Friday, October 10, 2008

More News about Projects in our Neighborhood

There has been much interest in the Taylor Motor Company Building, located on the southwest corner of 14th and T Streets, NW. The building, originally a car showroom for the Taylor
Motor Company, served for several decades and until a few years ago as home to the Church of the Rapture, whose congregation held services, operated a summer youth camp, and hosted many of our community meetings. With developers flocking to the neighborhood seeking projects, the church entered into a partnership to develop the building into retail and condominiums and began planning for a future relocation with the ten million dollars from the sale of the building. The plans for the T Street Flats, designed by Sorg and Associates, were presented to the community and made their way through the DC approval process. The original plans called for a condominium development with approximately 38-42 units, including 'work/live' units and ground floor retail. During the real estate boom, the original pricing estimates ranged from four hundred thousand up to a million dollars. However, with the shifting condo market, the project was stalled and then tabled. For Lease signs appeared on the building, but the building continued to look empty. Last year, Philippa Hughes, an art event organizer, in conjunction with other local art venues, staged an art event at the location. Part of the event included the addition of 'art' grafitti on the exterior of the building. The event was a huge success and provided a the opportunity for newcomers and 'old-timers' alike to listen to cutting edge music and enjoy the art installations.

Many proposals have been made for the unoccupied space since it became clear that it wasn't going to be developed into condos. Most recently, a four way proposal was made to bring a diner to the location along with a comedy club, a yoga studio and a dance studio. Much excitement was generated by this four way concept. However, most recently, I was told that the building is up for sale again and that the four prospective tenants were still tied up in lease negotiations. As soon as there is more news about proposals for this location, I'll let you know.