Washington DC: The Demolition#
Old Convention Center: Opened 1982, closed 2003, demolished December 18, 2004. 800,000 sq ft. Replacement: CityCenterDC. Opened 2015. 2.5 million sq ft mixed-use. Foster + Partners.
The most radical version of the experiment: demolish a convention center in the urban core and replace it with mixed-use development.
The Old Convention Center (1982–2003)#
Opened December 10, 1982 at 909 H Street NW. 10.2-acre superblock bounded by New York Avenue, 11th, H, and 9th Streets. Fourth-largest convention center in the US at opening.
The dead zone: By 1995, downtown DC’s 120 commercial blocks contained 70 surface parking lots and 50 vacant or boarded-up buildings. The prestigious Garfinckel’s and Woodward & Lothrop department stores both closed. The convention center imposed a superblock three times the size of a typical DC block, erasing the historic alley network.
Competitive decline: During the 1980s–90s, the center dropped from 4th to 30th largest nationally. By 1998, it could accommodate only 54% of national shows.
The Demolition#
December 18, 2004, 7:30 AM: controlled implosion. First implosion in the city since the Capital Garage in 1974. The 10.2-acre site became a municipal surface parking lot for nearly seven years — hosting Cirque du Soleil, Megabus/BoltBus terminals, and the Washington Kastles tennis stadium.
Development was delayed by legal challenges (The Related Companies sued twice after being eliminated from the RFP; settled for $4 million) and the 2008 financial crisis.
CityCenterDC#
Developer: Hines + Qatari Diar ($620 million equity investment). Architect: Foster + Partners (Norman Foster, Pritzker Prize winner). Landscape: Gustafson Guthrie Nichol (a Seattle firm).
| Component | Details |
|---|---|
| Total size | 2.5 million sq ft, 10.2 acres |
| Total cost | $950 million |
| Office | 465,000–515,000 sq ft (anchor: Covington & Burling) |
| Condominiums | 216 units ($500K–$5M) |
| Apartments | 458 units (including 92 affordable) |
| Retail | 185,000–280,000 sq ft (30% minimum non-chain) |
| Hotel | Conrad Washington DC, 360 rooms |
| Park | 29,000 sq ft with marble fountain |
The key design move: restored 10th Street NW and I Street NW through the superblock, breaking it into human-scale blocks. Created Palmer Alley, a three-block pedestrian-only street — “most Instagrammable spot in Washington, D.C.” (Washingtonian). LEED Gold for Neighborhood Development.
The Numbers#
- $28.5 million/year in rent to the city + 25% of profits above thresholds
- $15–30 million/year in property, income, and sales taxes
- Retail averaging $1,529/sq ft — more than 3x the national average. Luxury brands averaging $4,700/sq ft.
- 3,700–5,200 permanent jobs (vs. sporadic convention staffing)
- 674 housing units where zero existed before
- $1.3 million/year spent on free public programming
The New Convention Center#
The Walter E. Washington Convention Center opened March 2003 at Mt. Vernon Square, one block northeast of the old site. 2.3 million sq ft, 703,000 sq ft exhibit hall. Cost: $850 million. First year: nearly 1 million visitors, $426.5 million in delegate spending. Cumulative: over $6 billion in direct spending since 2003.
The convention center did better at its new location. The old site did better as mixed-use.
Outcomes#
A 10-acre superblock that generated parking-lot revenue became a development producing $28.5M/year in rent plus $15–30M/year in taxes, with 674 homes, 3,700–5,200 permanent jobs, and retail at $1,529/sq ft. The convention center, relocated one block northeast, generated $426.5 million in delegate spending in its first year and over $6 billion cumulative since 2003.
Both the old site and the convention function performed better after the separation.
See also: Seattle Arch (repurpose, not demolish) | Boston Hynes (neighborhood said keep it)