September’s sweltering start makes me appreciate our New England summer all the more. And part of my fond memories was a private tour—followed the next week with a rooftop reception—at the City Market at O.
My interest was piqued when I wrote this story in DC Magazine about Roadside Development‘s conversion of the crumbling 1881 market into the five-building campus it is now. A gleaming new Giant food store (I’m really not exaggerating — it has a bar, and you can eat in there!) occupies the old market, using its original bricks. But on the other side, especially at night, it looks utterly modern:
Richard Lake, one of Roadside’s partners, gave me a tour of the property. It includes the Cambria Suites Hotel, The Hodge on 7th for people 55 and over, and 645 apartments, ranging from studios at $1,900 per month to a three-bedroom for $7,000 per month.
Lake tells me that he was purposeful in developing high-end rental apartments as opposed to condos, because all the amenities here “would cost a fortune for any condo association to maintain.”
So yeah — amenities.
…Like the rooftop pool and clubhouse, with huge grills outside and a chef’s kitchen inside. This is where they held a lovely reception to celebrate Vastu, the modern furnishings and design shop on 14th Street that provided all the interior furnishings throughout the complex.
… Like the complex’s multiple outside seating/lounging areas:
… Like gatherings areas outside one’s apartment:
… Like top-of-the-line gyms:
… Like the neighborhood.
City Market is smack in the middle of Shaw, so you don’t really need your car to go anywhere fun. Jim and I sauntered around the block after the Vastu reception to eat at Table, one of our new favorite restaurants:
If you rent an apartment there, you can tour one of its models, which the designers at Vastu furnished:
And if you want to go downstairs to do your grocery shopping, the portion of 8th street that runs through the City Market complex is almost like a private driveway:
Lake told me that a high-end real estate agent who recently rented a big corner unit there said to him: “I hate you! I’m supposed to be buying, not renting!” Nice testimonial for this place, for sure.