Constitution Center[1] (formerly known as David Nassif Building) is an office building located at 400 7th Street SW in Washington, D.C.[2] It is 137 feet tall and has 10 stories.[3] Covering an entire city block, it is the largest privately owned office building in the District of Columbia. Current tenants include the Federal Housing Finance Agency[4] and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency").[5] As of February 2014, Constitution Center was valued at $725.8 million, making it the most valuable taxable property in the city.[6].
original structure
In the 1950s, the United States Congress, then the governing institution of the District of Columbia, undertook the Southwest DC urban renewal project, the first in the capital district and one of the first such programs in the nation.[7] In 1946, Congress passed the District of Columbia Redevelopment Act, which established the District of Columbia Redevelopment Land Agency (RLA) and provided legal authority to clear land and funds to stimulate development. redevelopment in the capital.[8] Congress also gave the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) the authority to designate which land would be redeveloped and how.[9] However, the RLA was not funded until the passage of the Housing Act of 1949.[9] A 1950 study by the NCPC found that the small southwest neighborhood of the city suffered from high concentrations of old, poorly maintained buildings, overcrowding, and health threats. (such as lack of indoor running water, sewage systems, electricity, central heating, etc.).[10] Competing visions for redevelopment ranged from renovation to outright leveling of neighborhoods, but the latter view prevailed as most likely to qualify for federal funding. Original plans called for the demolition of nearly all structures in southwest Washington beginning in 1950, but legal challenges led to demolition. gradually from the area until the mid-1950s.
Problems related to the planning and construction of L'Enfant Plaza (immediately west of the site) delayed construction of any buildings on the block until the late 1960s. In 1963, the RLA purchased the land from Westminster Memorial Church, Fifth Baptist Church, and homeowners. RLA refused to sell the property. (The federal government does not pay taxes on the land and structures it owns, and the RLA wanted a private owner to increase the tax base.) The RLA attempted to sell the land on January 29, 1965, but there were no buyers.
cold beams
Introduction
Constitution Center[1] (formerly known as David Nassif Building) is an office building located at 400 7th Street SW in Washington, D.C.[2] It is 137 feet tall and has 10 stories.[3] Covering an entire city block, it is the largest privately owned office building in the District of Columbia. Current tenants include the Federal Housing Finance Agency[4] and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency").[5] As of February 2014, Constitution Center was valued at $725.8 million, making it the most valuable taxable property in the city.[6].
original structure
In the 1950s, the United States Congress, then the governing institution of the District of Columbia, undertook the Southwest DC urban renewal project, the first in the capital district and one of the first such programs in the nation.[7] In 1946, Congress passed the District of Columbia Redevelopment Act, which established the District of Columbia Redevelopment Land Agency (RLA) and provided legal authority to clear land and funds to stimulate development. redevelopment in the capital.[8] Congress also gave the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) the authority to designate which land would be redeveloped and how.[9] However, the RLA was not funded until the passage of the Housing Act of 1949.[9] A 1950 study by the NCPC found that the small southwest neighborhood of the city suffered from high concentrations of old, poorly maintained buildings, overcrowding, and health threats. (such as lack of indoor running water, sewage systems, electricity, central heating, etc.).[10] Competing visions for redevelopment ranged from renovation to outright leveling of neighborhoods, but the latter view prevailed as most likely to qualify for federal funding. Original plans called for the demolition of nearly all structures in southwest Washington beginning in 1950, but legal challenges led to demolition. gradually from the area until the mid-1950s.
Problems related to the planning and construction of L'Enfant Plaza (immediately west of the site) delayed construction of any buildings on the block until the late 1960s. In 1963, the RLA purchased the land from Westminster Memorial Church, Fifth Baptist Church, and homeowners. RLA refused to sell the property. (The federal government does not pay taxes on the land and structures it owns, and the RLA wanted a private owner to increase the tax base.) The RLA attempted to sell the land on January 29, 1965, but there were no buyers.
The building was constructed pursuant to an agreement between the General Services Administration (GSA) and Boston developer David Nassif, Sr. In July 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson began planning to unite several disparate transportation agencies into a new United States Department of Transportation.[14] GSA (the owner and manager of property for the United States federal government) began seeking to lease or construct a structure to house the new agency by the end of 1965.[12] Donald T. Kirwan, head of GSA's leasing division, knew Nassif from a previous lease negotiation and discussed with him the location of a building and its size. Nassif approached the RLA on April 21, 1966 and asked to purchase the newly razed land bounded by 6th, 7th, D and E Streets SW. In May 1967, GSA sent a letter to Nassif warning him that he would likely rent the entire structure he intended to build. The $5.9 million land purchase was finalized on October 30, 1967. The cost of the structure is unclear. By November 15, 1967, Nassif had obtained a $39 million construction loan. But The Washington Post put the cost of the building at $27 million in July 1968.[15] The newspaper said in August 1970 that the cost of the structure was $26.5 million. The building was designed by architect Edward Durrell Stone, who also designed the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. On April 11, 1968, GSA leased the entire building to Nassif for 20 years for $98 million. John A. Volpe Construction was the prime contractor.
