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The glass pyramid in the middle of the central plaza will be
replaced with a sculptural glass entryway to the retail
promenade. Photo: William Rich
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In early Nov., the JBG Companies, owner of the retail promenade at L’Enfant Plaza, began a $40 million renovation and expansion effort designed by SmithGroup, a national architecture firm. Billed as the only major retail shopping center in Southwest Washington, the retail promenade’s modernization is well overdue. Recently, I took a stroll along the retail promenade and with the gold-looking metal frame around the storefronts, Broadway-style marquee lighting, and 80’s music pumping through the sound system, I felt like I went through a time warp.
The retail promenade is located below grade at the center of L’Enfant Plaza, a 1960s-era mixed-use complex that was designed in the Brutalist architectural style, with some of the buildings designed by renowned architect I.M. Pei. It connects to three existing office buildings and the L’Enfant Plaza Hotel. A glass pyramid was built more recently in the center plaza and provides the only source of natural light to the shopping center below. Current tenants include Dress Barn, CVS, Radio Shack, PNC Bank, and Au Bon Pain, along with fast food restaurants, a florist, and other convenience retailers. Some retailers on the eastern side of the promenade were relocated to the west side so improvements could begin first on the side closest to the Metro entrance.
Once phase one is completed in the first quarter of 2011, a food court will be located near the Metro entrance with windows facing the neighboring HUD building, along with outdoor seating for restaurant patrons. At full built-out, the retail center will be 205,000 square feet and will complement the modernist architecture of L’Enfant Plaza with a clean, slick design. A large sculptural glass entryway will replace the pyramid to bring some natural light and visual interest into the underground shopping center. Other restaurants will be located under the glass entryway and storefronts will be scattered throughout the retail promenade.
The renovation of the retail promenade is part of the overall revamping of L’Enfant Plaza, which will include the renovation of the north and south tower office buildings, as well as the 370-key L’Enfant Plaza Hotel. The west tower office building, home to the United States Postal Service, is not owned by JBG, and is not part of the renovation schedule. Two new office buildings will be constructed in the center plaza area, an extended-stay hotel will be located in the northeast parcel, and apartments will be built on the southeast parcel.
Apart from the L’Enfant Plaza complex, but along 10th Street, SW, the Washington Interdependence Council plans to build a memorial to Benjamin Banneker, an astronomer and mathematician who helped Pierre L’Enfant plan the city of Washington. Included with the memorial will be the Banneker Institute of Math & Science and a Founding Fathers Walk. In addition, the Monumental Core Framework Plan, released earlier this year by the National Capital Planning Commission and the US Commission of Fine Arts, calls for the redevelopment of the 10th Street, SW corridor as a gateway between the National Mall and the Southwest Waterfront. The plan calls for the demolition and redevelopment of the US Department of Energy’s Forrestal complex, which currently straddles 10th Street, SW and blocks the view of the Smithsonian Castle from the street. A park at the south end of 10th Street, SW that bears Banneker’s name will one day be home to a new national memorial and intermodal transit station. Construction timetables have not been set for the renovations and new buildings along 10th Street, SW, but once everything is complete, L’Enfant Plaza and its environs will be unrecognizable.
Capitol Riverfront BID Optimistic About its Future
The Capitol Riverfront BID released their Annual Report and State of the Capitol Riverfront on Dec. 17 at their Annual Meeting. Despite the economic downturn, the BID was optimistic about the future of the Front (the new marketing name for the neighborhood). Highlights of year were presented at the meeting and were available in the Annual Report.
Leasing activity of new office space in the Front picked up in the second half of the year with transactions involving government contractors and federal tenants. Parsons Engineering will occupy space at 100 M St., SE and Sayres & Associates will move to 55 M St., SE, while the Bureau of Land Management will absorb over 94,000 square feet at 20 M St., SE. The District government purchased a 350,000 square foot building at 225 Virginia Ave., SE and will relocate three agencies there in 2011. Over in Buzzard Point, the Coast Guard renewed 529,000 square feet of space at 2100 2nd St., SW. Temporary uses were found for the empty office space at 55 M St., SE, including Artomatic, the annual art festival that broke attendance records during its six-week stint at the Front.
The residential population in the neighborhood increased dramatically during the past year from just 1,100 people in Jan. to 2,500 people at the end of 2009. Several residential buildings delivered in 2009, including Velocity condos, 909 New Jersey and the first phase of the Capitol Quarter townhouse development.
Progress was made in 2009 to give the Front more green space. For instance, Diamond Teague Park and Piers opened over the summer, which gave baseball fans a new way to travel to Nationals Park- by boat. Forest City began construction of Riverfront Park at the Yards, a 5.5-acre park along the Anacostia River. Also, progress was made at designing Canal Park, a park planned for a three-block stretch north of M Street, SE between 2nd and 3rd Streets, SE. School buses that occupied the Canal Park site for several years were finally removed and sod was planted for interim green space until construction begins in late 2010.
More retailers, usually the last to arrive in a new neighborhood, started making their way to the Front in the past year. For those who have been to a Nationals game this season, an obligatory stop on the way to or from the ballpark was The Bullpen, a beer garden that opened up last spring at the corner of Half & N Streets, SE. The Bullpen is a temporary venue operated by Georgetown Events on land owned by Akridge, who tore down the WMATA bus garage that used to be on the site to make way for their Half Street mixed-use project. Other retailers that opened in 2009 included: SunTrust Bank, Dominoes, and Cornercopia Market & Deli. Justin’s Café, a new restaurant at the ground floor of Velocity condos, will open its doors in early 2010. What was probably the most exciting news for residents was the letter of intent signed by Harris Teeter to open a grocery store at 4th and M Streets. It will be years before the grocery store opens its doors, but the prospect of having a grocer (or two) in the neighborhood generated excitement for the area’s future. |
