Architecture Firm Moving From Arlington To NoMa's Uline Arena
The architect that designed the transformation of the Uline Arena will soon call the NoMa building home.
Antunovich Associates announced Wednesday it is moving its office from Arlington's Courthouse neighborhood to Uline Arena at 1140 Third St. NE and plans to move Oct. 1. It will occupy 9K SF, expanding from its 6,500 SF office at 2200 Clarendon Blvd.
The architecture firm will occupy ground-floor space on the Third Street side of the property, some of which was originally marketed as retail space. Antunovich Associates Senior Principal Kevin Sperry said it plans to create a visually appealing event space that could host community meetings in the part of the office closest to the street.
"It was partly for marketing; we always wanted a sign on the front door," Sperry said. "The other thing we want to do is invite the neighborhood into the office space and be a part of the community."
By expanding its footprint, Antunovich also hopes to grow its D.C. workforce. The firm currently has 30 employees in its D.C. office and 90 in its Chicago office. Its other D.C. projects include Market Common Clarendon and Southwest D.C.'s River Point.
"We're looking to hire more people," Sperry said. "We think the move will be a catalyst for a lot of the local folks in D.C. who maybe historically weren't looking to work in Arlington."
Douglas Development worked with Antunovich to transform the historic Uline Arena, the venue of The Beatles' first U.S. concert in 1964, into 244K SF of office and retail space. The retail is anchored by an REI flagship, and Douglas has also signed La Colombe and Red Bear Brewing on the M Street side. Coworking provider Spaces signed on in 2016 to take 44K SF of the second-floor office. The building still has about 125K SF of office space available.
The area stretching from Union Market down Third Street to the H Street corridor is seen as an emerging office submarket that will be particularly attractive to creative companies.
