Whitman Walker's Elizabeth Taylor Medical Center Will Soon Undergo Redevelopment

Whitman Walker Health, in partnership with Fivesquares Development, has secured approval from the Historic Preservation Review Board for its mixed-use redevelopment on 14th Street. 

The redevelopment will retain the historic Elizabeth Taylor Medical Center at 1701 14th St NW as well as the mid-block Belmont Garage building at 1711 14th St. Alongside those, it will build a 160k SF mixed-use building with four floors of apartment units, 51k SF of office and 16k SF of ground-floor retail.

Whitman Walker will occupy 30k SF of the office space and plans to create a community gathering space on the ground floor. With the remaining retail space, the developer plans to bring in a recognizable restaurant as well as some boutique shops. 

"One thing we're really excited about is that it's really a mixed-use building," Fivesquares managing principal Andy Altman tells Bisnow. Andy says they added the extra office space to increase the daytime activity on 14th Street. 

Before securing approval, Fivesquares and Whitman Walker spent more than two months reaching out to neighbors. The Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2F had some reservations regarding the color scheme, but ultimately supported the plan. On May 16 Fivesquares submitted the plans to HPRB and received unanimous approval. 

Fivesquares selected renowned New York-based architect Annabelle Selldorf to create a modern design that will mesh with the historic building and contribute to the architectural beauty of the street, Andy says. 

"It's a really special thing to take something that will really contribute to 14th Street," Andy, formerly DC's planning director, says. "It's that mix of great architecture, great uses, and Whitman Walker as an important institution that’s going to make this distinctive."

Construction is slated to begin in Q3 2017 with an expected delivery in late 2019 or early 2020.