Conversion of former Peace Corp building
transforms western end of District's central office
corridor
WASHINGTON, July 11,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- One of the most anticipated
office to residential conversions in the nation's capital is now
complete. Mayor Muriel Bowser and
other District leaders gathered with the building owners from
Willco at 1111 20th St. NW in the Golden
Triangle Business Improvement District (BID) for a ribbon
cutting of the Elle apartments and to welcome home the first
residents of the Golden Triangle.
"This shows what's possible for the future
of business districts," said Leona
Agouridis of the Golden Triangle BID.
Sited in DC's central office corridor, the Elle marks the very
first residential conversion project to deliver in the District.
Previously leased to the federal government on behalf of the Peace
Corps, the former office building has been replaced with 163
apartments of varying size and design, a rooftop pool, a fitness
center and yoga studio, a dog spa, a community room, and other
amenities.
"The transformation of Downtown DC is focused on people. We're
changing spaces and filling spaces with one big goal: to bring more
people Downtown. And that's what this conversion is helping us do,"
said Mayor Bowser. "We have a fantastic Downtown – it's beautiful
and walkable, it's accessible by public transportation, it has
great restaurants, and parks, and museums. And we're proud – with
the support of fantastic partners – to be leading the way on office
to housing conversions."
"This shows what's possible for the future of business
districts," said Leona Agouridis,
the President of the Golden Triangle BID. "There couldn't be a
better place to call home than the Golden Triangle, where you can
walk to Metro, your office, restaurants, shops, and museums amid
our clean and beautifully landscaped streets."
Gary Cohen, Chairman of Willco
and a third generation developer, envisioned the Elle after
evaluating options for what to do with the office building. "I
believe in downtown and I'm seeing that people want to experience
everything the Golden Triangle offers," Cohen said. "Willco is
proud to be a leader in making it possible for people to live here,
in the center of it all."
Agouridis added that upon learning about Willco's plan for
residential conversion, the BID immediately began considering how
to make the neighborhood feel like home. A recently completed
enhancement adjacent to the Elle is the new 20th Street
Pollinator Gardens. The BID worked with the District Department of
Transportation's Urban Forestry Administration to expand 28 tree
boxes along 20th Street NW, morphing 3,000 square feet
of concrete into a new pollinator habitat that presents an inviting
corridor with thousands of colorful plants and educational
signage.
Converting office buildings to residential or other uses became
much more appealing following the COVID 19 pandemic, when most
white collar workers became partially or fully remote and many
office spaces emptied or downsized.
Now office buildings converting to residential or other uses is
becoming widely replicated. There are several other office to
residential conversions happening in the District right now,
including many more planned in the Golden Triangle, as the city
evolves for the future.
The Downtown Action Plan, released by the Golden Triangle and
DowntownDC BIDs in collaboration with the Mayor's team, recommends
many innovative solutions for reimagining the future of Downtown.
Recommendations to increase the residential base are accompanied by
other big ideas like creating cultural and entertainment corridors,
enhancing the public realm, and growing the technology and
innovation economy.
In the past year, the Golden Triangle has pivoted to amplify a
much broader range of activities in the western side of the city's
commercial core - especially among the artistic community. The BID
has helped a local theater company stage four productions in
empty retail space and helped Artomatic secure 300,000 square feet
of pop-up space in an empty office building. This summer, the BID
is working with the Capital Fringe Festival to bring dance, music,
and theatrical performances to vacant retail spaces in the
neighborhood.
In addition, the BID recently launched summer activations, such
as "Lunch Culture" and "Farragut Field Days", that offer free
lunchtime entertainment to workers and visitors in the Golden
Triangle. The BID also hosts an annual tree box landscaping
competition, a worldwide Haiku competition, and other programs that
foster an active community year-round.
Agouridis and others are available to talk about the path of the
Elle and downtown's transformation.
About the Golden Triangle Business Improvement
District
Formed in 1998, the Golden Triangle Business
Improvement District (BID) enhances Washington, DC's central business district,
the 44-square-block neighborhood stretching from The White House to
Dupont Circle. For more information, visit
goldentriangledc.com and follow the BID on X
(Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, and
LinkedIn.
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SOURCE Golden Triangle Business Improvement District