Apple Finalizes Deal To Open Store At Carnegie Library
The opening of the District's second Apple Store, in the historic Carnegie Library, took a major step forward Thursday.
Apple finalized its lease with Events DC to take 19K SF inside the building at 801 K St. NW. The deal has a 10-year lease term with two five-year options.
“The partnership between Events DC and Apple demonstrates an innovative approach to preserving the historic character of our world-renowned Carnegie Library while creating a cultural experience that welcomes residents from across the District of Columbia and visitors around the world," Mayor Muriel Bowser said in a release.
In addition to occupying a portion of the 104-year-old building, Apple will be able to program events on the property's grounds. The Carnegie Library sits in Mount Vernon Square at 801 K St. NW. The Historical Society of Washington D.C., as part of the agreement with Apple and Events DC, will keep 13K SF of the building as a museum and library, which it has operated since 2003.
The store is being designed by Foster + Partners, the same architectural firm that created Apple's flagship store in San Francisco's Union Square. The store will be the District's second Apple Store, with the first in Georgetown. The tech giant also has stores in Pentagon City, Clarendon and Bethesda.
The Carnegie Library deal was made public in December, and has passed through the historic preservation approval process as the deal was being finalized. Apple still needs approval from the National Capital Planning Commission before opening the store, but it is expected to take up the project in September, allowing it to open this fall.
At the Carnegie Library location, Apple will also aid young people with job training and educational programming, said Max Brown, the chairman of Events DC's board of directors.
"This collaboration is about more than simply bringing another retail space into downtown," Brown said. "It showcases how a neighborhood can undergo rapid transformation while adopting the essential characteristics required to move forward into a new century."
