US Soldiers’ and
Airmens’ Home
North Capitol Street, NW
Washington, DC
Karchem's Role: Advisor
For: USSAH
Schedule: 1997 to 1998
Size: Main campus is 350 acres with 1.5 million SF of buildings including a 6-acre Historic District with 4 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places and 3 additional buildings that are considered contributing structures capable of obtaining historic designation.
The 49-acre site across North Capitol Street is a vacant parcel evaluated for its development potential.
The mission of the USSAH is to meet the needs of retired veterans who need a residence and medical care. USSAH’s goal with this study was to determine whether it could sell or redevelop its real estate for a profit, which could then be used to fund its mission.
The main campus enjoys a park-like setting and includes dormitories, a medical clinic, hospital, recreational facilities and administrative offices. USSAH also owns a vacant 49-acre parcel to the east of North Capitol Street. LCOR and Karchem Properties teamed to form a public-private partnership with the USSAH to assess redevelopment options on the main campus and to prepare a development program for the 49-acre site.
Karchem Properties advised the USSAH and LCOR Incorporated in evaluating the redevelopment options of seven historic properties at the USSAH and preparing a long-term plan for the entire campus. Development in the 6-acre Historic District began during the Civil War era. Its most notable structure is the Anderson Cottage, which served as Lincoln’s summer White House and is listed on the National Register of Historic Properties.
We advised LCOR on selecting the project team of architects, architectural historian, engineers and contractors and assisted LCOR in determining and directing the Team’s scope of services. Karchem Properties worked closely with the National Capital Planning Commission, Beyer Blinder Belle, the architect, Robinson & Associates, the architectural historian, and Thorne Consultants, the market analyst. This team evaluated the physical and financial feasibility of redeveloping the historic properties. Adaptive re-uses of the buildings that were considered included offices, residences, hotels and museums.
Karchem Properties and other members of the project team assessed the existing facilities on the main campus, which totals 65 buildings with 1.5 million square feet, including the Historic District. First, we worked with USSAH to understand its current needs to serve its residents and to project future needs as the Vietnam War era veterans begin to retire. In this context, we evaluated operating expenses, capital expenditures, building and site plans and previous development studies. Our next step was to prioritize the buildings according to potential for increasing revenue or reducing expenditures and to prepare a business plan and an asset management plan.
We studied two major options for the 49-acre parcel: 1) an expansion to the main campus and 2) a separate, privately developed project. Uses for the first option included homes for USSAH staff, military housing, and conference center for the military and government agencies. For the second option, we studied residential, office, hotel and conference center and retail uses. Developing the site to meet the demands of adjacent users, such as Howard University, Children’s Hospital, Washington Hospital Center and the Catholic University, were considered carefully.
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