Quarterly: Winter 2004 - GWCAR - Greater Washington Commercial Association of REALTORS

CBQ >> Winter 2004 Issue

A History of One Metro Center

by Thomas Keaney, Tishman Speyer/Rubenstein Communications

On October 1, Tishman Speyer Properties completed construction on and opened the doors to its first commercial real estate project in the District of Columbia, One Metro Center at G Street NW between 12th and 13th Streets.

Tishman Speyer is, of course, proud of the building and its features. Now completed, One Metro Center is comprised of six stories and 418,000 sf of class-A office space located three blocks from the White House and the Department of Treasury, and a short walk to the MCI Arena, DC's theatre district and many of DC's finest dining establishments.

With any ambitious project, the path to completion is rarely swift, straight or smooth. Realization of this project was particularly daunting and required solving a DC real estate riddle: How do you develop a large, downtown project with so little land available? The answer at One Metro Center was to think outside of the box and inside the constraints of someone else's design, specifically Hecht's Department Store.

Thus, while the lobbies and atrium of One Metro Center sit on a small parcel of previously undeveloped property, the vast majority of the completed structure consists of six floors of office space constructed in the airspace atop Hecht's Department Store. Air rights projects, while rare in the nation's capital, are fairly common to cities around the world. Tishman Speyer has itself developed other such projects in other cities. One Metro Center was uniquely challenging, however.

The difficulty was in the complexity. While the airspace above Hecht's and the parcel adjacent to Hecht's were both under sole ownership by The May Co., developing them as one project required careful planning and execution. The other challenge was to create a building that would be distinct & separate from the department store while living within the constraints of the original master plan.

The parcel of land upon which the Hecht's building was constructed in the mid-1980s was an urban renewal tract, and as a result, future construction above the department store was an integral component of Hecht's original design. The original concept, which included the office building's entrance being fully integrated into a department store, was not finding acceptance in the marketplace. This coupled with the fact that the building had no on-site parking made the final piece of the master plan little more than a dream.

Thus, the concept for this project was mothballed for decades, with occasional attempts at success to no avail. It was not until The May Company purchased the parcel of land bordering the north side of the site that the project began to become viable.

Still the project had its skeptics. There were concerns about how to gain on-site parking and how to distinguish the building from the department store. As such, Tishman Speyer worked with Skidmore Owings & Merrill to develop a structure that not only integrates well with the existing retail landscape, but also contains features that make it stand out in its own right:

Two dramatic towers that not only set the building apart from Hecht's but also from its peers in the neighborhood.

Two grand street level entrance lobbies connected by a dramatic stone and glass atrium and a spectacular interior designed to include the finest stone finishes in virtually every common area of the building.

Original commissioned artwork in the lobbies and atrium by celebrated artists Frank Stella and Sarah Sze.

A 6,000 sf skylight incorporated to maximize the amount of natural light in the building.

Amenities including an 8,000 RSF atrium area, a rooftop terrace and a health club to create an environment that would help tenants both recruit and retain top notch talent.

Highly-efficient floor plans that maximize the number of windowed offices and provides tenants with the ability to get more people into fewer square feet.

An executive valet service to provide its customers with the red carpet treatment each day.

Other amenities including 24-hour staffed security, food service/ newsstand, on-site parking and a direct internal connection to the Metro Center Metrorail hub.

At the end of a long planning, design and construction effort, the only thing that matters is the result. Stop by & judge for yourself.