Awards
  • WBC Craftsmanship Award, Demolition

Project Brief

As the first apartment building in DC to earn LEED Gold® certification, West End 25 is one of our most notable adaptive reuse projects. Previously two separate office buildings, the owner of the property came to us with two requests: to transform the dated office towers into one dynamic, luxury residence — and to do it fast.

view of building
outside entrance
Inside lobby
rooftop pool area

Hear More About It

Adaptive reuse projects, like West End 25, are particularly rewarding, because we get to solve complex puzzles and convert the past into the future.

Tom Gnecco, Director, Davis

From Obsolete to Outstanding

Vornado purchased the two 1960s office buildings with a vision. Knowing the buildings’ designs were too obsolete to meet the needs of the modern office market, they sought the help of architect Shalom Baranes Associates, and our DAVIS team, to convert West End 25 into a luxurious, high-end apartment building. Through creative thinking, strategic phasing, and transparent coordination, we delivered an end result that was more than luxurious – it is one of the most sought-after rental buildings the DC market has ever seen.

To create one 288-unit apartment building, we constructed 10 new floors to connect the two existing buildings and added four new floors to the top of the existing structure. The renovation also entailed fully gutting the interiors and removing both penthouse levels and roof decks — along with removing the entire building’s façade and replacing it with a modern, striking glass curtainwall. The structure was altered to create an inviting entry courtyard and large terrace-style balconies. On the newly constructed roof, we built a pool deck and a loggia terrace that offers unmatched views of Georgetown and Rock Creek Park.

Photos by Maxwell MacKenzie

Unique Challenges