WASHINGTON, D.C. — Quadrangle Development Corp. and The Wilkes Co. have started construction on The Lydian, a 324-unit luxury apartment building located at 400 K St. N.W. in Washington, D.C. Situated within the heart of Mount Vernon Triangle, The Lydian is located adjacent to another Quadrangle/Wilkes K Street apartment development, Lyric 440K. The Lydian will be the Quadrangle/Wilkes development team’s seventh building in its 2 million-square-foot, mixed-use Mount Vernon Place community. The first floor of The Lydian will have 13,410 square feet of shop and restaurant spaces, featuring 14-foot finished ceilings with floor-to-ceiling windows fronting the sidewalks of K Street. Designed by Davis, Carter, Scott, apartments at The Lydian will include 26 studios, 220 one-bedroom, 26 one-bedroom/den and 52 two-bedroom units on 14 floors. Amenities will include a rooftop pool and spa, cyber café with free Wi-Fi, rooftop clubroom with panoramic views, second-floor garden, fitness center, pet washing and grooming areas, underground parking garage and a bike repair and storage room.
District of Columbia
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Mast Capital has sold The Graham Hotel Georgetown, a 57-room upscale boutique hotel within Washington, D.C.’s Georgetown Historic District. The Miami-based real estate investment and development firm sold the asset to Legacy Hotel Group LLC for $37 million, or $649,000 per key, one of the highest price per key transactions ever in Washington, D.C. The hotel underwent a multimillion-dollar renovation in 2013, after which the hotel more than quadrupled its profitability, according to Mast Capital. Andy Wimsatt and Ian Banger of CBRE’s Washington, D.C., office, along with Christian Charre, Paul Weimer and Natalie Castillo of the firm’s Miami office, represented Mast Capital in the transaction. Nelson Migdal of Greenberg Traurig LLP executed the deal. Mast Capital originally purchased the hotel in 2011 for $16.4 million.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Skanska has signed a $60 million contract with the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority to construct its new administrative headquarters building in Washington, D.C. Skanska will build the new headquarters over an operating pump station. The 150,694-square-foot building will house roughly 350 D.C. Water and Sewer employees. The project is targeted for LEED Platinum certification. Skanska will break ground on the facility this year with an expected completion for December 2017.
Hines, Qatari Diar Break Ground on Conrad Washington, D.C. Luxury Hotel at CityCenterDC
by John Nelson
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Hines and Qatari Diar, the real estate development arm of Qatar Investment Authority, have broken ground on the Conrad Washington, D.C., a 360-room luxury hotel situated within the CityCenterDC development. The hotel will be operated under Hilton Worldwide’s Conrad Hotels & Resorts brand. The hotel is the seventh building developed by Hines and Qatari Diar at CityCenterDC, a 10-acre mixed-use destination in downtown Washington, D.C. The hotel will feature 30,000 square feet of retail space with a signature restaurant conceptualized by chef Bryan Voltaggio, the executive chef and co-owner of several Mid-Atlantic restaurants including VOLT, RANGE, AGGIO, Lunchbox and Family Meal. The hotel’s design team includes architects Herzog & de Meuron and HKS Architects Inc., interior designer Rottet Studio and general contractor Turner Construction Co. Hines and Qatari Diar expect initial occupancy to begin in the first quarter of 2019.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Eastern Union Funding has arranged a $4.3 million loan for an apartment redevelopment in Washington, D.C. The borrower, The Jocelyn Group, will use the financing to purchase an existing property at 1515 Rhode Island Ave. N.E., where the company will then develop The Violet, a 20-unit luxury apartment building with underground parking and a rooftop deck. Rents for the 1,100-square-foot units will start at $2,400 per month. David Merkin and Marc Tropp of Eastern Union arranged the 10-year loan through Presidential Bank. The loan features a 30-year amortization schedule, five-year fixed interest rate and 18 months of interest-only payments. The loan features 80 percent of the acquisition cost and includes construction financing, according to Merkin. The Jocelyn Group expects to deliver The Violet in the spring of 2017.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The JBG Cos. and Malrite Co. are working together to develop a new and expanded International Spy Museum at L’Enfant Plaza in Washington, D.C. Cleveland-based Malrite created and founded the International Spy Museum, and The JBG Cos. owns the majority of L’Enfant Plaza and will act as the owner’s representative during the construction period of the new 140,000-square-foot museum. The property will be situated outside of L’Enfant Plaza and will feature a glass curtain wall and an enclosed black box layout on the interior. London-based architect Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners designed the building, and Washington-based Hickok Cole Architects will be the architect of record for the project. The museum showcases the world’s largest collection of international espionage-related artifacts and features an interactive exhibition highlighting the villains in the James Bond movies. The museum is expected to create more than 300 construction jobs and generate a 20 percent increase in staff over its current location at 800 F St. N.W. in Washington, D.C. The new building is expected to open in spring 2018.