Construction began in July 1968 (although it was only briefly delayed when unionized ironworkers at the site went on strike)[17] and was completed in 1969.[1] The main entrance faced 7th Street SW.[18] It included a central courtyard (open to the sky) that featured a fountain, walkways, benches, and gardens.[13] Four 15-foot (4.6 m) tall archways They pierced the building in the center of the block on each side, creating access to the courtyard. The vertical marble ribs of the façade were sourced from the same quarry near Carrara, Italy, that provided the marble for the Kennedy Center.[19] The completed building had 10 floors, three basement floors, overhanging eaves, and 230,000 m² of floor space (94,700 m² of usable space).[12][20] It was the largest privately owned office building in the city at the time.
Kirwan's contacts with Nassif later became the subject of a legal investigation. Kirwan not only shared inside information with Nassif about GSA's leasing plans, but he later invested in Nassif's DC business and became an officer in it.[12] This relationship (Kirwan left GSA in December 1966, before the letter indicating the intention to lease was posted to Nassif), and GSA's irregular leasing of the building, became public knowledge in August 1966. 1970. A GSA internal audit was critical to the leasing process and leasing costs.[21].
That same month, the refinancing of the building was questioned. In the United States, it is common business practice for the initial lender to provide an interim loan (the "construction loan") to construct a building. The interim loan is then paid off by a second lender, which becomes the mortgage lender and receives payments from the building owner. Riggs Bank, a local D.C. bank, had provided the interim construction loan to Nassif. The New York City Employees Retirement System should have paid off this construction loan. That payment stopped when the loan officer Nassif had dealt with was accused of accepting bribes to approve loans.[16] When the pension fund refused to make the loan, Riggs Bank demanded payment and threatened to foreclose on the Nassif building.[22]
From 1969 to 2007, the Nassif Building served as the headquarters of the United States Department of Transportation (DOT).[1] The building was designed to have removable interior walls to allow for easy reconfiguration of the interior space.[23] In November 1970, the federal government exercised its eminent domain powers and took control of Nasif's three-story basement parking garage to provide affordable parking for DOT workers.[24] A Over the years, so many government workers complained of ailments while working on the structure that some believed it suffered from sick building syndrome. David Nassif Associates, the building's owner, disputed these claims. However, when the Department of Transportation announced it would leave the building in 2000,[25] the owners promised a $100 million renovation that included a new ventilation and cleaning system as an incentive for the agency to stay. The owners also unsuccessfully sued the General Services Administration in 1999 to force it to renew the building's federal lease. The Department of Transportation completed its move from the Nassif Building to its new headquarters in June 2007.
The L'Enfant Plaza Metro station "L'Enfant Plaza (Washington Subway)") opened an escalator entrance in the north arcade of the structure on July 1, 1977.[13][26]The entrance was one of two that opened that day (the opening day of the Metro Blue Line). The third entrance (inside the underground L'Enfant Promenade shopping center at L'Enfant Plaza) opened in October 1977. In June 1992, Virginia Railway Express opened the $1.1 million L'Enfant Plaza "L'Enfant Plaza (Washington Metro)") VRE station on Virginia Avenue SE (about a half block north of Constitution Center).[27]
Renewal
In 2006, Nassif Associates announced a $220 million renovation of the building and renamed it the "Constitution Center".[1] SmithGroup was the architectural firm that oversaw the redesign,[28] and Davis Construction oversaw construction.[29].
The renovation included some of the highest security features of any building in the DC area. They included a central and perimeter security system; closure of the central plaza of the building, which, along with other changes, increased its 7400 m²; steel-jacketed underground parking garage columns capable of withstanding a powerful explosion; six fully staffed security checkpoints; concrete blocks built into the facade; communication, drinking water and public services contained in explosion-proof spaces; ventilation shafts for parking in a secure area; and special security procedures to gain access to the building's critical systems.[1][3][30] Security improvements made the office building suitable for all federal agencies with the exception of the United States Department of Defense. The 65,000 m² underground parking garage contains 1,500 spaces.[31].
