Change is ever afoot on Barracks Row, oftentimes for the better, but not always. This month we greet new owners and new possibilities for the “Blue Castle” and bid farewell to a retail business that in many ways symbolizes the rebirth of Barracks Row – Alvear Studio.

The Navy Yard Car Barn, known colloquially around the neighborhood as "The Blue Castle," is harder to miss than any other landmark on Barracks Row. With its castle-like turrets and bright blue paint job, there’s no chance of missing this building, which serves as the southern anchor of Barracks Row and a sentry to the main gates of the Navy Yard. The Blue Castle was originally built to house cable cars, and is now the sole-surviving example of Washington’s brief but notable cable car period. Located at 770 M St. SE, it later served as a bus garage and now is home to three charter schools. In 2005 it was purchased by a developer hoping to turn it into retail space. In January, 2008 it was sold yet again to another developer, Madison Marquette. I recently posed six questions to Managing Director David Brainerd to see what the community can expect to happen with this quirky icon of a building. Here’s what Brainerd had to say.

What attracted Madison Marquette to this particular property?
The property is centrally located at the intersection of two burgeoning areas – Barracks Row and the new baseball district. We think that 770 M is the lynchpin that can help connect these two areas through retail or other uses. It is also in our backyard. Although we are a national company, we take particular pride in projects that are in our home town, and we're keen on growing our portfolio here.

What is your vision for the future use of the "Blue Castle"? What are your thoughts on the future of Barracks Row south of the freeway generally?
Our vision for the "Blue Castle" has yet to be formulated, but we see it being neighborhood-centric with multiple retailers and restaurants, maybe a grocery store, and maybe being mixed-use. There is no doubt in our minds that Barracks Row south of the freeway will continue to undergo significant redevelopment and improvement in the years to come. We're excited to be a part of it.

Tell me a bit about your decision to utilize Facebook for this property. Have you used Facebook or other such websites in the past? How successful is the strategy?
The 770 M Facebook page is the first of its kind in our portfolio. Knowing how engaged the Capitol Hill community is, we knew it would be a great place to start. We are very pleased with the response from the community and expect to solicit additional feedback once we ourselves have a clearer picture about redevelopment alternatives for the
property.

We are expanding the Facebook initiative to other projects around the country in the coming months. We see it as a valuable and efficient way to bring the community into the planning process. We know from experience that development projects are more successful when communities are engaged in helping shape them. [Note: Anyone who would like to see the Facebook page for the Blue Castle and give input on future uses at the building should visit: www.facebook.com/pages/Washington-DC/770-M-Street-SE/9176556634]

How else will Madison Marquette be seeking input from the community on this project?
We are always talking to local community leaders and officials to hear their thoughts on our development projects, and 770 M is no different.

What is your projected timeline, and how do you expect to handle the existing tenants of the building?
At this point we do not have a definitive timeline. The existing tenants' leases expire in 2012.

What other notable projects in DC has Madison Marquette developed?
We redeveloped 4500 Wisconsin Ave. in Tenley a few years ago. We transformed the old Sears/Hechinger's building into a retail and residential complex featuring the city's first Best Buy and The Container Store along with over 200 condominiums (www.madisonmarquette.com/portfolio/view_case_study/url:cityline_at_tenley).

Our local retail brokerage team, Madison Retail Group, has been instrumental in bringing quality retail to DC. Madison Retail represents a number of retail concepts throughout the region, including Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Washington Sports Clubs, J. Crew, Cole Haan, Fogo De Chao, New Balance, Ann Taylor and Lucy.

So, no major changes in the immediate future, it seems, but certainly a lot to keep our eyes open for in the coming months and years.

As noted at the top of this article, Barracks Row lost a beloved retail store last month. Alvear Studio shut its storefront officially on Feb. 18. While business has generally been good, says owner Chris Alvear, sales could not keep pace with rising rents. It just didn’t make financial sense to stay open in the current location. Fans of the eclectic home goods and art imported from all over the world should take heart. The storefront may be closing, but Alvear Studio is not. Chris is taking a much-deserved vacation for a few months and will be traveling and visiting his family. When he returns, he will be working from home, managing his warehouse of inventory and taking on renovation and interior design jobs with individual clients. In fact, he’s expecting a new container of artwork from Mexico very soon, and you can still reach him at the same phone number to find out what’s in it.

Before Alvear Studio opened on Barracks Row, Chris worked for three years as a vendor at Eastern Market on the weekends. He looks back on those years fondly, remembering the camaraderie and excitement of the market atmosphere. Who knows? If he stays busy with private clients during the week, perhaps he’ll spend his weekends at the market again. In any event, Capitol Hill has hardly seen the last of Chris Alvear. After 11 years here, the venue may be changing, but Alvear Studio lives on.

Rumors are already flying about what will replace Alvear Studio at 705 Eighth St. SE. As has been discussed in this article before, rents on the street have gone up so much that small retailers find it difficult to make the numbers work. Restaurants and national retailers are the types of businesses that are most likely able to afford the space. We’ll have to wait and see.