to turn the building into a luxury hotel.

The District was supposed to make an announcement on the award yesterday, but there still has been no word on the properties status. We will keep you posted when we get an update. [Photo: NCinDC]

The transformation of H Street is creating a very compelling mix of old and new in its path. Here in an alley behind the 700 block of Second Street, NE is a colorfully few holding on in the face of looming glass and concrete. How great is the yellow paint on the center house?

[Photo: rockcreek]