400 E Street Ribbon Cutting

District officials, FEMS, E Street Development Group, and members of the community gathered at 400 E Street to celebrate the opening of a mixed-use development, including a new Engine 13 firehouse, Hyatt Place hotel, KidPower headquarters, and ground floor retail. Back in the summer, I got a tour of the project while it was still under construction. FEMS will be moving to the new firehouse sometime over the next month or so, while Hyatt Place is already accepting guests.

The project started construction a little less than two years ago; however, it has been planned for several years. In fact, my very first post on this blog in 2008 had to do with DMPED’s solicitation of development proposals for 400 E Street and a nearby parcel at 6th and E streets. The developers will start designing the second phase of development starting in 2016, with construction likely beginning in 2017.

Below are some photos from the ribbon-cutting.

Geoff Griffis from CityPartners

Mayor Muriel Bowser

Ward 6 Council Member Charles Allen

FEMS Chief Gregory Dean

Here are a few interior photos of the firehouse:

Foam unit

Fire poles

Inside the firehouse

 Interior photos of Hyatt Place:

Gallery Market

Fitness center

Reception area of hotel

Conference room

Business center

Exterior photos:

Building exterior

View from City Bar

City Bar will open in spring

Pool on the third floor

View to the south

Exterior sign

Hyatt Place Rooftop Bar to be Named City Bar

The rooftop bar planned for the rooftop of the new Hyatt Place Washington DC/National Mall has been named City Bar, according to an article in the Washington Business Journal. Back in August, I took a hard hat tour of the under-construction hotel, which is scheduled to open in November. City Bar will have a menu separate from the hotel's restaurant on the third floor. It will be open seasonally from 8am until 2am during the week and 3am on the weekends. The operators of Hyatt Place say City Bar will be a unique destination in the District that will be unlike the POV at the W Hotel or Donovan House. They have been looking at rooftop bar concepts from across the country for inspiration and expect to have great food and cocktails. This kind of rooftop bar is the first for the Hyatt Place brand. City Bar have capacity for 100 people.

South-facing view from City Bar

Sneak Peek Inside Hyatt Place

In about three months, the newest Hyatt Place in DC will be opening at 400 E Street, a mixed-use project developed by E Street Development Group and designed by WDG. I was able to get a hard hat tour of the project from Stacy Smith and Carl Barnett from Hyatt Place last week. This project has a special place in my heart since it was the subject of my very first blog post back on June 4, 2008. Hyatt Place Washington DC/National Mall is a 214-key select-service hotel. Service is key at Hyatt Place, which offers “casual hospitality in a smartly designed, high-tech and modern environment.” All Hyatt Place hotels have free Wi-fi and breakfast is included, as well as 24/7 access to freshly-prepared food at the Gallery Market (for a fee). The same person who checks in a guest is also capable of preparing a meal, making an espresso or a cocktail. 

The main entrance to the Hyatt Place Washington DC/National Mall is located on E Street, where elevators take guests to the lobby lounge on the third floor. At the lobby lounge, guests can check-in; use free computers and printers at the e-Room; pick up a sandwich from the Grab n’ Go case; eat at the Gallery Market (non-hotel guests can also order and pick-up food any time of day or night); get a drink at the Bakery Café, which serves Starbucks by day and wine, draft beer and spirits in the evening; work out at the 24-hour StayFit Gym which faces an outdoor pool; and socialize outdoors on the Gallery Terrace.  There are also five meeting rooms with over 3,000 SF of flexible event space on the second floor. The fourth floor contains back-of-house operations for the hotel and administrative offices for KidPower, a local non-profit organization. 

Future location of front desk and bar.

U/C lobby lounge area.

U/C pool and deck.

View from Gallery Terrace still U/C.

Rooms begin on the fifth floor (with the exception of a few on the third floor) and are a mix of king-bedded rooms, queen-bedded rooms, 16 king suites, and eight studio suites. All rooms contain a 42” flat screen HDTV, mini-fridge, separate workspace, Cozy Corner sectional sleeper sofa, in-room safe, and luxury skin and hair care products in the bathroom. King-bedded rooms have stand-up showers and queen-bedded rooms have a tub. 

Queen-bedded room.

King-bedded bathroom.

Cozy Corner sectional sleeper sofa.

King-bedded room.

A rooftop bar will be open to the public and will have a menu distinct from the Gallery Market. The rooftop bar will be open seasonally from 8am until 2am during the week and 3am on the weekends. Stacy and Carl say that the yet-to-be-named rooftop bar will be a unique destination in the District that will be unlike the POV at the W Hotel or Donovan House. They have been looking at rooftop bar concepts from across the country for inspiration and expect to have great food and cocktails. 

Rooftop view to the south.

Traffic report.

