As You Like It? DC's Bard Development Moves Forward Again

• September 21st 2022

by UrbanTurf Staff

As the Shakespeare Theatre Company (STC) moves forward yet again with redevelopment plans at the former site of Southeastern University at 501 I Street SW (map), a number of changes are on the boards. 

Before being put on hold in 2020 due to the pandemic, Erkiletian Development Company and the Shakespeare Theatre Company, cheekily doing business as “As You Like It, LLC”, had received approval for a four-story building with 64 condos, and a 4.5-story annex building would house 18 actors' apartments, 18 beds for STC fellows, and 13,860 square feet of administrative, performance and rehearsal space for STC. Shalom Baranes is the design architect.

Now, as the development team files for a two-year extension to file for building permits, they have also applied to make a number of changes to the plans above. 

Those changes include:

• Redesigning the STC space to remove some rehearsal space and relocate the costume shop space under the main building. This change would reduce the program space but also significantly reduces the amount of excavation needed on the site. The main components of the STC program will continue to include approximately 25,000 square feet of space on the ground and lower levels, including rehearsal space, the costume and production shop, education space, and office space.
• The fellow housing will be removed which reduces the height of the annex from five stories to three stories. The annex will continue to contain 12 actor housing units.
• Six actor housing units will be removed from the main building and the for-sale residential unit mix will be reconfigured. 

A zoning hearing has not yet been scheduled for the extension and additional modifications. 

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/as-you-like-it-a-revised-plan-for-the-bard-in-southwest-dc/20107.