Allegro Development Watch

by Prince Of Petworth — December 16, 2008 at 3:00 pm 16 Comments

Per another reader’s request. A quick look at The Allegro located at 3460 14th Street.

Below is what it is project to look like:

Thumbs up or down?

After the jump you can see the progress on the building at Georgia and Taylor (where the YES! Organic Market will located), it’s also coming along quite nicely.

Your a pickle and I am 2

I was going to move here. I placed a deposit and everything. A good thing they went rental because there was no way I was going to pay 375K for a condo and parking space after the bubble burst. Oh, and I received my deposit with interest back.
Your a pickle and I am 2

At the Allegro that is… didn’t see the second part of the post.
GforGood

Thumbs up for Allegro. I think the massing and scale are much more appropriate than e.g. the one at Georgia and Taylor. Btw, one does not fully appreciate how huge Allegro is just passing by on 14th St.. it goes on like for miles and miles at the back.. welll, not quite, buts its pretty big and hopefully explains why the front facade is not progressing that rapidly.
13thandMonroe

I’m pretty sure I saw a fire station RIGHT NEXT to the Allegro….ummm….did the planners realize this? Can you imagine the horrible sirens going off all hours of the day and night? What were they thinking???
Anonymous

I live a block away and am not too fond of the Allegro. The website says move-ins in January!! I hope the renters (esp. on the south of the building) get a deal for being right next to the fire station – those trucks are loud at my house…
Solives

Bummer you didn’t get the port-a-potties in the pic, they were right under the “sanctuary meets style” sign for about 6 weeks. Made me laugh eveery single day.
IntangibleArts

…but what became of the poor crack dealers that lurked in the frozen-food section when it was the old Giant? Poor widdle guys…
Anonymous

Yeah I live on the northern edge of the development. I knew it would not be a good experience but I had no idea how lame they would be towards those of use bordering the building. Hmmmm should have saved this for the rant I guess.

Anyway I think they should have should designed something more like the townhouses down towards 14th and monroe that look like they belong in the neighborhood.

Oh yeah and they built underground parking but do not have as many spots as units! I miss the old Giant now!
Anonymous

Soliver, reminds me of the trip on the red line, north of Union Station and around NY Ave Station, where the line is above ground. There is a huge storage facility there with likewise huge neon lettering on the side that says “SELF STORAGE”. However, for at least a year or two, the initial “S” was burned out so it said “ELF STORAGE” after dark. That always made me chuckle to think of storing so many elves in such a large building… Wonder if its still there.

Hey, look, time to get outta work!
Anonymous

for those of you who don’t remember the old giant, you don’t know how fortunate you are that it’s gone.

what retail is going into the building next to the allegro? the building that used to say ‘christian book store?”
ontarioroader

damn, yes that Giant was nasty. I’ve seen compost piles with fresher produce than it had. The new Giant still brings a smile to my face – even if the lines stretch halfway down the aisles most evening.

I’m curious about the benches and landscaping depicted in the ‘sanctuary meets style’ banner – will it be open to the public or a sealed off courtyard? I wonder if they thought about the potential for it to become a homeless day encampment like in front of the firehouse.
Anonymous

According to one of the construction guys, the space that was the old christian bookstore next store is being developed to be a restaurant. No info. on what kind….
geen

I can see into the Allegro from my kitchen window, including its kitchens and potties. I sure hope those people get curtains when they move in.

(On a serious note, there are actually light fixtures and toilets installed, so the inside is coming along pretty well too.)
Fig Newton

Anonymous 5:15, I recomend contacting the building with your complaints. I wrote an email to the address I found on the Allegro website because the construction is always blocking the alley, which is the only access to my $15,000 parking space. I got a prompt response, and while they still block the alley, now they move quickly when I ask instead of telling me to come back in 45 minutes.

The developers are also going to repave most of the alley when they are done, and they city has said they will repave the rest.
Geezer

Living next to a construction site always sucks. But that said, I think the scale and in-fill of this development is exemplary. Yes, the old Giant was a filthy disaster surrounded by an awful, crumbling parking lot. It was THE WORST in urban design and land usage.

I believe the courtyard will be private, which is a good thing. If DC is to make real improvements, it must attract tax-paying renters and buyers with appealing, Metro accessible residential development and this project is exactly that.
GforGood

Just saw these cool videos on their site:

http://allegrospaces.com/videos.asp

Dope sky, no doubt, yeah?

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