Rooftop view to the north.

Roll-up bar area on rooftop still U/C.

Reservations are already being accepted for stays at Hyatt Place Washington DC/National Mall beginning in February 2016, but once an exact opening date is announced for the hotel, reservations will open up for dates closer to opening. Rates start at $159, but Southwest residents will receive a 20% discount on the best available rate and holiday specials will be available. In addition, job postings will soon go up for the hotel. 

400 E Street is a true mixed-use building, which in addition to Hyatt Place will also include 1,400 SF of ground floor retail at the corner of 4th and E streets and a firehouse along 4th Street. The retail space is envisioned as a market or deli and the firehouse is the first newly built facility for DCFD in nearly 30 years. When a call comes in and a fire truck leaves its bay, the traffic signals will synchronize, allowing the fire truck to leave the station without the need to blare its horn, which hotel guests will surely appreciate! In addition, the windows are triple-paned to keep out any noise from the Southwest freeway next door. 

Red facade going up on firehouse.

Inside one of the firehouse bays.

Prior to becoming a hotel/firehouse, 400 E Street was a District-owned lot used as parking and at one time was a gas station. E Street Development Group was awarded the rights to develop 400 E Street and a second parcel at the existing Engine 13 site at 555 E Street back in 2009 by DMPED through a 99-year ground lease. Back then, 400 E Street was planned as an office building with a firehouse below, but due to unfavorable office market conditions, the use changed to a hotel. Construction began on phase one in December 2013. A second phase is planned for 555 E Street. An office building with ground floor retail was originally planned, but according to DMPED’s new Project Pipeline Database, the current plan for the site calls for a 193,000 SF multifamily building, an 89,000 SF hotel, and 15,000 SF of retail space. Construction on the second phase is expected to start in 2017. 

A Few Quick NYE Items: DC United, SoCap, Fiddler Breaks Record, Topping Off

In one of his final acts before leaving office on January 2, Mayor Gray signed soccer stadium legislation into law yesterday, paving the way for a new stadium for DC United on Buzzard Point. The 20,000-seat stadium will be located at 2nd and R streets, next door to Fort McNair and about three blocks southwest of Nationals Park.

The Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) for the South Capitol Street Project is now available and public comments can be submitted until February 2. A copy of the SDEIS is also available at the SW Branch Library. Check out JDLand for more details on the recent revisions proposed for the South Capitol Street corridor upgrade, including the reduction in size of the traffic oval planned on the west side of the Anacostia, changing the location of the replacement Frederick Douglass Bridge, and more. There will be a public hearing on January 22 from 6:30 – 8:30 pm at Mathews Memorial Baptist Church, Fellowship Hall located at 2616 Martin Luther King Jr, Avenue, SE.

Arena Stage announced this week that Fiddler on the Roof has broken box office records for the SW-based theater. Previously, the record was held by the production of Oklahoma!, which was originally run in 2010 during Arena’s inaugural season back in Southwest and returned for a summer run in 2011. Fiddler’s run has been extended and will now end on January 11, 2015. 

Before the Christmas holiday, a topping off celebration was held at the Hyatt Place/Engine 13 firehouse under construction at 400 E Street. Construction began on the long-awaited project last December and was the subject of my very first post on this blog back in 2008. Delivery of the hotel/firehouse is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2015. In attendance was Mayor-elect Muriel Bowser, who also announced that she has appointed outgoing Ward 6 Council member Tommy Wells as Director of the District Department of the Environment.

A 2014 Year in Review will soon be posted. Happy New Year!

Renderings courtesy of DC United and DDOT; Photo taken by Margot Schulman, courtesy of Arena Stage; webcam image courtesy of Oxblue 

The Little Quadrant That Could Turns Six!

I’ve been so swamped lately I almost didn’t get a chance to acknowledge that today is SWTLQTC’s sixth anniversary! Here is a quick note related to my very first blog post on Wednesday, June 4, 2008…a tower crane recently was delivered to the 400 E Street mixed use project site. The DC government released a RFP in 2008 for two parcels it owned just north of the freeway. After several years of delay, construction began in late 2013 on the first phase of development at 400 E Street. In 2015, a new Hyatt Place hotel, Engine 13 firehouse, a new headquarters for KidPower, and ground floor retail will be located there, which is being developed by E Street Development Group. The second phase at 6th and E streets will be developed at some point as an office building after 400 E Street is completed and Engine 13 vacates their current location for their new home. A webcam has been set up of the construction site.

Be on the lookout soon for SWTLQTC tote bags that will be available for sale with the blog’s new(ish) logo. Proceeds in 2014 will benefit the CBCC, a local non-profit organization that’s working on several initiatives in the neighborhood including education, housing, work force, and community enrichment. It’s been a pleasure to do this blog for the past six years and highlight what makes The Little Quadrant That Could a unique neighborhood in the District…including the good, the bad, and the ugly.  The next six years should be very interesting...

