Multiple Bethesda buildings reduced to rubble

Multiple structures have now been demolished near the southeast corner of Old Georgetown Road at St. Elmo Avenue in downtown Bethesda, including the former Jewelry Exchange and Bethesda Florist buildings. The resulting rubble is being cleared away. Still to fall is the office building right on the corner, where Old Georgetown Grille closed recently. Old Georgetown Grille has posted a sign endorsing the nearby Lillit Cafe to its customers.

Jewelry Exchange building demolished in Bethesda

The Jewelry Exchange is gone! A demolition crew has razed the building at 7747 Old Georgetown Road. This is the first of several structures to fall, as the corner with St. Elmo Avenue is prepared for construction of a new apartment tower. No word yet if any of the workers were lucky enough to find one of those "thousands of GIA diamonds" in the rubble...

Demolition begins for new apartment tower in Bethesda

Demolition of multiple buildings has begun at the future site of an apartment tower at the southeast corner of Old Georgetown Road and St. Elmo Avenue in downtown Bethesda. Buildings along both streets will ultimately be torn down, most of which are now vacant. Work has started on the former Jewelry Exchange building on Old Georgetown. The office building on the corner will likely be the last to go, as some tenants are still occupying it.

Demolition imminent at site of future apartment tower in Bethesda

Preparations are being made for the first demolition of structures at the site of a new apartment tower at the southeast corner of Old Georgetown Road and St. Elmo Avenue in downtown Bethesda. Demolition fencing has been erected around vacant storefronts at 4938 and 4940 St. Elmo. Other properties on the assembled site that will also be demolished include the office building with Old Georgetown Grille and Colonial Opticians on the ground floor, and the former Bethesda Florist and Jewelry Exchange buildings. The apartment tower to be constructed by developer Stonebridge will be 175' tall, with 240 residential units, and 6000-square feet of retail and restaurant space on the ground floor.

Demolition permits requested for properties on St. Elmo Ave. in Bethesda

The other shoes are starting to drop in the pending demolition of multiple buildings at the corner of Old Georgetown Road and St. Elmo Avenue in downtown Bethesda. Over the weekend, a demolition permit request notice for the former Jewelry Exchange building was posted on the premises. Last night, identical demolition permit notices were posted outside of 4938 and 4940 St. Elmo. Head2Toe Health & Aesthetics had already vacated their space last December, moving to 7505 Democracy Boulevard. Bethesda Boxing & Kickboxing is currently in the process of moving across the street to 4927-A St. Elmo Avenue. Other structures due to be razed for a planned apartment tower on that corner include the buildings that previously housed Bethesda Florist and that currently house Old Georgetown Grille and Colonial Opticians.

Demolition permit requested for Jewelry Exchange in Bethesda

A demolition permit has been requested from Montgomery County for the former Jewelry Exchange building at 7747 Old Georgetown Road in downtown Bethesda. The building is one of several adjacent properties that will be demolished in the near future to make way for - what else! - a new apartment tower. After twenty years and two million TV commercials, "THE JEWELRY EXCHANGE BETHESDA!!!" closed in the spring of 2022. Those "thousands of GIA diamonds" were cleared out long ago, and we'll see how soon the other properties move to the demolition phase.

Woodmont Grill rapid scheduled disassembly continues in Bethesda (Photos)

The rapid scheduled disassembly of Woodmont Grill continues at 7715 Woodmont Avenue in downtown Bethesda. Woodmont Grill closed after the close of business on October 29, 2025. What parent company Hillstone Restaurant Group tells anyone who asks is that the closure was due to a lack of parking. This is rather farcical, given that there is a huge parking garage directly across the street from the restaurant. Tastee Diner and Black's Bar & Kitchen somehow remain in business with this non-existent parking dilemma.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, more pieces of the Woodmont Grill are being hauled away. Signage has been removed, and the words "Proper Attire Requested" have been scraped off the door. Packing boxes are visible inside the building.

Chili's demolished in White Flint (Photos)

The Chili's restaurant at 11428 Rockville Pike has been demolished. Demolition of the adjacent Woodglen Park property is still underway. The site is being redeveloped with a mixed-use residential apartment building, branded for now as North Bethesda Market II. Montgomery County has already approved that project.