Various amenities were also added to the building. These included 930 m² of 400-seat auditorium on the courtyard/piazza level;[31] six rooms, 1000 m² of conference center with meeting capacity of 10 to 500 people; a full-service café on the plaza level, with access to the patio; and a gym for 100 people.[32].
The exterior of the building was also radically altered. The building's celebrated key visual feature,[23] its exterior vertical white marble rib, was completely removed after it was discovered to be bowed by age and weather.[1] Although this fundamentally changed the nature of Durrell's building, there was almost no public outcry. It was replaced by an energy-efficient all-glass façade. Perhaps the most significant renovation feature was the use of a chilled beam HVAC system structure, which uses hot or cold water circulating in strategically placed columns in the interior space to cool and heat the building.[28] To test the efficiency of chilled beam technology, the system was installed in the attic of the building and tested for a full year. The architect agreed to use the system after testing exceeded specifications. The installation represented the first large-scale use of chilled beam technology in the United States.[33] Other energy-saving improvements included motion and daylight detectors to turn off lights when not needed, and special exterior windows that dim automatically to prevent daytime heating. The building's ventilation system was also updated. The renovation left the structure with 130,000 m² of interior space.[2] The final cost of the renovation was set at $250 million.[3].
Some cosmetic improvements were also made. The building now has 0.4 ha of parking in its central courtyard open to the sky.[3] Most of the concrete in the courtyard was removed and trees, shrubs and flowers were planted to absorb rainwater. The park, which is now no longer accessible to the public, also includes a large granite sculpture of abstract art ("Legacy") by Richard Deutsch"). 2007 and July 2008 for the reconstruction of the building).[35] The renovation installed artwork by internationally renowned artist Stephen Knapp") near this entrance, in which strong rays of light are passed through the tinted glass to spread brightly colored patterns on the ceiling.[34] The light sculpture, titled "Transformation", symbolizes the renovation and rebirth of the building.[34].
The Constitution Center is registered with the US Green Building Council for LEED Gold certification.[31].
The renovated Constitution Center won two awards. The Mid-Atlantic Construction construction news website awarded the building "Project of the Year - Renovation/Restoration" in December 2010.[31] On March 25, 2011, the Washington Building Congress awarded its 2011 WBC Craftsmanship Award to J.E. Richards, Inc. for excellence in workmanship in the installation of electrical generation, distribution and switchgear at Constitution Center.[36].
In January 2011, Constitution Center was valued at $446 million by the city's tax assessors, making it the third most valuable private property in the city that year.[37]
Tenants
The recession of the late 2000s left the renovated building struggling to find tenants. It sat empty for nearly two years after it opened for occupancy in April 2009. Both the United States Department of Homeland Security and NASA explored leasing it in whole or in part in 2009 and 2010, but opted not to do so. In August 2010, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) signed a contract by letter for 84,000 m² of space at Constitution Center.[38][39] The SEC planned to take possession in September 2011.[40] In January 2011, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency agreed to lease 59,000 m² of space and the Federal Treasury Housing Finance signed an agreement to occupy 31,000 m² of space.[41] The Comptroller's Office and the Federal Housing Finance Agency occupied the building in March 2012.[4].
The SEC's occupation of the building did not occur as planned. In October 2010, the SEC informed Nassif Associates that it only needed 32,000 m² of the 84,000 m² it had leased.[42] On January 20, 2011, the SEC's inspector general launched an investigation to determine whether the SEC's lease was adequate and legal.[43] SEC Chairwoman Mary Schapiro") was heavily criticized by the Republican "Party." Republican (United States)") in the United States House of Representatives for her handling of the lease, which she had personally approved.[41] By May, it was unclear whether the SEC would occupy any space in the building.[38] On May 23, the SEC's inspector general requested a formal opinion from the comptroller general of the United States on whether the lease violated the Antideficiency Act. The inspector general said that the SEC "grossly overestimated the amount of space needed in "[44]
In early July 2011, Nassif Associates said it had agreed to release the SEC from occupying 51,000 m² of space at Constitution Center. The company asked the SEC to reimburse it for $45 million in construction and other expenses incurred between August 2010 and July 2011, but the agency refused to do so. Nassif Associates said it declined to file a lawsuit against the agency, although it indicated it would continue negotiating with the SEC and other federal agencies to seek reimbursement.[45][46] At the same time, the U.S. Department of Justice said it was considering prosecuting SEC officials for their handling of the lease and the alleged falsification of documents designed to substantiate it.[47]
Occupation issues at Constitution Center became further confounded by legislative action. In October 2011, the United States House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure voted 31 to 22 to allow the Federal Trade Commission to lease 15,000 m² of space at Constitution Center and vacate the Apex Building (which would be turned over to the National Gallery of Art).[48] Although this legislation was not adopted by Congress, the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure in March 2012 directed the Administration to General Services (GSA) analyze space needs for the Federal Trade Commission and several other federal agencies in the District of Columbia and issue a report to the committee on how Constitution Center could meet these needs.[4] GSA reported in June 2012 that Constitution Center had too little space to house the entire FTC and that it was too expensive to do so (after accounting for moving expenses and rental prices). Instead, GSA proposed that the FTC lease additional space at 601 New Jersey Avenue NW and 1800 M Street NW (where it already leased space and where additional space was available).[49].
