(WASHINGTON, DC) – Mayor Vincent C. Gray, other government officials and members of the design-and-construction team today celebrated the groundbreaking for the new St. Elizabeths East Gateway Pavilion—an innovative, flexible and aesthetically unique structure designed to serve a wide range of interim uses to the neighborhood as the historic St. Elizabeths East Campus enters the initial stages of redevelopment and workers begin arriving at new federal facilities on the St. Elizabeths West Campus.
“Today is a day I have long anticipated, along with many other District government officials, business leaders and everyday residents,” said Mayor Gray. “This groundbreaking ceremony marks the start of implementation of a vision we’ve shared for St. Elizabeths East, Ward 8 and the entire East End of our city, and I’m thrilled that we are on track to have this facility completed by the fall.”
Mayor Gray thanked Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) Victor L. Hoskins and members of the St. Elizabeths development team in the DMPED office as well as Department of General Services (DGS) Director Brian Hanlon and the project’s design-and-construction team for their work to see the project completed in time to serve employees who will soon staff the new Coast Guard headquarters on the West Campus.
Mayor Gray, Hoskins, Hanlon and principals from the design-and-construction team of KADCON, Davis Brody Bond, and Robert Silman Associates were joined at the construction kickoff by Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, Ward 8 Councilmember Marion Barry, St. Elizabeths East Executive Director Catherine Buell and a host of neighbors and leaders from the Ward 8 community.
When completed, the Gateway Pavilion will offer a venue for casual dining, fresh food markets, pop-up retailers, tech meeting space, educational programming and other weekend and after-hours community, cultural and arts events. The Pavilion also will provide an adjacent staging area for a range of vendors, including small and local businesses. Built features of the pavilion will include a 16,300-square-foot open-air market, a 3,300-square-foot enclosed area and a pedestrian walkway to the St. Elizabeths West Campus.
Amenities in the enclosed area of the pavilion will include a multipurpose room, café area, restroom and 2,400 square feet of support space (such as a sink area for food-truck vendors). The facility also will feature a rooftop amphitheater area and three kiosk areas to complement its uniquely flexible vendor spaces. Additionally, through the Office of the Chief Technology Officer, D.C. Net will be available at the pavilion, creating a Wi-Fi hotspot for visitors.
Through the pavilion facility and the activities it generates, District leaders aim to set the stage for a once-in-a-generation development that will cultivate globally significant economic opportunities in the East End and beyond.
“I thank my staff for their creative ingenuity in working to realize an interim use plan for St. Elizabeths East that is on par with the significance of the campus,” said Deputy Mayor Hoskins. “This structure and its build-outs will provide the amenities the community needs and, frankly, deserves. We have high hopes for the Gateway Pavilion and look forward to celebrating its opening with everyone soon.”
For more information on the St. Elizabeths East Campus, please visit www.stelizabethseast.com.