Region's Tallest Building Breaks Ground in Rosslyn

Monday Properties' 35-story, 390 foot office building will break ground on Thursday in Rosslyn, setting the stage for what will be the region's tallest building when completed, at least for a while. Developers will hold a public ceremony for the 580,000 s.f. building that will rise above the Rosslyn Metro station.


The superlative for "tallest" is a contested one, with JBG noting their that their 31-story Central Place tower will also rise 390 feet, nearly the tallest allowable by the FAA along the Reagan National flight path, which caps at 500 feet above sea level. The buildings also both straddle N. Moore at nearly equal 80-foot elevations; nearly, but not exactly. Officials at Monday assure DCMud that their site sits a few feet higher in elevation, giving theirs the edge. In any event, with JBG's project in check, Monday's claim to size will not be in dispute when the building completes in late 2013. Nor will Monday's second first: the first LEED platinum certified office building completed in Virginia, if all goes as planned. Bragging rights for both should allow for equally high leasing rates, and despite a lack of tenants, Monday chose to approach one of the region's lowest commercial vacancy rates by self-financing $30m of the $300m project, something JBG officials must be eying with intensity. Monday says it is confident that that this will attract financial suitors, but that they are prepared to move forward with or without a financial partner, and promise an anchor tenant announcement within 10 months.

Arlington approved the project in December of 2007, but it has been on hold for nearly 3 years as developers sought financing and the right market. Davis Carter Scott designed the skyscraper that Clark will build, with Gensler assisting on interior layouts.

Congressman Jim Moran will join other speakers at the groundbreaking ceremony this Thursday at 11am, true construction will be underway by the end of the month.

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Rosslyn's Artisphere Opens

While the "opening of the Artisphere" might sound science fictional, Rosslynites know by now that it puts Rosslyn on the map of arts destinations. The 53,000-square-foot "showcase for the arts," opening October 10th, will include an exhibition gallery, a Black Box theater for the Washington Shakespeare Company, ballroom, Wi-Fi cafe, four performance venues, and three art galeries, all converted from the building the once housed the Newseum.

Arlington chose The Lukmire Partnership and Clark Construction to renovate the interior, while keeping most of the exterior, in a design that is intended to achieve LEED certification for interior space, designation pending. Arlington officials set the October 10th date more than a year ago, and managed to stick the landing with regular events beginning immediately after the official pomp. "Artisphere" was the winning entry in a public contest that included "Planet 9," "Artopolis," "the Orb," "the Artseum," and DCMud's own rejected entries of "Rossdome" and "SphARTlington." Humph.

Officials promise a veritably transcendental arts forum with non-stop programming that will redefine art in the community. "Its an entirely unique model in the region and country in terms of diversity and amount of programming. I do think we are creating a new model for regional appeal and global programming," said Norma Kaplan, Division Chief for Arlington Cultural Affairs, which operates the Artisphere. "An important component is bringing in artists from around the world that will open up the door to new kinds of work and new connections." Kaplan promises "20 to 25 events" per week. Jim Byers, Marketing Director for Arlington Cultural Affairs, adds that between the impromptu, regular, and occasional big name performances, the building will be a consistent place of inspiration. "The usual experience is a big name that may draw you to a cultural center sporadically. While some of the programs will indeed be big names, our idea is to constantly engage the public and have them hang out there regularly at the wi-fi cafe or go to the art store, a much more holistic experience than seeing a few big stars per year."

The building is owned by Monday Properties with a 20-year lease to Arlington. Monday is also the owner of the land at nearby 1812 N. Moore Street in Rosslyn, where it recently announced it would begin construction on what will be Rosslyn's tallest building when complete.

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