CityCenterDC
CityCenterDC, colloquially called CityCenter, is a mixed-use development consisting of two condominium buildings, two rental apartment buildings, two office buildings, a luxury hotel, and public park in downtown Washington, D.C. It encompasses and covers more than five city blocks. The $950 million development began construction on April 4, 2011, on the site of the former Washington Convention Center—a site bounded by New York Avenue NW, 9th Street NW, H Street NW, and 11th Street NW. Most of the development was completed by June 2015. Metro Center and Gallery Place, two of the city's busiest Metro stations, are within three blocks of CityCenter.
The development is one of the largest 21st-century downtown projects in the United States, and the largest urban development on the East Coast of the United States until the December 2012 groundbreaking of Manhattan's Hudson Yards. The D.C. deputy mayor for economic development characterized the project in 2004 as "the capstone of an effort to move the center of energy from the Mall to downtown". In 2007, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty called the development a "live, work and play environment unlike anywhere else in D.C."
Geography
CityCenter occupies a 10-acre lot in downtown Washington, D.C., bounded by 11th Street NW on the west, New York Avenue NW on the north, 9th Street NW on the east, and H Street NW on the south. 10th Street NW runs north–south through CityCenter, and I Street NW runs between 9th and 10th streets. CityCenter is within a few blocks walking distance from both Metro Center and Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro stations.Palmer Alley
The main spine through CityCenter is Palmer Alley, a three-block long pedestrian mall running east–west through the middle of the development. Palmer Alley is one of Washington, D.C.'s only pedestrianized streets, on which motor vehicles are not allowed. It is frequently lined with public art Historically, the site featured a network of alleys that shaped its urban character. However, the construction of the old convention center imposed a superblock, erasing these features and disrupting the finer grain of the city. During the site's redesign, the alleys were thoughtfully reintroduced to break down the scale, improve walkability, and reconnect with the site's historic fabric.The Plaza at CityCenter
Between 9th and 10th streets, Palmer Alley runs through a plaza that extends north–south between H and I streets. The plaza features patio seating for several restaurants, fountains, and a video art installation. In designing the plaza, the landscape architects drew inspiration from quilting traditions, specifically the vibrant and improvisational patterns of the Gee’s Bend quilts. As a tribute to Washington, DC’s rich African-American heritage, these patterns informed the layout, weaving cultural memory into the very fabric of the space.The Park at CityCenter
The northwest corner of CityCenter is a park that regularly hosts events and art installations, including an annual 75-foot Christmas tree, a summer farmers market, and other interactive exhibits. The park features a large fountain, placed with historical intention. In Pierre Charles L’Enfant's original plan for Washington, he envisioned a grand fountain at this very location. Honoring that vision, the designers incorporated the fountain into the modern layout. The marble used throughout the park is the same type found at the Washington Monument, reinforcing a material link to the city’s monumental core. The park also forms a bow tie shape with its counterpart across the street — a configuration found throughout Washington, DC. These bow tie spaces were part of the L'Enfant Plan from the beginning, blending geometry, symmetry, and purpose into the city’s fabric.Tenants
CityCenter is home to many stores and restaurants, as well as offices, apartments, condominiums, and a hotel, fulfilling the planners' goals for tenancy, although the development has been criticized for a lack of foot traffic.Offices
The law firm of Covington & Burling occupies a majority of the office space at CityCenter, with more than 500 lawyers spread between two buildings. The American Hospital Association also has an office in CityCenter, as does the Qatar Foundation.Retail
Many high-end retail stores are found in CityCenter, including Louis Vuitton, Dior, Hermès, Burberry, Gucci, Salvatore Ferragamo, Hugo Boss, David Yurman, Loro Piana, Morgenthal Frederics, Kate Spade New York, Akris, Carolina Herrera, Allen Edmonds, Longchamp, Arc'teryx, TUMI, Giorgio Armani, Brioni, Paul Stuart, Brunello Cucinelli, Jo Malone London, VINCE., Christian Louboutin, Bulgari, Brietling, Chanel, and Moncler. A Tesla dealership opened in 2017.A Tiffany & Co. store opened in March 2019 in the Conrad hotel.
Restaurants
Restaurants at CityCenter include Momofuku CCDC and Milk Bar. There is also a DBGB Kitchen & Bar and a Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steak House, Mediterranean restaurant Fig & Olive, and Italian restaurant and market Centrolina. Smaller cafes include the Fruitive juice bar, Dolcezza Gelato & Coffee and Tatte Bakery & Café.In 2019, Bryan Voltaggio and Michael Voltaggio opened a restaurant called Estuary in the Conrad hotel.