Thanks for all your support!

A Couple Quick Items: Demolition and Construction North of the Freeway

Demolition is now complete at the former Donohoe Building at 400 6th Street, where Trammell Crow plans to build a new, 12-story 342,000 SF office building. The building was purchased in 2012 by Trammell Crow and the AFL-CIO Building Investment for $41.9 million and it was formerly occupied by the District’s Child and Family Services Agency. Demolition began in the fall. Space on the ground floor will be convertible to retail if the market can support it. The new office building is scheduled for completion next year. 

  

Demolition is complete.

Rendering courtesy of Gensler 

Meanwhile, heavy construction equipment arrived this week at 400 E Street, which by next year will be a 214-key Hyatt Place hotel and a new Engine 13 firehouse. The groundbreaking ceremony occurred back in mid-December. E Street Development won the rights to the site back in 2009 along with a second parcel at 6th and E streets. With the new Hyatt Place and the Intercontinental Hotel, Aloft, and Element hotels planned for Phase I of The Wharf, there will be a net gain of three hotels in Southwest by 2017 (Channel Inn will be demolished since it’s within the footprint of The Wharf). 

Construction is underway.

Rendering courtesy of WDG

Hyatt Place Groundbreaking

Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the groundbreaking ceremony last Friday at 400 E Street, the future home of Engine 13 and a Hyatt Place hotel. It was especially disappointing because this project was the subject of my very first blog post more than five years ago. At the time, DMPED put out a solicitation to bid on two parcels - one located at 4th and E streets and the other at 6th and E streets, the location of the current Engine 13 firehouse. Eventually, DMPED chose E Street Development Group, which proposed an office building with a firehouse on the ground level and space for the DC Central Kitchen and Kid Power Inc. on the 4th and E parcel. In the years since the team was chosen, the design has changed from the original fire engine red building to the current rendering above, as well as the intended use from office to hotel due to changing market conditions.  

Tent set up for groundbreaking ceremony last Friday.

Hyatt Place was announced back in October as the operator of the 214-key hotel and is planned as an "upscale select-service hotel." Although the ceremonial groundbreaking occurred on Friday, there is no digging occurring yet on the site. There is a construction trailer now on site, though. The hotel and firehouse are scheduled to open in 2015.

Rendering courtesy of WDG

Hyatt Place Coming to 400 E Street

 

E Street Development Group sent a press release today announcing that Hyatt Place will be the operator of the 214-key hotel planned at 400 E Street. The hotel will be called Hyatt Place DC Capitol/National Mall and its entrance will be on E Street, along with space for ground floor retail. A new firehouse for Engine 13 will be on the 4th Street side of the building. This will be the second Hyatt Place hotel to open in the District – one is under construction in NoMa on New York Avenue, NE. 

Here is a description of what will be at the Hyatt Place hotel, from the press release:

Launched in 2006, Hyatt Place brings to the upscale select-service hotel category the authentic hospitality for which Hyatt is known. Inspired by multitasking travelers’ 24/7 lifestyle, Hyatt Place combines stylish design and practical amenities with forward-thinking technology and purposeful service. Spacious guestrooms feature multiple areas to work and relax, and include the Cozy Corner, an eight-foot sectional sofa sleeper; plush Hyatt Grand Bed; and ergonomic work center. 

Every guestroom is also equipped with a state-of-the-art media center that allows electronic devices to plug directly into the 42-inch, high-definition television, giving guests instant access to the technological amenities they’re accustomed to accessing at home or in the office. 

Hyatt Place hotels also feature complimentary Wi-Fi access, a StayFit@Hyatt fitness center, a coffee and wine bar serving specialty coffees and premium wine and beer, and a Grab ’n Go case stocked with freshly made sandwiches and salads. The Guest Kitchen offers made-to-order breakfast, lunch and dinner entrées around the clock, in addition to the a.m. Kitchen SkilletTM, a complimentary continental breakfast served daily for guests. Specially trained Hosts are on hand to offer assistance with everything from directions to check-in to a freshly made meal. 

E Street won the rights to develop 400 E Street and a second parcel at 6th and E streets from the District government back in 2009. At the time, the 400 E Street parcel was planned as an office building with a firehouse on the ground level and space for D.C. Central Kitchen and Kid Power Inc., a local non-profit. Since then, the office building changed to a hotel and the exterior changed from a fire truck-red building designed by Beyer, Blinder, Belle to the current design by WDG. The building is still planned to achieve LEED-Silver certification. Construction is expected to begin by the end of 2013 with the hotel opening in 2015.  

Rendering courtesy of WDG