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Friday, August 12, 2005
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The Uses of the University For a long time now, it’s been nothing. A chalky field surrounded by a fence marks the spot. It looks like a bullfight ring. But GWU doesn’t plan to use it for bullfighting. Here’s what it wants for Square 54, as described in today’s Washington Post: [GW] proposes to hire a pair of classy developers (Boston Properties and KSI) and a world-class architecture firm (Cesar Pelli & Associates) to design and build a $250 million, mixed-use development with offices facing Washington Circle, high-end apartments in the back and plenty of ground-level retail all around. [There will be] about 450,000 square feet [of office space], compared with 250,000 for residential and 80,000 for retail. With office rents at least 25 percent above apartment rents, that balance makes sense for the university, as landowner, and Boston Properties, as the project manager and office developer. Cool. But what’s missing from this picture? [The] university argues that with its Pennsylvania Avenue address and its proximity to the Foggy Bottom Metro stop, Square 54 is simply too valuable as a site for high-end commercial development to be used for its own purposes. Hm. No room for even a little lecture hall? |