BETHESDA CONSTRUCTION UPDATE: HOMELESS SHELTER-TO-RESTAURANT CONVERSION (PHOTOS)

Interior demolition and asbestos removal are among the early stage projects at the former Bethesda House men's shelter at 4848 Cordell Avenue. The building is being transformed into a restaurant space, based on a design by local architecture firm Steven J. Karr, AIA, Inc. That firm is also involved in renovations at other Woodmont Triangle buildings, including the Saah Building and Greenhill Capital's Lot 667 collection of properties along Fairmont, Norfolk and St. Elmo Avenues.

Here's how the interior looked
about 2 weeks ago

This glass is now gone

FIRST IMAGES FOR REVAMP OF SAAH BUILDING IN BETHESDA (PHOTOS)

The architecture firm of Steven J. Karr, AIA, Inc. has posted the first renderings of what the Saah Building at 7813-7817 Old Georgetown Road will look like, when its exterior renovation is completed in August 2015. Aside from one vacant space, the building's tenants currently include Sports Extra and Sandy Nails.

From the renderings it appears the shop window and entrance of Sandy Nails will switch places, but the first level spaces will generally remain about the same in glass coverage. Upstairs, the distinctive street-facing glass will be replaced with a 3-segment window facade that appears to allow more light into the space. Upstairs side windows are similar in layout, but a black segment that matches the color used on parts of the streetfront design will be added. Finally, a public art mural is shown for the side wall of Sports Extra.

Overall it appears to be an overdue refresh for the building, which was constructed in 1954. Karr's firm is also working on several other projects in the Woodmont Triangle, including the former men's shelter on Cordell Avenue, and Greenhill Capital's Lot 667 project along St. Elmo, Norfolk and Fairmont Avenues.

All images courtesy of Steven J. Karr, AIA, Inc.
All rights reserved.

CONVERSION OF HOMELESS SHELTER TO RESTAURANT BEGINS IN BETHESDA (PHOTOS)

The process of converting the former Catholic Charities-operated men's shelter into a restaurant space has begun at 4848 Cordell Avenue. Sigal Construction is the contractor.

An overhaul of the exterior and interior designed by the architecture firm of Steven J. Karr, AIA, Inc. will raise the building's height, add more glass to the facade, and modernize the overall structure. There will also be a public art mural on the wall facing the adjacent parking lot.

Heads up if you park in Public Parking Lot 28 though, as construction is taking up several parking spaces, including one handicapped space.

Bethesda House has moved out to White Flint.

LOCAL ARCHITECT TO GIVE BETHESDA'S SAAH BUILDING A FACELIFT

The Saah Building in the 7800 block of Old Georgetown Road is about to get an exterior makeover. That primarily-retail structure, which has a new vacancy I reported on two days ago, will get a facelift from the firm of Steven J. Karr AIA, Inc. Karr's firm is behind several projects currently underway, in the works, or completed in downtown Bethesda's Woodmont Triangle. The most prominent of those is the busy Norfolk-Cordell II building, home to Smashburger, Roof, and a Dunkin' Donuts/Baskin Robbins store.

NEW RENDERINGS FOR FRESH GRILL BUILDING REVAMP IN BETHESDA (PHOTOS)

The architecture firm of Steven J. Karr, AIA, Inc. has produced new renderings for a redesign of the former Fresh Grill building on Fairmont Avenue. Structural damage of the Greenhill Capital-owned building will be repaired, and this will be part of the firm's larger project at Lot 667 on Fairmont, Norfolk and St. Elmo Avenues.

A new restaurant side entrance is shown along the existing driveway west of Bold Bite, as well as a public art mural at the rear of the drive. Some limited patio dining space will be included on Fairmont Avenue.

All renderings courtesy Steven J. Karr, AIA, Inc.
All rights reserved

3-D ANIMATED RENDERING OF FUTURE CORDELL AVE. RETAIL/RESTAURANT BUILDING (VIDEO)

The former men's shelter at 4848 Cordell Avenue is about to be transformed into a restaurant/retail space. Architecture firm Steven J. Karr, AIA, Inc. posted an animated, 3-D rendering of the future renovation on Facebook yesterday. Construction is scheduled to begin on September 15.

PLANS FOR FRESH GRILL/LOT 667 REDEVELOPMENT UNVEILED IN BETHESDA (PHOTOS)

Greenhill Capital held a pre-submittal meeting for its Lot 667 redevelopment plan last night in Bethesda. The presentation was made by Todd Brown of the Linowes and Blocher law firm. An L-shaped property fronting on Fairmont, St. Elmo, and Norfolk Avenues in the Woodmont Triangle, Lot 667's current structures are mostly vacant. Bold Bite and office space remain active at 4901 Fairmont Avenue, but former tenants Fresh Grill, BlackFinn, Dansez Dansez, Red Tomato Cafe and BCC Automotive have vacated the premises.

The plan unveiled last evening is a interim project, meaning that a more-ambitious redevelopment of the site - such as the proposal designed by architecture firm of Steven J. Karr, AIA, Inc. - is being postponed to a future date. In short, new floors and new structures will be added to the buildings already there, to create a uniform facade. Eventually, after the second phase is completed, all of the structures will be connected, via the new structure in the center. As a reconstruction, no site plans will need to be submitted, Brown said. A preliminary plan will be filed with the county planning department this fall, however. The project will go to the planning board in the fall or winter, with construction beginning in spring of 2015.

The old Fresh Grill structure, condemned after damage caused by excavation on an adjacent property, will be reconstructed to make it habitable again. It will continue to be 1-story.

Bold Bite will remain in place on Fairmont Avenue, and the BlackFinn space at 4901-A Fairmont will be leased to a future tenant as expected. A new, 1-story addition will be added to the rear corner of the Fresh Grill space at the back of the driveway off of Fairmont Avenue.

Vacant storefronts formerly
inhabited by Dansez, Dansez
and Fresh Grill

Bold Bite is here
to stay on Fairmont

The Red Tomato building - also damaged and condemned - will be stabilized and reconstructed in a later Phase II of the project. It will receive an addition in the rear at that point, and a second story. All floors are currently expected to be retail space.

BCC Automotive building

Only the BCC Automotive structure will be razed. There will be slightly over 1000 SF of public space on the St. Elmo side of the property.

Overall, this is an opportunity for the landowner to finally get some revenue coming in from some of the now-vacant, condemned structures on the property. And a chance to reactivate some dead space along Fairmont and St. Elmo, assuming Bainbridge can get some exciting tenants for its ground-level retail/restaurant space next door to Lot 667.

REDEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR FRESH GRILL/LOT 667 TO BE UNVEILED AT PUBLIC MEETING IN BETHESDA

Representatives of Greenhill Capital will reveal the landowner's redevelopment plan for Lot 667, an L-shaped property along Fairmont and St. Elmo Avenues in downtown Bethesda, at a public meeting on July 31. Readers may recall one potential development concept for the property I posted about a few weeks back, which was created by Steven J. Karr, AIA, Inc. The site includes the former homes of Fresh Grill, Dansez Dansez, Red Tomato Cafe and BCC Automotive.

What is known so far, is that the project will add 5,429 square feet of non-residential space to the site. Although 4901 Fairmont Avenue (formerly leased by BlackFinn; Bold Bite is a current tenant) is part of Lot 667, landowner Lenny Greenberg says that building will not be demolished.

The meeting will be held on Thursday, July 31, at 7:30 PM, at the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Services Center, at 4805 Edgemoor Lane.