Ward 3: Development Highlights
Washington, DC’s Ward 3 is filled with historic and well established neighborhoods such as Kent, Wesley Heights, Cleveland Park and Palisades.
Like many of the communities in the Ward, Palisades has an active network of neighbors that work to keep their tree-lined streets clean and beautiful, encourage community involvement through parades and events.
Ward 3 is also home to esteemed universities like Howard University School of Law, which has graduated scholars such as former Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and Gabrielle MacDonald, former federal judge and presiding judge of the Yugoslavia War Crimes Tribunal of the World Court in the Hague, Netherlands and American University.
Below are a few of the development projects planned, under construction or completed in Ward 3.
Katzen Arts Center at American University
American University’s Cyrus and Myrtle Katzen Arts Center officially opened on Saturday, July 16th. The new Katzen Arts Center is located at 4400 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, above Embassy Row.
The 130,000 square foot curved complex includes a 30,000 square foot three-story art museum and sculpture garden. The center will also have a sky-lit entrance rotunda, three performance venues, an electronics studio, approximately 20 practice rooms, a 200-seat concert hall, rehearsal and recital halls, classrooms and an underground garage with 550 parking spaces.
The Katzen Arts Center is named for Dr. Cyrus Katzen and his wife Mrs. Myrtle Katzen. To date, the Katzen’s have provided $20 million for building construction and gallery endowment, in addition to the gift of their art collection. That collection includes the works of Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, Andy Warhol and Amedeo Modigliani.
American University is the developer and Einhorn Yaffee Prescott Architecture served as the architecture firm for the $48 million project.
Luxury Living at Chase Point
The former Friendship Height’s Washington Clinic was demolished to make way for the luxury apartment home community of Chase Point. The apartment home community broke ground in early 2005.
Located at the intersection of Military Road and Western Avenue in Friendship Heights, Chase Point will be a part of one of the District’s most distinguished neighborhoods.
The 173,000 total square foot development features 107 luxury apartment homes ranging from two bedrooms with dens to three bedrooms with dens. Units measure approximately 1,000 to 3,000 square feet and have custom features such as fine hardwood floors, granite and marble countertops, balconies and terraces, and secured underground parking.
Units at Chase Point are priced from $600,000 to $1.5 million, with six affordable units available. Chase Point is set to deliver in fall 2006. While the first release of the apartment homes has sold out, the final release of homes begins selling this fall.
Developers for the project are Stonebridge Associates and PN Hoffman Development; SK & I Architectual Design Group LLC serve as the architect for the estimated $60 million project.
Giant Foods Remodel in Van Ness
The Giant Foods located in Van Ness at 4303 Connecticut Avenue, NW is expected to undergo renovations and an expansion in fall 2005. The 18,345 square foot store will be expanded to 33,483 square feet.
The remodel and expansion will provide several new features to the grocery store including a new and enlarged produce, meat, seafood, bakery and service deli departments, a self service coffee bar and a cafe with a seating area. Due to space constraints, a pharmacy will not be available at this location. The expanded store will also feature all new merchandise display cases, shelving and lighting.
In addition to the expansion and remodel of the Giant Food store, Van Ness limited partnership will also be renovating the exterior promenade of the Van Ness Center. The renovation of the building will include new stairs, quartzite pavers, a fountain, exterior seating area and new lighting. In addition, a new facade, with new windows and signage, will also be added to the first two stories of Van Ness Center facing Connecticut Avenue.
Construction on the store will begin late fall 2005 and will cause the store to close for approximately four months. It is expected that the renovation will be completed late 2005 or early 2006, with the store reopening in early 2006.
The developer for this $1.1 million project is Giant Foods.