PROGRAM SUMMARY

March Program Summary:
Historic Preservation: How it Affects the Deal
The costs, benefits, challenges, and rewards of working with historic buildings and buildings located in historic districts in Washington, DC.

Guest Speakers
Anne H. Adams
Architectural Historian
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

Caroline Alderson
General Services Administration
Center for Historic Buildings

Thomas Luebke
Secretary
U.S. Commission of Fine Arts

Moderator
Barbara A. Campagna, FAIA, LEED AP
Graham Gund Architect of the National Trust
National Trust for Historic Preservation

Historic preservation regulations influence the majority of properties in Washington, DC. That means that most property owners and developers will, at some point, come face to face with these rules – whether their building is designated as historic or simply located in a historic district. Moderated by Barbara Campagna of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the distinguished panel represented a number of the voices in DC’s complicated preservation dialogue – private property owners, public oversight bodies, and the Federal government.

Anne Adams, architectural historian for the law firm Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, described her job as "managing risk" for her clients. Private developers and real estate owners look to her to steer their projects through the daunting process of historic approvals. For example, Anne successfully shepherded a large addition to the Hilton Washington Hotel through the City and historic reviews on behalf of her client, the hotel’s owner. By initiating the process to get the hotel registered as a historic property, Anne was better able to control the review – instead of waiting for an adversarial neighborhood organization to hold up construction by stepping in to submit a request to halt the reviews until the historic status of the property was established.

On another side of the preservation dialogue was Tom Luebke, Secretary of the Commission of Fine Arts. A former practicing architect, Tom works to uphold the Commission’s mission "to safeguard and improve the appearance and symbolic significance of Washington, DC for the benefit of citizens of the United States and foreign visitors" (www.cfa.gov). The Commission reviews all public sector projects as well as certain private sector projects in Washington, DC. The Old Georgetown Act, for instance, assigns the neighborhood of Georgetown historic status and empowers the Commission to evaluate all properties in the area to ensure the maintenance of its historic character. Tom noted that the Commission reviews over 400 projects each in year in Georgetown alone.

Caroline Alderson of the GSA’s Center for Historic Buildings described the Federal government’s initiatives to sensitively refurbish or thoughtfully dispose of historic properties. The government owns hundreds of old properties – from post offices to airplane hangars to office buildings. If a property can’t be effectively updated for use by the government, GSA looks to sell or lease it to a private group. Of course, GSA looks to get the most money possible when selling a property. That means working with the purchasers to strategize how to best use the building as well as ensure that it will get through the requisite historic approvals process. Caroline outlined a series of tactics to successfully complete a historic project:

1. Be flexible and open to modifications – Historic review is an iterative process with a lot of participants. The more open to suggestions you appear to be, the more responsive a review board or neighborhood advocacy group might be towards your proposal.
2. Create a series of alternative scenarios before submitting for public or committee review – By coming prepared with alternatives, you are better able to manage the process. You’re less likely to be pushed in a direction you don’t want to go, since you’re the one coming up with the alternatives. You also demonstrate your desire to make the project work.
3. Zone your property – You can indicate which areas of the building have the most historical significance. This allows you to strategize where you can make the most modifications without facing objection from a review board.
4. Marketing – You want the surrounding community to buy into the idea of your proposed project. This means tactically targeting potential building users and neighborhood groups through marketing campaigns. The more a neighborhood wants a project to succeed, the more difficult it will be for an oversight board to reject it.

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CREW DC New Member Breakfast

CREW held its Annual New Member Breakfast on March 11, 2009 at Arent Fox's offices on Connecticut Avenue. Eileen Circo, Senior Vice President of Development for Lowe Enterprises was the special guest speaker. NRAI was the event sponsor and Arent Fox LLP was the event host.

Eileen spoke about her many years of experience in CREW and shared some of the initiatives that CREW Network is spear-heading this year. She stressed the importance and privilege of utilizing the resources we have in our fellow CREW members to seek opportunities.

Several Committee and Board members were in attendance. They all introduced themselves and asked new members to join a committee.

10+/20+ Dinner

The CREW DC Networking/Member Services Committee hosted the 10+/20+ Dinner on February 10, 2009 to honor CREW members of Washington, DC, Virginia and Maryland who have been active in CREW for ten or more years or involved in the real estate profession for twenty or more years. The event was held at the elegant Il Mulino restaurant where the evening commenced with a cocktail reception followed by a three-course dinner in the intimate private dining room. We had a wonderful gathering of 53 members who came out to meet new friends and reminisce with old ones while enjoying fine Italian cuisine and wine. The Il Mulino staff provided impeccable service and hospitality. They made every effort to cater to the group’s needs and as a highlight, the restaurant offered a free lunch for four to a lucky CREW member.

2008 CREW DC Awards Celebration
“Women of Impact – Light up the Night!”
October 29, 2008

Impact Award Recipient:
Janet Davis
Brandywine Realty Trust

Annual Achievement Award Recipient:  
Eileen Circo
Lowe Enterprises Real Estate Group, Inc.

Esprit de Corps Award Recipient:
Jenny Shtipelman
EagleBank

Rising Star Award Recipient: 
Mandi Wedin
ASB Real Estate Investments

Master of Ceremonies:
Lois Zambo
Studley

The CREW DC Awards Celebration held true to its promise of “lighting up the night”. The event was hosted in the lobby of ING Clarion's spectacular Homer Building and was attended by over 300 people. The Special Events Committee did an excellent job creating an atmosphere which was fun, intimate and enjoyable. Some of the special features of the event included a DJ from New York , a sparkling disco ball hung over top the bar, and comfortable but highly chic lounge furniture brought in specifically for this event. Attendees enjoyed having their drinks poured by the special guest bartenders. Bartenders included Marc Deluca, ING Clarion; Doug Olson, Monument Realty; Brad Flickinger, CBRE; Brendan Owen, Vornado/Charles E. Smith; and Neil Albert, Deputy Mayor.

President Helen Haerle and president-elect Jean Labelle kicked-off the awards celebration recognizing each of the award winners and thanking them for their commitment and dedication to CREW. Studley's Lois Zambo was Master of Ceremonies and had the pleasure of introducing the award recipients. Each spoke about how much CREW DC has given back to them both professionally and personally. Janet Davis was awarded the prestigious Impact Award and delivered a very emotional speech. She thanked everyone who helped her achieve all she has in her career including, other CREW members who have become dear friends over the years and her teammates at Brandywine Realty Trust. It was a special night for CREW DC to honor and thank all the award winners who have given so much to CREW and have helped shape CREW DC to be the successful organization it is today.

View 2008 CREW DC Annual Awards event photos

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