The X2

920 H Street NE Tear-down and constriction has recently enveloped the property at 920 H Street NE, the former site of Park's Hardware. The store closed four years ago and the property has remained vacant since. The new project will result in a 10 unit apartment building named Ashton Park . The units range from a 471 sq ft studio to a 1,220 sq ft 2BR. There will be 3,600 sq ft of retail on the ground and basement levels; apparently being designing to snag a top restaurant or bar. The owners also seem to be catering to a transient audience of renters, offering what they describe as "hotel-like" amenities, providing some fully furnished units, and offering leases as short as two-months in length. They even call the studio a "hotel suite." Interesting concept. Delivery unknown, but I'm guessing early 2020.

Conrad from the southwest corner of 10th and I (Eye) Sts NW. City Center is mostly known for its retail components; a collection of stores selling everything from $2 cups of coffee to $140,000 electric cars. Apartments, condos, and thousands of square feet of office space fill out the rest of the spaces. One thing missing though is a hotel. Not that the area is lacking; the Grand Hyatt, Marriott Renaissance, and Marriott Metro Center are less than a block's walk. But soon the development will have its own. The Conrad will be a 360 room hotel run by Hilton and located at the corner of New York Ave and 10th St NW.. The name is inspired by Conrad Hilton, founder of the franchise. Conrad is one of the top Hilton Brands, behind only Waldorf Astoria. And it will join several other Hilton brands already in DC including Canopy, Garden Inn, DoubleTree, Hampton Inn, and Homewood Suites. The new hotel will be the 38th Conrad worldwide. Bryan Voltaggio (Range, Lunch Box, Volt) ...

Excavation work has begun on the Conrad Hotel  site at City Center DC. The Hilton brand hotel is slated to open in 2018 with 370 rooms and 70,000 square feet of retail. Tiffany & Co. will likely be one of the retail stores at the hotel, which is the latest piece of the City Center DC development, already known for extravagant and pricey branded retail. Conrad will comprise half of the lot that is bound by I Street NW, 10th Street, New York Ave, and 9th Street. The entrance will be located on the New York Ave side. Yesterday I looked for bookings on a random weekend (November 4th and 5th) at the Conrad Hotels in Miami, New York, and Chicago. Non-discounted rooms were as low as $299 per night in Miami, $329 in New York, and $395 in Chicago. I would expect DC prices to be in line with New York and Chicago. Interesting note: Hilton was one of the bidders to convert the Old Post Office from institutional use to commercial building. It proposed a luxury hotel for that sit...