WASHINGTON, D.C. — Community Three has broken ground on a $45 million redevelopment of the historic Grimke School in Washington, D.C., as part of the 9 1/2 Street initiative. Community Three plans for the 133,000-square-foot development to include office space, a new home for the African American Civil War Museum and residential units with ground-floor retail. The first phase, scheduled to deliver in fall 2020, includes renovating the 132-year-old Grimke School to include about 65,000 square feet of office and arts space that will house the 12,000-square-foot museum. Torti Gallas + Partners, the architect for the entire 9 1/2 Street Initiative effort, will move its international headquarters to the location. About 24,000 square feet of office space will be available for lease. The property is located on 9 1/2 Street near Vermont Avenue and U Street, a mile north of downtown D.C. Phase II, scheduled to break ground in 2021-22, will transform the Grimke School’s 1920s-era gymnasium into 40 residential units, 11 of which will be reserved for households earning less than 80 percent of median family income. The entire project is privately financed and Eagle Bank is the primary lender.
