Donohoe to Start Work on Gallery of Bethesda

By Adrian Maties, Asscoiate Editor

Donohoe Construction Co. and Donohoe Development will start construction this month on the first phase of the Woodmont Central plan. Known as the “Gallery of Bethesda,” the residential and retail project will replace older commercial offices and surface parking lots.

The 254,400-square-foot building will be located at 4800 Auburn Ave. in Bethesda. It will feature 234 apartments and 4,660 square feet of ground-floor retail, and stand 17 stories high. A three-level below-grade garage will provide 196 parking spaces.

The Gallery of Bethesda is just the first phase of the larger 585,000-square-foot Woodmont Central Development project, which also includes two apartment towers and an office building constructed on two sites two blocks apart. The residential part of the project will include a 17-story building at 4800 Auburn Ave. and a 16-story building at 4850 Rugby Ave. It will total 494,000 square feet. The office portion of the project will bring a six-story, 91,600-square-foot office building to 8280 Wisconsin.

The 16-story building will feature 221 apartments and 15,000 square feet of ground-floor retail. A quarter-acre plaza featuring steel and LED mesh sculptures designed by artist Jason Krugman of Brooklyn will separate the two apartment towers. The Gallery of Bethesda is designed to meet LEED-certification requirements, and both buildings will feature green roofs and rooftop amenities such as sun decks, sky lounges, game rooms, gardens and swimming pools.

Washington, D.C.-based WDG Architecture P.L.L.C. is the project’s architect. Alexandria-based Parker Rodriguez Inc. is the landscape architect, and Loiederman Soltesz Associates Inc. the civil engineer. Hartman Design Group is managing interiors.

The Donohoe Cos. was founded in 1884. It is the oldest full-service real estate organization in the Washington, D.C., region, as well as one of the largest. The project will begin with the demolition of buildings at the site. Actual construction is expected to start in April. The Gallery of Bethesda is expected to be completed in 2014.

Image courtesy of www.donohoe.com.