BETHESDA CONSTRUCTION UPDATE: SANDY SPRING BANK

The new Sandy Spring Bank branch in the ground floor of the 7550 Wisconsin office building is finished. Here are some preview shots of the bank's interior taken over the last two weeks; as you'll notice, the furniture has been added in the latest photos near the bottom:

APPARENT FALSE ALARM AT 2 BETHESDA BUILDINGS LAST NIGHT (PHOTOS)

Something drew a major response from several area firehouses last night on Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Bethesda. Eventually those units departed without incident. Scanner reports indicated that firefighters were checking the roof of one of the tallest buildings in downtown Bethesda, the Capital One towers (Chevy Chase Bank building). Nothing was found. Firefighters were also seen inside the lobby of the Akridge-developed 7550 Wisconsin office building.

Firefighter in lobby at
7550 Wisconsin

SANDY SPRING BANK POSTS COMING SOON SIGNAGE IN DOWNTOWN BETHESDA (PHOTOS)

Sandy Spring Bank is edging closer to opening a new bank branch in downtown Bethesda, part of a veritable tidal wave of banks hitting town. This branch will be at Akridge's 7550 Wisconsin Avenue office building, where the locally-owned Sandy Spring is also consolidating some regional office space.

KONST SIEMATIC SHOWROOM INSTALLS SIGNAGE IN BETHESDA (PHOTOS)

The permanent signage has been installed at the new KONST Kitchen Interior Design at 7550 Wisconsin Avenue in Bethesda. KONST is the DC area's only official Siematic showroom. Jonas Carnemark was approached by Siematic, a high-end German kitchen design firm, to open a showroom in this region. 7550 Wisconsin is a Class A office building renovated and redeveloped by Akridge.

KONST KITCHEN INTERIOR DESIGN STUDIO UPDATE (PHOTOS)

Yesterday, we talked about one downtown Bethesda office building struggling to attract corporate tenants in Montgomery County's abysmal office market. Here's an update from the other new Class A building downtown, which has shifted its focus to smaller tenants - Akridge's impressive 7550 Wisconsin Avenue. Seizing on the once-again-exploding market for kitchen remodeling in Bethesda, the developer signed on the only official SieMatic showroom in the area, KONST Kitchen Interior Design.

If you remember my first report on KONST, you'll won't recognize the empty space you saw in those original photos now:

CONSTRUCTION PERMIT ISSUED FOR SANDY SPRING BANK AT 7550 WISCONSIN AVE. IN BETHESDA

A Montgomery County construction permit has been issued for the new Sandy Spring Bank branch, in the Class A office building at 7550 Wisconsin Avenue in Bethesda. The 3,250 square foot branch will be on the ground level of Akridge's completely renovated and reskinned 10-story office tower, located near the Bethesda Metro Station. Sandy Spring will also be leasing office space on another floor in the building.

KONST KITCHEN INTERIOR DESIGN SHOWROOM OPENING IN BETHESDA (PHOTOS)

An upscale kitchen design showroom is the latest tenant to sign on at Akridge's 7550 Wisconsin Avenue office tower in Bethesda. The completely-renovated building initially struggled to draw tenants, due to Montgomery County's weak office market. But after the company shifted to a strategy of luring smaller businesses, rather than major corporate tenants, it has indeed attracted a number of smaller-scale firms.

The newest is KONST Kitchen Interior Design, which will open a SieMatic Showroom at 7550 this fall. Jonas Carnemark, a Bethesda designer and owner of CARNEMARK systems + design, Inc., is the man behind the future showroom. Originally from Sweden, Carnemark has made a name for himself here, as a remodeler who has appeared on Good Morning America, and Food Network.

Carnemark says he was originally approached by SieMatic, a German kitchen design firm, to open a showroom in the DC area, and KONST is the result - the exclusive dealer for SieMatic in the region.