Monday, May 07, 2018

Near delivery, West Lane Apartments changes name to The Brody (Photos)

The Hills fans may have found the perfect address in downtown Bethesda. SJG Properties' West Lane Apartments project is on the verge of delivery at 4901 Montgomery Lane, but at the last moment, the building's name has been changed to...The Brody.

A new website has been created with the name change, and offers some new details, such as the use of Porcelanosa tile (a rare find in recent buildings) and L'Arte Design Italian cabinets. The 112-unit building has a 2-level underground parking garage, a gym, a terrace bar, and a rooftop deck. That curved facade over the lobby entrance remains the feature that sets this building apart from others delivered since the Great Recession.

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10 comments:

Anonymous said...

The Brody has had an active website with floor plans and lease rates, renderings and photos of the model unit for at least the last six months. The name has not changed in that time. So much for timely information for residents of Bethesda who might wish to lease there.

It does appear to be a very nice building, designed by SK+I, a firm that has created several iconic projects in Bethesda including the Flats of Bethesda Avenue, The Darcy, and the ZOM Bethesda, recently approved by the planning department on Arlington, across from the Bethesda Elementary School ball field. They are also designing the new tower located on the La’Madeleine site.

Congratulations to SK+I on a great addition to the city.

Anonymous said...

And SK&I also designed the Neo classic Edgemoor next door

Anonymous said...

The new pocket plaza at the corner will be a great place to stop and relax on one of the coolest tree lined residential streets in downtown. The trees create some nice dappled shade for pedestrians walking east to the library and to the Central Farm Market on Sunday’s. Lots of nice shaded benches on the south side of the street makes this a very pleasant area, and reminds me of dense residential areas of Boston.

I wonder if the two remaining houses on West Lane will ever be redeveloped with more dense multi family housing. They seem a bit lost among the larger and more dense residential buildings. A bit like Mr. Gunderson’s house in the Pixar movie Up!. Maybe Some one can create a two sets of grouped townhouses to complete the block. I believe that one has commercial uses, but the other still looks like a single family residential house.

Anonymous said...

Amazing that the same firm can be responsible for both the Edgemoor and the Brody. So different, but the variety on the street is actually quite nice. I think the ZOM Bethesda will have some nice warm brick tones to create a very residential feel just one block north. Note to those considering leasing a north facing unit in the Brody, invest in a nice comfortable set of Bose Quiet Comfort Noise Canceling Headphones...just sayin’.

Anonymous said...

I see that SK+I also did the Bainbridge and the Cheval. It’s nice to have these projects designed by a local Bethesdian design firm. Their offices are on East West Highway. I think they really understand the market and how to make great urban infill projects that enhance the desnsity, but also improve the streetscape and walkability. Not sure big design firms like SOM (doing the Marriott HQ and Hotel), Gensler (Metro Center 4) and Picard Chilton (Avocet Tower) really understand us as well as SK+I.

Anonymous said...

I did like this quiet little street. Will it still be an oasis in the downtown once all of the apartments are done?

Anonymous said...

Sorry, I reversed that. SOM is doing the Metro Center 4 and Gensler is doing the Marriott HQ and Hotel. Both are very large firms with offices all over the country and world. Some great stuff by both firms, but often a bit corporate feeling and often non site-specific.

Another big player in town is Shalom Barnes out of DC. They are doing the adjacent 4747 Bethesda office tower and the 7272 Wisconsin office and residential buildings, 15, 22 and 30 stories respectively. Shalom Barnes designed the residential buildings at the very sleek and elegant City Center project downtown. A great assembly of buildings around a somewhat sterile interior pedestrian via. Cool fountains and electronic artwork help to make it more kinetic. From the renderings I have seen, I think 4747 and 7272 will have a similar feel, with floors grouped into two story modules to create a more vertical feel, and reduce the scale a bit.

The other bid name architect involved in Bethesda is Morris Adjmi out of NY. The did the (still vacant) 4749 Bethesda building adjacent to 4747 Bethesda, formerly proposed as a new Dean & Deluca. Morris Adjmi is an artful fesign firm that creates some edgy stuff, most famously the iconic Atlantic Plumbing residential tower in DC with huge exposed Core10 rusty steel x bracing.. Their inspiration for 4749 Bethesda was to create the illusion of a European train shed, with exposed steel structural arches. Quite appropriate near the terminus of the Purple Light Rail Linein Bethesda.

Robert Dyer said...

5:50: Not true - my last update on this building was just a few weeks ago, and on the same website of the developer where the new site is, it was still called the West Lane Apartments. There also was no banner advertising The Brody, either.

This is breaking news, and I am the first to report it.

7:27: Shalom Baranes did a great job on 4500 East-West Highway, and on the plans for 7272 Wisconsin. I think 4749 Bethesda was a great design that will get more recognition once it is up and running with a tenant. The unfinished, vacant appearance, along with those godawful circular artworks slapped temporarily on the lower-level punchouts, cause it to fade into all the construction around it at the moment. Ultimately, it's going to be a very nice addition to the streetscape there.

4 Bethesda Metro Center is going to be a huge opportunity for the architect and the community - we need to make sure they get it right. Many of the post-recession buildings have been uninspired, architecturally.

The curved facade of The Brody, the arched entrance and details on the Stonehall, and the angled facade effect on the Cheval really make those designs stand out.

Anonymous said...

Posting Brody's pic along with yours just reminds everyone what a loser you are.

Anonymous said...

Robert is correct. The pricing was only just posted on the website a few weeks ago. The name change occurred within the last two months but has only been released recently.