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A partnership between KeyBank Real Estate Capital and an affiliate of Walton Street Capital LLC have originated a $196 million first mortgage loan for Douglas Development Corp. The loan is secured by The Atlantic Building, a 280,000-square-foot trophy office building with ground-floor retail located in the east end of Washington D.C. The 10-year, fixed-rate loan includes a 65 percent loan-to-value ratio and refinances the existing debt on the property. KeyBank and Walton Street will provide servicing and advisory services for the life of the loan. The Atlantic Building is located at 950 F St. N.W. The property integrates seven historic buildings and facades with a 10-story office building next to Ford’s Theatre, the site where President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in 1865. Built in 1887, the building was the city’s first privately constructed high-rise with elevator service. The historic exteriors have since been preserved and incorporated into the modern version of the property, which was redeveloped between 2004 and 2006. The Atlantic Building includes 283,512 rentable square feet, of which 29,172 square feet is retail and 35,340 square feet is office. In addition, there are 322 below-grade parking spaces and Metro access from the red, blue and …
WASHINGTON, D.C. — MakeOffices, a shared workplace platform, has signed a long-term, 45,000-square-foot office lease at The Wharf, a $2 billion waterfront development underway in southwest Washington, D.C. MakeOffices will lease the entire second and third floors of 800 Maine, a 220,000-square-foot, Class A office building. Situated at the corner of 9th Street and Maine Avenue S.W., the 11-story property is set to deliver in the third quarter of 2017. MakeOffices joins the American Psychiatric Association and bipartisan lobbying firm Van Scoyoc Associates as tenants of 800 Maine. MakeOffices typically offer flexible month-to-month leases and space options for member companies, as well as shared amenities including Wi-Fi, 24/7 access and onsite refreshments such as coffee, tea, fruit, beer and filtered water. The Wharf’s master developer, Hoffman-Madison Waterfront, signed MakeOffices to the lease at 800 Maine. Hoffman-Madison Waterfront’s members include PN Hoffman, Madison Marquette, ER Bacon Development, City Partners, Paramount Development and Triden Development.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Following a nine-year renovation process, The Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C. has reopened its doors after $125 million in upgrades. New York-based developer Euro Capital Properties owns the famous hotel property, which had been closed for renovations since 2007. The hotel consists of 336 guestrooms, half of which include balconies, and 32 suites. Located on the banks of the Potomac River at 2650 Virginia Ave. N.W., The Watergate Hotel was originally designed by Italian architect Luigi Moretti in 1961 to look like a sail on the river. It opened in March 1967, and its name is synonymous with the political scandal that started with a break-in at the Democratic National Convention headquarters, which was located in an office complex connected to the hotel. The scandal would eventually lead to the 1974 resignation of President Richard Nixon. For the renovations, Ron Arad and Italian design firm Moroso added curves and mid-century modern design, while restoring some of the hotel’s original structures such as its staircase and indoor pool. Architectural and interior design firm BBGM was the architect for the project. “The Watergate is undoubtedly one of the most glamorous and illustrious hotels in the world,” says Rakel Cohen, …
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Carr Properties has broken ground on Midtown Center, a Class A, 862,000-square-foot trophy office development in Washington, D.C. The LEED Gold-certified project will be located at the corner of 15th and L streets, a 90,000-square-foot site that served as the headquarters location for The Washington Post for over 50 years. Fannie Mae will anchor the 14-story development with its new national headquarters upon completion, which is slated for June 2018. Fannie Mae will pay roughly $38 million annually to occupy Midtown Center, according to the Washington Business Journal. The project team includes architect SHoP Architects and general contractor Clark Construction. The groundbreaking ceremony took place on Thursday, May 12 and was attended by Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and Councilmember Jack Evans. Midtown Center will feature two office towers separated by a European-style public plaza. The amenities will include three levels of below-grade parking, an 8,300-square-foot fitness center, 1,300-square-foot bike room, 1,000-square-foot rooftop conference center and 50,000 square feet of retail space.