Hotel
The Hilton Conrad hotel opened in 2019 with 360 guest rooms and 32,000 square feet of meeting and event space.Notable residents
Notable residents at CityCenter include former Washington Wizards coach Scott Brooks, former attorney general Eric Holder, and Senator Claire McCaskill. White House aides Hope Hicks and Stephen Miller also lived in CityCenter.Planning
First stages of planning
The Washington Convention Center, Washington, D.C.'s second convention center, opened on December 10, 1982. But just eight years later, the facility's small size and a nationwide boom in the construction of convention centers had caused the convention center to see a dramatic drop in business. In May 1990, the city unveiled plans for a new $685 million, convention center. Ground was broken for the new Walter E. Washington Convention Center on October 2, 1998.Differing plans were suggested for redevelopment of the site of the existing convention center. In 1998, leaders of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Library of Congress, Smithsonian Institution, and the Federal City Council proposed construction of a $1 billion development that would include a hotel, music museum, and retail space. In 1999, a D.C. government study proposed constructing a new Major League Baseball stadium at the site.
Anthony A. Williams, Mayor of the District of Columbia, established a task force in July 2000 to advise the city on how to redevelop the Washington Convention Center site. Although the mayor's task force had not issued its report, on November 14, 2000, Williams unveiled a city-wide development plan that proposed constructing a major new public attraction on the land. The plan also suggested building city-owned parking garages, reopening I Street NW and 10th Street NW, and constructing 1,000 apartments or condominiums at the site. The following month, Williams announced that the Office of the Deputy Mayor would oversee the redevelopment design effort. By May 2001, city officials were suggesting a development similar to Yerba Buena Gardens in San Francisco, California, or Faneuil Hall Marketplace in Boston, Massachusetts. The city hoped to open bids regarding the project in 2002. Two months later, Mayor Williams said that his vision for the site included housing, a museum, a public park, and a theatre. Other city officials said at that time that instead of the city specifying the structures to be built on the site, the city might issue a request for proposals which would give private developers the opportunity to make recommendations for the site's use. In March 2002, the law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom signed a letter of intent to take office space in any development that was built.
Obstacles
The development hit its first obstacle in April 2002 when members of the board of directors of the National Capital Revitalization Corporation opposed using the existing convention center for any other use than as a convention center. A month later, city officials and developers said that rising land prices within the city limits made using the convention center site for a baseball stadium prohibitively expensive.Finally, on May 19, 2002, Mayor Williams revealed the results of his two-year task force study. The task force and Williams recommended the construction of a high-rise apartment or condominium building with 600 to 900 units ; of retail space ; a public park or plaza; at least 1,100 underground parking spaces; and additional facilities which might include a new main public library, a hotel, a music museum, an office building, and/or a theatre complex. Three theatres seating 200, 750, and 2,500 people were envisioned. The task force report constituted a major change in the city's thinking. City planners had originally thought that the site was big enough to contain only a single public attraction, but the task force recommended that the library and museum share exhibit space and be built largely underground so that both could be accommodated. Williams said the task force's vision was to "remake" downtown, so that the project would become as central to Washington, D.C., as the Inner Harbor is to Baltimore, Maryland.
Request for proposals
Williams submitted a draft RFP to the Council of the District of Columbia in June 2002, and said his goal was to get the RFP approved and project proposals received by the fall of 2002. The RFP was approved, and the city issued it in August. The RFP contained guidelines which any proposal had to meet. These included 1,000 units of housing, of retail space, more than one theatre, open space, and a public library. The RFP permitted construction of an office building and/or hotel only if it made the project economically viable. Since more than a dozen developers had already expressed interest in the project, city officials believed that it would take only nine months to interview applicants, name finalists, and re-interview the finalists. The RFP also specified that, since the city was unwilling to sell the site outright, the successful bidder would be required to enter into an agreement with the city giving the developer exclusive long-term rights to the site. City officials said it would take yet another year to further define the project, engage in a public planning process, and finalize the project. They did not expect construction to begin until 2005.For a time, the entire development effort was threatened by the baseball stadium issue. In September 2002, just a month after the RFP was issued, backers seeking to bring a Major League Baseball team to D.C. as well as some city officials proposed the Washington Convention Center site as one of five possible locations for the construction of a new baseball stadium. It was not until January 30, 2003, that Mayor Williams rejected the convention center as a potential stadium site.
In December 2002, seven development proposals were received in response to the RFP. Proposals for the $1 billion project were received by District of Columbia Civic Development ; East End Redevelopment Associates ; Forest City-Jarvis Group ; The Georgetown Co.; Hines Interests Limited Partnership and Charles E. Smith Residential; Human Vision Partners ; The Related Cos., Boston Properties, and MacFarlane Urban Realty Co.; and Dickie S. Carter. The city said it hoped to have its review of the proposals and the public planning process completed by June 2003. Finalists would be selected on the basis of which group had successfully completed large, complex projects in the past and which had good working relationships with local officials in previous projects.
Some new limitations on the site became publicly known as this time as well. First, the National Park Service, which controlled a parcel of land near the intersections of New York Avenue NW, I Street NW, and 10th Street NW, required that its land be used to reconnect 10th and I Streets. Second, the size of the site was not the originally reported. Instead, the site was just in size. City officials admitted that the National Park Service controlled a parcel along 11th Street NW north of H Street NW. However, D.C. officials said they hoped to convince the agency to allow the site to be developed.
On March 29, 2003, the $600 million Walter E. Washington Convention Center was officially opened.