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Terrell Place, a mixed-use complex across the street from the MCI Center in downtown Washington, recently was selected as a winning project in the 2004 Excellence in Construction Awards competition in the Commercial ($40 million & over) category from the Metro Washington and Virginia Chapters of Associated Builders and Contractors. Clark Construction Group, LLC served as general contractor on the $60 million project.
Consisting of 439,000 square feet of office space and 39,000 square feet of retail space, the complex is centered around three connecting components: the historic former Hecht’s building anchoring the Seventh and F streets corner, connected to the south along Seventh Street by a new nine-story structure that incorporates four historic facades, and connecting to the east to a new 11-story tower fronting F Street. An atrium topped off with an impressive skylight unites these elements. The law firm of Venable leased 243,800 square feet of the complex.
Designed by SmithGroup of Washington, D.C., the facade features precast, granite, brick, punch windows and curtain wall as well as existing historic facades of brick and terra cotta. Three lobbies are incorporated into the project and are highlighted by stone flooring with metal and wood paneling on the walls. The complex has two lobby entrances. The 575 Seventh Street lobby is in the restored Hecht’s building, and the 650 F Street lobby is in the new tower on F Street. Both lobbies connect through interior gallery space to an 11-story, naturally lit atrium.
The refurbishment of the decorative terra cotta facade at Terrell Place was a lengthy and detailed process. A respected Pittsburgh restoration company oversaw the renovation process, working closely with a California terra cotta fabricator, one of the only original terra cotta manufacturers left in the United States.
In order to create a prefect replica of the existing facade, the restoration company removed damaged pieces from the building’s exterior and shipped them to the terra cotta fabricator. The segments were cast as molds and used to create replacement pieces. Each replacement piece was a different dimension, which meant a new custom mold was created for each section of the building.
Once fabricated, the company applied a clear glaze to each piece before sending it back to Washington. The glaze matched that on the original structure and helped create a smooth, uniform look when old and new pieces were combined.
The entire restoration process took nearly 1½ years to finish, and resulted in an exquisite new facade.
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