Oculus Opens The Colonel Apartments in DC for Leasing
Oculus Realty has started leasing at The Colonel, a new 70-unit apartment development with historic components in Washington, D.C.’s Shaw neighborhood. The five-story structure at the corner of 9th and N Sts. also includes 8,500 square feet of first-story retail space.
By Dees Stribling, Contributing Editor
Washington, D.C.—Oculus Realty has started leasing at The Colonel, a new 70-unit apartment development with historic components in Washington, D.C.’s Shaw neighborhood. The five-story structure at the corner of 9th and N Sts. also includes 8,500 square feet of first-story retail space.
The Colonel’s apartments include 46 one-bedroom units, nine two-bedroom units and 15 studios. There’s one townhouse, several lofts and a number of apartments with balconies or terraces. All residences feature 9-foot ceilings, custom cabinetry and ensuite laundry equipment.
Common amenities include courtyard with outdoor fireplace, rooftop deck with fire pit, catering kitchen, home theater, garage parking and controlled access bike room. The Colonel is pet-friendly and accepts large breeds (up to 80 pounds).
Three locally based urban developers teamed to develop The Colonel beginning almost four years ago. Douglas Development owned the corner lot at 901 N. Street NW, which included a vacant building originally built in 1923. This historic low-rise building housed an automotive repair and supply shop through the 1970s and later hosted apartment dwellers, an urban nursery and even an underground party venue with indoor skateboarding called “Fight Club.”
In late 2011, CAS Riegler and CityInterests acquired the adjacent L-shaped lot at 1250 9th St., and then partnered with Douglas Development to combine the two contiguous parcels and plan a mixed-use development. The Colonel incorporates the historic building with new construction, balancing historic and modern design elements. D.C.-based PGN Architects was the project architect.
The property is named in honor of Col. Robert Gould Shaw (1837-1863), who commanded the 54th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, the first formal unit of the Union Army during the Civil War to be made up entirely of African-American men. The surrounding neighborhood, which also includes the U Street commercial district and the 9th Street corridor, likewise honors Col. Shaw.