In April 2012, Nassif Associates said the SEC also owed it rent. The company said the charter contract required the agency to pay $1.3 million a month beginning Nov. 1, 2011. As of April 30, 2012, the agency owed $7.75 million in back rent, a company spokesperson said. The agency questioned the cost, saying construction of the interior was never completed. SEC officials also said that the agency now did not need any space at Constitution Center, and that the SEC was working with GSA to find other federal tenants to take over its lease.[42] In late May, the Federal Aviation Administration said it could lease 25,000 m² of space in the building as part of a major consolidation of six of its offices in the city.[50]
In July 2012, GSA bowed to pressure from Congress and moved 1,100 FTC workers to the Constitution Center from leased locations at 601 New Jersey Avenue NW and 1800 M Street NW. The agreement kept the FTC in its Apex Building headquarters.[51] Three months later, GSA leased the last of its space at Constitution Center by signing leases to the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities.[52]
Sale 2012
On April 22, 2011, David Nassif Associates announced that it was putting Constitution Center up for sale and said it hoped to find a buyer by the end of summer 2011.[53] The company also said it expected a purchase price of $900 million.[54] Real estate banking firm Eastdil Secured helped secure a buyer.[45]
In June 2012, the Washington Business Journal reported that CommonWealth Partners and Nassif Associates had negotiated a purchase agreement, but were unable to reach an agreement. CommonWealth Partners then withdrew from any further discussion.[55].
In December 2012, an agreement was reached for the sale of Constitution Center. MetLife and an unnamed investor (represented by Clarion Partners LLC) each bought a 50 percent stake in the building. The sale price was 734 million, or 48.7 dollars per m². The sale price was the most expensive in DC history for a single building. (It was not, however, the most paid per square foot. That record went to the two-building Market Square at 701 and 801 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, which sold in 2011 to Wells Real Estate Investment Trust for $905 per square foot.) When the deal closed in February 2013, David Nassif Associates announced it would close operations and settle its remaining obligations.
City tax assessors said the value of Constitution Center increased to $725.8 million in 2014, up from $573.5 million in 2013 (an increase of $152.3 million), making it the most valuable taxable property in the District of Columbia.[6].
• - Banks, James G. and Banks, Peter S. The Unintended Consequences: Family and Community, the Victims of Isolated Poverty. Lanham, Md.: University Press of America, 2004.
• - Committee on the District of Columbia. Subcommittee on Fiscal and Government Affairs. Amend Redevelopment Act of 1945 and Transfer U.S. Real Property to RLA: Hearings and Markups Before the Subcommittee on Fiscal and Government Affairs and the Committee on the District of Columbia. US House of Representatives. 95th Congress, Second Session. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1978.
• - Gutheim, Frederick A. and Lee, Antoinette J. Worthy of the Nation: Washington, D.C., From L'Enfant to the National Capital Planning Commission. Baltimore, Md.: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006.
• - Historic American Buildings Survey. Southwest Washington, Urban Renewal Area. HABS DC-856. DC-856. National Park Service. US Department of the Interior. July 2004.
• - Rose, Mark H.; Seely, Bruce Edsall; and Barrett, Paul F. The Best Transportation System in the World: Railroads, Trucks, Airlines, and American Public Policy in the Twentieth Century. Columbus, Ohio: Ohio State University Press, 2006.
[21] ↑ "GSA Keeps Wraps on Audit Of DOT Headquarters Rental." Washington Post. August 13, 1970.
[22] ↑ Kessler, Ronald. "Riggs Bank, N.Y. Fund Sued On $39 Million D.C. Building." Washington Post. September 12, 1970; Kessler, Ronald. "Bribe Probe Snags DOT Building Loan." Washington Post. September 13, 1970.
[24] ↑ Eisen, Jack. "U.S. Takes Over Parking Garage." Washington Post. November 5, 1970.
