Sophia Bethesda installs outdoor seating, Paris Baguette "coming soon" in ground level

Paris Baguette Bakery Cafe has posted "coming soon" signage at its future home in the ground floor of the Sophia Bethesda apartment tower at 4924 St. Elmo Avenue in downtown Bethesda. Ahead of the French bakery and cafe's arrival, seating has been installed on the remodeled paseo that the new development shares with the apartment tower next door, the Ellis Bethesda. Sophia's penthouse units recently opened for tours, and the earliest residents in the building have given the property overwhelmingly-positive reviews on Google.

“We’re excited to welcome residents to Sophia and invite the larger community to celebrate these lovely new apartments and penthouses,” John Segreti, Principal and Executive Vice President at developer Duball, LLC said in a statement. “We put a lot of attention to detail and designed this community to be inviting, not only to residents, but to everyone in Bethesda. We’ve achieved that with a gorgeous community that is unparalleled in this area, which has been reflected in the fact that many of our largest floorplans have already been leased.”

Paris Baguette "coming soon"

In-unit features at Sophia include quartz countertops, tile backsplashes, stainless steel appliances and kitchen islands, spacious closets, and in-unit washers and dryers. Bathrooms offer tiled bathtubs and showers and marble vanities. The penthouses additionally provide 10-foot ceilings, top-of-the-line- appliances, built-in wine fridges, marble countertops, upgraded washers and dryers, ample natural light, and indoor/outdoor living with multiple balconies, patios and terraces. 

Construction starting inside Paris Baguette

On the rooftop deck 23 stories above Bethesda, residents find a skyline pool and spa with water feature. Heading inside on the roof, an interior sky lounge contains a bar, fireplace, and a billiards and game area. The building's fitness center has a strength training room and a yoga studio with space for HIIT. Additional building amenities include meeting and co-working spaces, a demonstration kitchen, an Uber lounge, a solarium and a pet grooming spa. For virtual tours, or to schedule a real-life tour, see the Sophia Bethesda website.

Public art installation in place at Sophia Bethesda apartments (Photos)

A public art sculpture was installed yesterday at the new Sophia Bethesda apartment tower at 4924 St. Elmo Avenue in downtown Bethesda. The installation is located on the pedestrian paseo that the building shares with next door neighbor Bainbridge Bethesda. Occupancy of the building is now up to the 13th floor. Sidewalks have reopened to pedestrians; the paseo is still fenced off for the moment, as work continues there.

You can see many of the art deco design elements in the photos below, as the finishing touches are put on the tower. New residents can get up to two months free rent this weekend, if they qualify for the open house special from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM today, Saturday, October 26, and 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM tomorrow, October 27. See the development's website for full details, pricing, and floorplans.

The fitness center is visible on the
second floor

Sophia apartment tower begins pre-leasing in Bethesda

The Sophia apartment tower at 4924 St. Elmo Avenue in downtown Bethesda has begun pre-leasing, developer Duball, LLC announced yesterday. This is Duball's fourth development in the Woodmont Triangle neighborhood, and is expected to welcome its first residents in early fall 2024. “We’re extremely excited about bringing Sophia to Bethesda,” John Segreti, Principal and Executive Vice President at Duball, said in a statement Wednesday. “We have taken some of the best practices learned from three condos in Bethesda—Cheval, Lionsgate and Stonehall—completed by our development affiliates and applied them to Sophia. We’ve created an eye-catching building with classic architecture that is gracious and inviting, right in the heart of Bethesda.”

Sophia's art deco design has become visible to all, as the building rounded into final shape in the first half of 2024. Yesterday's announcement included some new details on amenities not seen from street level. The 23rd floor rooftop includes a skyline pool, a spa with a water feature, outdoor grills, and a sky lounge with a fireplace, billiards, a gaming area, and a bar. Inside the fitness center, residents will find a strength training room, and a yoga studio with space for high-intensity interval training (HIIT). 

Those fortunate to live in the penthouses will enjoy larger floorplans, 10' ceilings, built-in wine fridges, superior appliances, and an indoor-outdoor lifestyle with balconies, patios, and terraces. All residents will enjoy the Paris Baguette cafe in the building's ground floor. For more information or to schedule a tour, visit sophiabethesda.com or call 240-483-0500. You can see in the animation on the website's home page that Sophia is notably taller than next-door neighbor Bainbridge Bethesda, with whom Sophia will share a pedestrian paseo that stretches from St. Elmo to Fairmont Avenue.

Bethesda construction update - Sophia Bethesda apartments (Photos)

Here's a look at the Sophia Bethesda apartment tower construction progress at 4924 St. Elmo Avenue in downtown Bethesda. It looks like the project is on-track to meet the anticipated Fall 2024 delivery target. There were many twists and turns in the planning and approval process until Duball, LLC came in as lead developer on this project, which began life under property owner Lenkin Companies. Then there was an unexpected delay to settle concerns about the excavation by an adjacent property owner. But once construction began, it seemed to proceed like clockwork, and possibly even a little faster than expected.

Don't forget that the project has already brought Paris Baguette Bakery Cafe aboard. The French cafe will be located in a 3000-square-foot corner space fronting onto Fairmont Avenue and the pedestrian paseo, which lies between the Sophia and the Bainbridge Bethesda apartment tower. That paseo will also be getting an updated design, along with the cafe, and will hopefully become the public gathering space that was envisioned by Bainbridge a decade ago. 930-square-feet of retail space fronting the paseo remains available for lease on the ground level.

Paris Baguette Bakery Cafe to open at Sophia Bethesda apartment tower

The new Sophia Bethesda mixed-use development at 4924 St. Elmo Avenue has signed the first tenant for its ground floor retail space. Paris Baguette Bakery Cafe will be located in a 3000-square-foot corner space fronting onto Fairmont Avenue and the pedestrian paseo between the Sophia and the Bainbridge Bethesda apartment tower. Sophia development partner Duball, LLC believes the cafe will help to activate the paseo, which has previously struggled to realize its potential. The paseo has now been widened, and will have an improved design once construction is completed. Two retail spaces, measuring 930 SF and 950 SF, remain available for lease.