Three years to the month after ̽»¨Â¥ began research into purchasing D.C.-area real estate, the association has closed on the purchase of two floors at 1108 16th St. NW.
After receiving the Certificate of Occupancy, ̽»¨Â¥ staff who are working on the purchase did a final walk-through of the property in late April. They created a punch-list of items to complete before close. Those items were finalized and the sale closed on Friday, May 11th.
̽»¨Â¥’s general contractor, , has begun the build-out of the two floors to match the
architectural specs established last winter. That process will take eleven weeks, meaning the ̽»¨Â¥ national office will officially relocate at the end of July.
"The process thus far has been fascinating, with many moving parts and parties, including real estate agents, attorneys, architects, appraisers, engineers, and the Government of the District of Columbia - to name but a few!" said Project Director Martha Henebry, ̽»¨Â¥ Director of Operations, Membership, and Publications. "We are keen to move to the next phase, which is the build-out. This is when we will see our interior architectural plans come to fruition before completing the move-in and finally welcoming our ̽»¨Â¥ members to our new headquarters."
"If you are in DC and would like to tour the new office, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at membership@aacrao.org," Henebry said. "We will be happy to show you around!"
̽»¨Â¥ Gives: Donation to CHEC
In preparation for the move, ̽»¨Â¥ found itself with outdated office resources that will not work in the new space, presenting a great opportunity to find a District of Columbia Public School (DCPS) that could benefit from said equipment.
The chosen school, Columbia Heights Educational Campus(CHEC), is a unique globally-themed bilingual campus serving grades 6 through 12. With students from over 50 countries, the campus promotes diversity and a global perspective throughout its curriculum.
This campus also houses an 850 seating-capacity auditorium and theatre available for use by other schools without a theatre and open for renting to the DC community at large. Pankaj Rayamajhi, Director of School Operations at CHEC, submitted
this letter of appreciation as ̽»¨Â¥’s donation of office furniture and AV equipment are of great benefit to the facility.
This donation was the first of many
̽»¨Â¥Gives initiatives.
"If you are in DC and would like to tour the new office, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at
membership@aacrao.org," Henebry said. "We will be happy to show you around!"