[25] ↑ The Dept. of Transportation built a new headquarters at 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, which it occupied as of June 2007. See: Haggery, Maryann. "Transportation Dept. Shops for New Headquarters Site." Washington Post. August 16, 1999; Spinner, Jackie. "GSA Picks 4 Sites For DOT Offices." Washington Post. March 11, 2000; "Contractors Move Forward on Transportation Building." Washington Business Journal. February 16, 2004, accessed 2011-04-20; "Green Roofs in the District - Showcase Projects." Department of the Environment. District of Columbia. April 10, 2009 Archivado el 14 de agosto de 2011 en Wayback Machine., accessed 2011-04-07.: http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2004/02/16/focus9.html
[26] ↑ "Metro's Newest Stations: Where They Are, What's Nearby." Washington Post. June 24, 1977.
[27] ↑ Masters, Brooke A. "Red Tape May Delay Va. Commuter Rail." Washington Post. April 4, 1991; Fehr, Stephen C. "Getting on Track." Washington Post. June 18, 1992.
[32] ↑ FOX Architects. "FOX Architects Designs Amenities for Landmark Building in Washington, D.C." Press release. May 3, 2011. Accessed 2012-07-03.: http://www.sys-con.com/node/1816871
[33] ↑ Karidis, George. "Constitution Center Chills Out." Consulting Specifying Engineer. May 1, 2008.
[34] ↑ a b c d "Art." Constitution Center. David Nassif Associates. 2009. Archivado el 30 de abril de 2011 en Wayback Machine. Accessed 2011-03-13.: http://www.constitutioncenterdc.com/art.html
[36] ↑ "2011 WBC Craftsmanship Awards Winners." Washington Building Congress. March 25, 2011. Archivado el 14 de julio de 2011 en Wayback Machine. Accessed 2011-04-20.: http://www.wbcnet.org/winners2011.htm
[39] ↑ A letter contract is a legal obligation in the form of a letter, not an actual lease. It lays out the fundamental terms of the agreement, but not all the details. It contains a clause in which the parties agree to supplant the letter contract with a formal lease at a later date.
The building was constructed pursuant to an agreement between the General Services Administration (GSA) and Boston developer David Nassif, Sr. In July 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson began planning to unite several disparate transportation agencies into a new United States Department of Transportation.[14] GSA (the owner and manager of property for the United States federal government) began seeking to lease or construct a structure to house the new agency by the end of 1965.[12] Donald T. Kirwan, head of GSA's leasing division, knew Nassif from a previous lease negotiation and discussed with him the location of a building and its size. Nassif approached the RLA on April 21, 1966 and asked to purchase the newly razed land bounded by 6th, 7th, D and E Streets SW. In May 1967, GSA sent a letter to Nassif warning him that he would likely rent the entire structure he intended to build. The $5.9 million land purchase was finalized on October 30, 1967. The cost of the structure is unclear. By November 15, 1967, Nassif had obtained a $39 million construction loan. But The Washington Post put the cost of the building at $27 million in July 1968.[15] The newspaper said in August 1970 that the cost of the structure was $26.5 million. The building was designed by architect Edward Durrell Stone, who also designed the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. On April 11, 1968, GSA leased the entire building to Nassif for 20 years for $98 million. John A. Volpe Construction was the prime contractor.
Construction began in July 1968 (although it was only briefly delayed when unionized ironworkers at the site went on strike)[17] and was completed in 1969.[1] The main entrance faced 7th Street SW.[18] It included a central courtyard (open to the sky) that featured a fountain, walkways, benches, and gardens.[13] Four 15-foot (4.6 m) tall archways They pierced the building in the center of the block on each side, creating access to the courtyard. The vertical marble ribs of the façade were sourced from the same quarry near Carrara, Italy, that provided the marble for the Kennedy Center.[19] The completed building had 10 floors, three basement floors, overhanging eaves, and 230,000 m² of floor space (94,700 m² of usable space).[12][20] It was the largest privately owned office building in the city at the time.
Kirwan's contacts with Nassif later became the subject of a legal investigation. Kirwan not only shared inside information with Nassif about GSA's leasing plans, but he later invested in Nassif's DC business and became an officer in it.[12] This relationship (Kirwan left GSA in December 1966, before the letter indicating the intention to lease was posted to Nassif), and GSA's irregular leasing of the building, became public knowledge in August 1966. 1970. A GSA internal audit was critical to the leasing process and leasing costs.[21].
