Transwestern Taking Over Residential Conversion Of Former MCI Headquarters

A new developer has taken the reins of a planned downtown office conversion.

The former MCI Communications Corp. building at 1133 19th St. NW is under contract to sell to Transwestern Development Co., according to zoning filings that show it is planning a residential conversion. Foulger Pratt had previously been under contract to buy the building and had planned its own conversion.

TDC, an affiliate of Transwestern, revealed it is taking over the project in a request to the Board of Zoning Adjustment for a two-year extension on the board's approval order, which allowed a penthouse eating and drinking establishment at the property.

TDC Mid-Atlantic Regional Partner Toby Millman told Bisnow the project has received a 20-year tax abatement from D.C.’s program aimed at spurring conversions downtown. 

Foulger Pratt didn't respond to a request for comment.

“We see tremendous opportunity for office-to-residential conversions in the District and specifically with this property,” Millman wrote in an email. “The physical building lends itself well to a conversion and the specific location on 19th Street provides a vibrant sub-neighborhood with plenty of retail and amenities for residents.”

The Tower Cos. is the owner of the 12-story, 199K SF office building that delivered in 1981 and served as MCI's headquarters for nearly two decades. Tower didn't respond to Bisnow’s request for comment. 

Foulger Pratt was under contract to purchase the property in 2022 and was planning a 181-unit conversion with 3K SF of ground-floor retail. It had received a BZA special exemption for the penthouse in December 2022.

WDG Architecture was the architect on Foulger Pratt’s plans and is also designing Transwestern’s new vision.

Transwestern’s plan involves cutting out the second through 12th floors for an interior courtyard to provide more light and air, increasing the unit count by about 40 units and adding more amenities to the ground floor. 

“It’s actually going to be really handsome, and it’s really going to create a neighborhood on 19th Street, just create a different flavor,” WDG Architecture Managing Principal Siti Abdul-Rahman told Bisnow. 

The new developer is no longer planning an eating and drinking establishment in the penthouse, according to Abdul-Rahman, but an additional level will be added for amenities. 

“You're going to have this really cool penthouse that we designed, which is all transparent,” she said. “What's spectacular is you go up to the penthouse level, you can actually see the cathedral and everything beyond.” 

On the ground floor, WDG is looking to position the street-level entrance as a more pedestrian-friendly experience. 

“What we’re trying to do is blend in the rest of 19th Street in order to literally activate 19th Street to really become something a bit more pedestrian-friendly and a good experience for people walking around the building,” Abdul-Rahman said. 

Transwestern's mid-Atlantic arm completed a conversion in Alexandria in 2021, turning a former federal office building into 520 units. The company is also behind the 500-unit Revel NoMa Center and NoMa Center Marriott, both completed last year in Northeast.

Although Foulger Pratt is no longer involved with 1133 19th, the developer is in the midst of another downtown conversion project. It is turning an office building at 1425 New York Ave. NW into 243 apartments, called The Accolade. The building, also designed by WDG, is slated to deliver late next summer, Abdul-Rahman said.