NOISE WARNING AT THE LAUREN CONSTRUCTION SITE + NEW BANNERS (PHOTOS)

New banners have been posted on the fencing around The Lauren ultra-luxury condos construction site at Hampden Lane and Woodmont Avenue. Another sign posted is a noise warning from the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection, advising that there can be no noise above 55dBA before 7:00 AM weekdays, or 9:00 AM on weekends. The Lauren replaces the now-demolished The Hampden, at a net loss of affordable housing units in downtown Bethesda.

BETHESDA CONSTRUCTION UPDATE: THE LAUREN ULTRA-LUXURY CONDOS (PHOTOS)

Construction of The Lauren on Hampden Lane is still in the very early stages. Humans aren't the only residents curious about the site - a rabbit (one of several who live in green areas nearby) was also looking around when these pictures were taken. With units "from the several millions," it will take more than carrots to get a spot here.

There's that rabbit,
doing his best to blend
into the dirt at the site

BETHESDA CONSTRUCTION UPDATE: THE LAUREN ULTRA-LUXURY CONDOS (PHOTOS)

Construction is still in the early stages at the Hampden Lane site of the future ultra-luxury condos called The Lauren. Schnabel (whose logo you will see on a piledriver in these photos) is a foundation and earth retention firm, and that's where this project is at for the moment. 

You can see that piles have been driven into the earth around the edges of the lot. Unlike some stick-built projects (such as the old Arlington Road post office site), The Lauren will have a 2-level underground parking garage, requiring significant excavation, if not to the extreme of the Lot 31 site a 2 blocks south on Woodmont Avenue.

EXCAVATION BEGINS AT THE LAUREN SITE, SIDEWALK REOPENS (PHOTOS)

Give the developers and construction contractors of The Lauren ultra-luxury condos credit - they have reopened the sidewalk along the Woodmont Avenue side of the property. That's notable in a time when pedestrians are having a hard time navigating many streets in downtown Bethesda due to construction.

The debris of The Hampden apartments has been cleared, and the site graded. Now they are digging, and progress appeared to be made even further on that Sunday.

An open sidewalk - imagine that!

Condo owners will have
a service station-garage-style
auto lift option for their
parking space in
The Lauren's garage

THE HAMPDEN DEMOLITION IN BETHESDA, DAY 3! (PHOTOS)

It's getting near the very end at The Hampden apartments. The entire upper floors of the building have now been demolished, leaving the basement level to be completed. Hey, who forgot to remove the Venetian blinds from the windows before the demolition? Couldn't some poor person have made use of perfectly good sets of blinds, rather than just trashing them with the rest of the building?

THE HAMPDEN APARTMENTS DEMOLITION UPDATE (PHOTOS)

Demolition crews continue to obliterate The Hampden apartments on Hampden Lane at Woodmont Avenue, in downtown Bethesda.

THE HAMPDEN DEMOLITION UPDATE (PHOTOS)

Demolition of The Hampden, one of the last affordable apartment buildings in downtown Bethesda, continues on Hampden Lane. The machinery is making short work of this solid, venerable brick building, as you can see in the photos. Some of the green awnings still in place were drooping over the windows. The Hampden is being obliterated to make room for The Lauren, with luxury condos "from the several millions." It's sad to see. Expect some lane closures at times in the area, due to the dump trucks that need to line up to haul the debris away.

THE LAUREN SALES OFFICE MOVING, PLUS A DEMOLITION UPDATE (PHOTOS)

Given that the original sales office for The Lauren has been demolished, you might be wondering what happened to all the fancy furniture, flatscreens, and sales materials that were inside. Well, they've ended up at the old Bella Italia space in the Shoppes of Bethesda on Hampden Lane. Which is right across from the future site of The Lauren, with its ultra-luxury condos "from the several millions." Here's a sneak peek, even if there isn't anything all that surprising inside:

Meanwhile, the first phase of demolition continues at the Lauren site. The houses were already obliterated, but they're working on the foundations, staircases, etc. With this and the Montgomery Lane/West Lane project going on at once, wouldn't you hate to live in those luxury buildings right there during all this? Talk about being between the hammer and the anvil... Here are some new photos:

HOUSES DEMOLISHED AT LUXURY CONDO SITE IN BETHESDA (PHOTOS)

The first phase of demolition is underway at the future site of The Lauren ultra-luxury condos in downtown Bethesda. Homes along Montgomery Lane were demolished on Wednesday. All that was left were foundations, front walks, and staircases.