Two Megabuildings Downtown in Pipeline for Gould

On the edge of Mount Vernon Square, where some of the last vacant lots in the downtown core still exist, plans for more office buildings are heating up.  One developer with a stake in the zone is Gould Property Company.  Gould has plans to build two oversized office buildings - a 380,000 s.f. office building at 600 Massachusetts Avenue and a 620,000 s.f. office building at 900 New York Avenue.  While both await tenants before construction will begin, sources say designs are done and waiting on the right tenant.

Gould Property's 600 Mass Ave. - Rendering courtesy CORE

Gould's "Z"-shaped parcel - nearly half the block at the corner of 6th Street and Massachusetts Avenue, was designed by Core Architecture + Design, also architect on the completed Gould project Market Square North.  The building's plan calls for 10 floors with ground floor retail.  In 2006, the Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB) first gave approval to the developer's concept to move two row houses it owns, 621 and 623 Eye Street, built in 1852, next to a cluster of other row houses on the southeast corner of the lot.  It also approved Gould's plans to demolish a row house at 627 Eye St. to make way for the building, and demolition has already taken place.  After the HPRB put its stamp on the demolition, a Mayor's Agent gave a final necessary nod to the plan in 2007.

Gould Property's 600 Mass Ave. - Rendering courtesy CORE

The design has also passed the Chinatown design review process necessary for buildings in the neighborhood.  "It is a very unique building because it is unlike most of Washington, DC where you basically feel like it is a box," Ron Ngiam, senior project designer with CORE, told DCMud.  With the site shaped like a "Z", architects also worked to meet the challenge of designing a building to fit a unique site.  The zoning of the site prevented a boxy, full, 10-floor building, so architects created a series of terraces.  "We were able to carve quite a bit of light and air into the building and produced a whole series of green roofs," Ngiam said.

"Instead of filling in the property with a box, we were able to do something architecturally interesting." Ngiam also said the building's setback on Eye St. respects the scale of that streetscape.  "We are quite excited about the project," he told DCMud.

600 Mass Ave. - Eye St. Frontage - Rendering courtesy CORE

The 600 Mass Ave project is not the only building in the pipeline for Gould.  The developer is also behind plans to develop a portion of the old Convention Center Site at 900 New York Ave.  The building is part of an $850 million dollar mixed-use CityCenterDC which started construction last year.  Hines and Archstone are developing most of the CityCenterDC master plan, which calls for condos, office buildings, apartments, and retail, replacing the 10 acres that were left empty after demolition of the old convention center in 2004.

For CityCenterDC, Gould is planning a 12-story building designed by Pickard Chilton Architects.  The design includes a center atrium that reaches the full height of the building's 12 floors.  The atrium is covered with a "unique free standing" glass roof supported by v-shaped columns.  Renderings also call for lushly planted rooftop terraces, nine-foot ceilings, and ground floor retail.

900 New York Ave. - Rendering Pickard Chilton website

Gould, run by real estate scion Kingdon Gould, obtained the site from the city in exchange for a parcel it owned 9th Street NW, which the city needed to make room for a 1,175 room Marriott Marquis through a 99-year lease agreement.

Gould is also behind plans with Vornado Realty for a massive redevelopment of Rosslyn Plaza that would replace six buildings with four new ones to include hundreds of new residential units, as well as hotel space. 

900 New York Ave. - Rendering Pickard Chilton website

At both 900 New York Avenue and 600 Massachusetts Avenue, the developer has the approvals needed to start, according to the Downtown DC Business Improvement District (BID).  Now all the projects need are good tenants.

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Construction at New VIDA-U Street to Begin Shortly

Having recently secured a ten million dollar loan from Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Urban Adventures Companies, headed by David Von Storch, will move forward with their plans to renovate and expand what is currently their corporate headquarters and soon-to-be "flagship" VIDA Fitness site at 1612 U St. NW. With Zoning approval already in hand, only the task of finalizing building permits stands between developers and initial construction; a groundbreaking is expected within the next two weeks.

What will become the fourth and by far the largest VIDA in the District is set to feature a 51,500-s.f., 4-story health club facility offering classes, state-of-the-art machines, personal trainers, and more. A 10,000 s.f., three-story "transparent, modern" expansion will allow for the tremendous increase in fitness-focused square footage; but don't worry preservationists (the DC Historic Preservation Review Board already gave the project a thumbs up), the addition is designed in a way that "complements and preserves the historic architecture of the existing circa 1921 building." To top it all off, literally, the new complex will be outfitted with a "rooftop club including a 60-foot pool, resort cabanas, communal fire pit, outdoor waterfall, sundeck and a membership lounge with full food and beverage service." For those willing to fork over the arm and leg for membership, the new location is sure to offer an array of tools to tone, shape, and relax your remaining two limbs. Some of the flashier amenities include a European sauna, steam room, endless pool, and infrared sauna (somewhere Liz Lemon is saying "I want to go to there"). If that's not enough, the new gym will also feature a 65-foot programmable illuminated interior color wall, which will offer close-up shots of unsuspecting gym-goers' cellulite lines for embarrassing but necessary fat-burning inspiration (just kidding it won't do that).

David Von Storch, who owns the building at 1612 U Street, refused a lease renewal of current tenant and fellow business rival Results Gym, enabling him to takeover the space and assemble all facets of his business enterprise under one roof. Upon completed renovation, all four Urban Adventures entities (Bang Salon, Capital City Brewing Co., Aura Spa, and of course VIDA) will occupy expanded and improved spaces in what Von Storch calls "a desirable urban lifestyle center." This comes as a relief to the young and restless on a time-crunch, who can now get pampered, styled, buff, and buzzed all in one-stop. The Von Storch owned Capitol City Brewing Company will occupy a newly designed restaurant space intended for upscale dining, closely derived from Storch’s newest restaurant concept 901. The current Von-Storch owned and operated 1612 Cafe will be turned into office space intended for local professional services businesses.

Von Storch hopes that much of this action will eventually be captured on film and aired in a reality TV series. Last year he partnered with New York production company Celebrity Endeavors to film and produce the of the pilot episode of “Complicated Order” (the show's working title). And in January of 2010 Von Storch hosted a premiere screening of the episode at Town Danceboutique. With the ambitious Van Storch at center stage, the proposed series would chronicle the colorful drama of running four immensely successful and still growing businesses, as well as the physical and emotional challenges of working and living with an HIV positive diagnosis. Although many networks have passed on it, a few networks remain interested, and Von Storch plans to shell out his own money to ensure cameras are rolling when he and his colleagues break ground on the 1600 block of U Street near Dupont.

Local firm CORE Architecture & Design provided the vision and design for the addition and renovation and were also instrumental in guiding the project through the necessary zoning and historic approval processes. Keeping it in the family, Stoneking-von Storch Architects of Charlottesville, VA and Hallock Design Group of Miami, FL also assisted in the design process for the new gym. Although Results Gym's lease does not expire until early 2011, initial construction will begin shortly and not interfere with the current tenet's operations. Completion of VIDA Fitness-U Street is expected in August of 2011.

Washington D.C. Real Estate Development News

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