That same month, the refinancing of the building was questioned. In the United States, it is common business practice for the initial lender to provide an interim loan (the "construction loan") to construct a building. The interim loan is then paid off by a second lender, which becomes the mortgage lender and receives payments from the building owner. Riggs Bank, a local D.C. bank, had provided the interim construction loan to Nassif. The New York City Employees Retirement System should have paid off this construction loan. That payment stopped when the loan officer Nassif had dealt with was accused of accepting bribes to approve loans.[16] When the pension fund refused to make the loan, Riggs Bank demanded payment and threatened to foreclose on the Nassif building.[22]
From 1969 to 2007, the Nassif Building served as the headquarters of the United States Department of Transportation (DOT).[1] The building was designed to have removable interior walls to allow for easy reconfiguration of the interior space.[23] In November 1970, the federal government exercised its eminent domain powers and took control of Nasif's three-story basement parking garage to provide affordable parking for DOT workers.[24] A Over the years, so many government workers complained of ailments while working on the structure that some believed it suffered from sick building syndrome. David Nassif Associates, the building's owner, disputed these claims. However, when the Department of Transportation announced it would leave the building in 2000,[25] the owners promised a $100 million renovation that included a new ventilation and cleaning system as an incentive for the agency to stay. The owners also unsuccessfully sued the General Services Administration in 1999 to force it to renew the building's federal lease. The Department of Transportation completed its move from the Nassif Building to its new headquarters in June 2007.
The L'Enfant Plaza Metro station "L'Enfant Plaza (Washington Subway)") opened an escalator entrance in the north arcade of the structure on July 1, 1977.[13][26]The entrance was one of two that opened that day (the opening day of the Metro Blue Line). The third entrance (inside the underground L'Enfant Promenade shopping center at L'Enfant Plaza) opened in October 1977. In June 1992, Virginia Railway Express opened the $1.1 million L'Enfant Plaza "L'Enfant Plaza (Washington Metro)") VRE station on Virginia Avenue SE (about a half block north of Constitution Center).[27]
Renewal
In 2006, Nassif Associates announced a $220 million renovation of the building and renamed it the "Constitution Center".[1] SmithGroup was the architectural firm that oversaw the redesign,[28] and Davis Construction oversaw construction.[29].
The renovation included some of the highest security features of any building in the DC area. They included a central and perimeter security system; closure of the central plaza of the building, which, along with other changes, increased its 7400 m²; steel-jacketed underground parking garage columns capable of withstanding a powerful explosion; six fully staffed security checkpoints; concrete blocks built into the facade; communication, drinking water and public services contained in explosion-proof spaces; ventilation shafts for parking in a secure area; and special security procedures to gain access to the building's critical systems.[1][3][30] Security improvements made the office building suitable for all federal agencies with the exception of the United States Department of Defense. The 65,000 m² underground parking garage contains 1,500 spaces.[31].
Various amenities were also added to the building. These included 930 m² of 400-seat auditorium on the courtyard/piazza level;[31] six rooms, 1000 m² of conference center with meeting capacity of 10 to 500 people; a full-service café on the plaza level, with access to the patio; and a gym for 100 people.[32].
The exterior of the building was also radically altered. The building's celebrated key visual feature,[23] its exterior vertical white marble rib, was completely removed after it was discovered to be bowed by age and weather.[1] Although this fundamentally changed the nature of Durrell's building, there was almost no public outcry. It was replaced by an energy-efficient all-glass façade. Perhaps the most significant renovation feature was the use of a chilled beam HVAC system structure, which uses hot or cold water circulating in strategically placed columns in the interior space to cool and heat the building.[28] To test the efficiency of chilled beam technology, the system was installed in the attic of the building and tested for a full year. The architect agreed to use the system after testing exceeded specifications. The installation represented the first large-scale use of chilled beam technology in the United States.[33] Other energy-saving improvements included motion and daylight detectors to turn off lights when not needed, and special exterior windows that dim automatically to prevent daytime heating. The building's ventilation system was also updated. The renovation left the structure with 130,000 m² of interior space.[2] The final cost of the renovation was set at $250 million.[3].
Some cosmetic improvements were also made. The building now has 0.4 ha of parking in its central courtyard open to the sky.[3] Most of the concrete in the courtyard was removed and trees, shrubs and flowers were planted to absorb rainwater. The park, which is now no longer accessible to the public, also includes a large granite sculpture of abstract art ("Legacy") by Richard Deutsch"). 2007 and July 2008 for the reconstruction of the building).[35] The renovation installed artwork by internationally renowned artist Stephen Knapp") near this entrance, in which strong rays of light are passed through the tinted glass to spread brightly colored patterns on the ceiling.[34] The light sculpture, titled "Transformation", symbolizes the renovation and rebirth of the building.[34].
The Constitution Center is registered with the US Green Building Council for LEED Gold certification.[31].
