A Report From the West End 25 Opening

• May 6th 2010

by Will Smith

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West End 25, a new luxury apartment project in the West End, officially opened recently with a rooftop party complete with DJs, open bar, and the requisite beautiful people. The views weren’t too shabby either, as the roof boasts panoramic shots of the city as well as a great vista of nearby Rosslyn and its lit-up high-rises.

UrbanTurf was at the opening, along with what seemed like about 200 others, many of whom had a well-to-do hipness emblematic of the tony neighborhood (map). Most also seemed impressed with the units. Naturally, the penthouse got the most oohs-and-aahs, and more than once we overheard a conversation about how great it would be to host a party on the expansive wraparound terrace.

From the outside, West End 25 has a sleek, silvery look with lots of glass. All that glass means that many units enjoy floor-to-ceiling windows. The building faces the southern sliver of Rock Creek Park that units on the west side of the building look out onto.

Speaking of things that are green, West End 25 has embraced a philosophy of sustainability from start to finish. The building employs many green elements, including a green roof, green cleaning products, low-emitting VOC materials, and Energy Star appliances and water-efficient fixtures in the units. (West End 25 just applied for LEED Gold certification, one of the highest LEED ratings and a rare distinction among apartment communities in the DC area.) Even last night’s party favors had a green theme; we were surprised to find a live mint bulb in the gift bag given to all attendees.

The project itself was actually converted from two adjacent office buildings. A five-floor bridge was built at the back end of the buildings, giving the new structure a horseshoe shape. The architect was acclaimed local Shalom Baranes and the designer, ForrestPerkins.

Rents at West End 25 aren’t cheap – not exactly surprising given that it is a new luxury apartment in a luxurious part of town. Studios start at $2,260, though leasing reps told us that there are current promotions for select units that include a month or two of free rent. The full price sheet is below.

The building is already 58 percent leased and 52 percent occupied. The aforementioned penthouses were just released this week, so for those of you with $5,000 per month to spend on rent, you can learn more at westend25apts.com. Here are a few more photos.

This article originally published at http://dc.urbanturf.production.logicbrush.com/articles/blog/a_report_from_the_west_end_25_opening/2044.