EastBanc To Turn Former Fillmore School Into Luxury Condos
May 9, 2010 by Hometryst
The Corcoran College of Art and Design announced in a press release EastBanc as the winning bidder on the old Fillmore School building.
EastBanc had long had their eyes on the building, which is located on 1801 35th Street, NW, at the Georgetown/Burleith border.
The company had over 60 buildings in the area for the past two decades. It won the bid for the site, outplaying more than eight other firms competing for the project. EastBanc plans to turn the building into luxury condominiums and as well as build new townhouses along 34th Street on the area where the 100-car parking lot is situated.
The Corcoran bought the old building from the district government in 1997 for $1.5 million but because of expansions, the school has to look for a wider space elsewhere in the city.
“Fillmore offers approximately 26,000 square feet, but we are at a point where we need a room to grow – and plant to release an RFP for a 45,000 square foot space to lease,” said Fred Bollerer, Corcoran’s Chief Operating Officer. “A decision will be made soon with more than enough time to facilitate a move.”
The Corcoran’s main campus is at the Corcoran’s downtown location at New York Avenue and Seventeenth Street NW. Its second campus will be relocated by the summer of 2011.
Having acquired this property from the city for a mere $1.5M, instead of auctioning it off to the highest bidder and forcing them to turn it into a densely packed set of condos and townhomes, the Corcoran should have considered the neighborhood that it’s impacting and not demanded a price that requires a zoning variance.
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