The renovated Constitution Center won two awards. The Mid-Atlantic Construction construction news website awarded the building "Project of the Year - Renovation/Restoration" in December 2010.[31] On March 25, 2011, the Washington Building Congress awarded its 2011 WBC Craftsmanship Award to J.E. Richards, Inc. for excellence in workmanship in the installation of electrical generation, distribution and switchgear at Constitution Center.[36].
In January 2011, Constitution Center was valued at $446 million by the city's tax assessors, making it the third most valuable private property in the city that year.[37]
Tenants
The recession of the late 2000s left the renovated building struggling to find tenants. It sat empty for nearly two years after it opened for occupancy in April 2009. Both the United States Department of Homeland Security and NASA explored leasing it in whole or in part in 2009 and 2010, but opted not to do so. In August 2010, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) signed a contract by letter for 84,000 m² of space at Constitution Center.[38][39] The SEC planned to take possession in September 2011.[40] In January 2011, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency agreed to lease 59,000 m² of space and the Federal Treasury Housing Finance signed an agreement to occupy 31,000 m² of space.[41] The Comptroller's Office and the Federal Housing Finance Agency occupied the building in March 2012.[4].
The SEC's occupation of the building did not occur as planned. In October 2010, the SEC informed Nassif Associates that it only needed 32,000 m² of the 84,000 m² it had leased.[42] On January 20, 2011, the SEC's inspector general launched an investigation to determine whether the SEC's lease was adequate and legal.[43] SEC Chairwoman Mary Schapiro") was heavily criticized by the Republican "Party." Republican (United States)") in the United States House of Representatives for her handling of the lease, which she had personally approved.[41] By May, it was unclear whether the SEC would occupy any space in the building.[38] On May 23, the SEC's inspector general requested a formal opinion from the comptroller general of the United States on whether the lease violated the Antideficiency Act. The inspector general said that the SEC "grossly overestimated the amount of space needed in "[44]
In early July 2011, Nassif Associates said it had agreed to release the SEC from occupying 51,000 m² of space at Constitution Center. The company asked the SEC to reimburse it for $45 million in construction and other expenses incurred between August 2010 and July 2011, but the agency refused to do so. Nassif Associates said it declined to file a lawsuit against the agency, although it indicated it would continue negotiating with the SEC and other federal agencies to seek reimbursement.[45][46] At the same time, the U.S. Department of Justice said it was considering prosecuting SEC officials for their handling of the lease and the alleged falsification of documents designed to substantiate it.[47]
Occupation issues at Constitution Center became further confounded by legislative action. In October 2011, the United States House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure voted 31 to 22 to allow the Federal Trade Commission to lease 15,000 m² of space at Constitution Center and vacate the Apex Building (which would be turned over to the National Gallery of Art).[48] Although this legislation was not adopted by Congress, the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure in March 2012 directed the Administration to General Services (GSA) analyze space needs for the Federal Trade Commission and several other federal agencies in the District of Columbia and issue a report to the committee on how Constitution Center could meet these needs.[4] GSA reported in June 2012 that Constitution Center had too little space to house the entire FTC and that it was too expensive to do so (after accounting for moving expenses and rental prices). Instead, GSA proposed that the FTC lease additional space at 601 New Jersey Avenue NW and 1800 M Street NW (where it already leased space and where additional space was available).[49].
In April 2012, Nassif Associates said the SEC also owed it rent. The company said the charter contract required the agency to pay $1.3 million a month beginning Nov. 1, 2011. As of April 30, 2012, the agency owed $7.75 million in back rent, a company spokesperson said. The agency questioned the cost, saying construction of the interior was never completed. SEC officials also said that the agency now did not need any space at Constitution Center, and that the SEC was working with GSA to find other federal tenants to take over its lease.[42] In late May, the Federal Aviation Administration said it could lease 25,000 m² of space in the building as part of a major consolidation of six of its offices in the city.[50]
In July 2012, GSA bowed to pressure from Congress and moved 1,100 FTC workers to the Constitution Center from leased locations at 601 New Jersey Avenue NW and 1800 M Street NW. The agreement kept the FTC in its Apex Building headquarters.[51] Three months later, GSA leased the last of its space at Constitution Center by signing leases to the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities.[52]
Sale 2012
On April 22, 2011, David Nassif Associates announced that it was putting Constitution Center up for sale and said it hoped to find a buyer by the end of summer 2011.[53] The company also said it expected a purchase price of $900 million.[54] Real estate banking firm Eastdil Secured helped secure a buyer.[45]
In June 2012, the Washington Business Journal reported that CommonWealth Partners and Nassif Associates had negotiated a purchase agreement, but were unable to reach an agreement. CommonWealth Partners then withdrew from any further discussion.[55].
In December 2012, an agreement was reached for the sale of Constitution Center. MetLife and an unnamed investor (represented by Clarion Partners LLC) each bought a 50 percent stake in the building. The sale price was 734 million, or 48.7 dollars per m². The sale price was the most expensive in DC history for a single building. (It was not, however, the most paid per square foot. That record went to the two-building Market Square at 701 and 801 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, which sold in 2011 to Wells Real Estate Investment Trust for $905 per square foot.) When the deal closed in February 2013, David Nassif Associates announced it would close operations and settle its remaining obligations.
City tax assessors said the value of Constitution Center increased to $725.8 million in 2014, up from $573.5 million in 2013 (an increase of $152.3 million), making it the most valuable taxable property in the District of Columbia.[6].
• - Banks, James G. and Banks, Peter S. The Unintended Consequences: Family and Community, the Victims of Isolated Poverty. Lanham, Md.: University Press of America, 2004.
• - Committee on the District of Columbia. Subcommittee on Fiscal and Government Affairs. Amend Redevelopment Act of 1945 and Transfer U.S. Real Property to RLA: Hearings and Markups Before the Subcommittee on Fiscal and Government Affairs and the Committee on the District of Columbia. US House of Representatives. 95th Congress, Second Session. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1978.
• - Gutheim, Frederick A. and Lee, Antoinette J. Worthy of the Nation: Washington, D.C., From L'Enfant to the National Capital Planning Commission. Baltimore, Md.: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006.
• - Historic American Buildings Survey. Southwest Washington, Urban Renewal Area. HABS DC-856. DC-856. National Park Service. US Department of the Interior. July 2004.
• - Rose, Mark H.; Seely, Bruce Edsall; and Barrett, Paul F. The Best Transportation System in the World: Railroads, Trucks, Airlines, and American Public Policy in the Twentieth Century. Columbus, Ohio: Ohio State University Press, 2006.
[21] ↑ "GSA Keeps Wraps on Audit Of DOT Headquarters Rental." Washington Post. August 13, 1970.
[22] ↑ Kessler, Ronald. "Riggs Bank, N.Y. Fund Sued On $39 Million D.C. Building." Washington Post. September 12, 1970; Kessler, Ronald. "Bribe Probe Snags DOT Building Loan." Washington Post. September 13, 1970.
[24] ↑ Eisen, Jack. "U.S. Takes Over Parking Garage." Washington Post. November 5, 1970.
[25] ↑ The Dept. of Transportation built a new headquarters at 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, which it occupied as of June 2007. See: Haggery, Maryann. "Transportation Dept. Shops for New Headquarters Site." Washington Post. August 16, 1999; Spinner, Jackie. "GSA Picks 4 Sites For DOT Offices." Washington Post. March 11, 2000; "Contractors Move Forward on Transportation Building." Washington Business Journal. February 16, 2004, accessed 2011-04-20; "Green Roofs in the District - Showcase Projects." Department of the Environment. District of Columbia. April 10, 2009 Archivado el 14 de agosto de 2011 en Wayback Machine., accessed 2011-04-07.: http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2004/02/16/focus9.html
[26] ↑ "Metro's Newest Stations: Where They Are, What's Nearby." Washington Post. June 24, 1977.
[27] ↑ Masters, Brooke A. "Red Tape May Delay Va. Commuter Rail." Washington Post. April 4, 1991; Fehr, Stephen C. "Getting on Track." Washington Post. June 18, 1992.
[32] ↑ FOX Architects. "FOX Architects Designs Amenities for Landmark Building in Washington, D.C." Press release. May 3, 2011. Accessed 2012-07-03.: http://www.sys-con.com/node/1816871
[33] ↑ Karidis, George. "Constitution Center Chills Out." Consulting Specifying Engineer. May 1, 2008.
[34] ↑ a b c d "Art." Constitution Center. David Nassif Associates. 2009. Archivado el 30 de abril de 2011 en Wayback Machine. Accessed 2011-03-13.: http://www.constitutioncenterdc.com/art.html
[36] ↑ "2011 WBC Craftsmanship Awards Winners." Washington Building Congress. March 25, 2011. Archivado el 14 de julio de 2011 en Wayback Machine. Accessed 2011-04-20.: http://www.wbcnet.org/winners2011.htm
[39] ↑ A letter contract is a legal obligation in the form of a letter, not an actual lease. It lays out the fundamental terms of the agreement, but not all the details. It contains a clause in which the parties agree to supplant the letter contract with a formal lease at a later date.