Van Ness Burger King Site Back on the Market After Demolition

• June 1st

by UrbanTurf Staff

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One of the more recognizable properties on upper Connecticut Avenue is back on the market. 

The former "Rock 'n' Roll" Burger King at 4422 Connecticut Avenue NW (map) — perhaps best known for its 1980s movie memorabilia, including an E.T. figure on its bike hanging from the ceiling — closed suddenly at the end of 2022. Late last year, both the Burger King site and the adjacent Days Inn parking structure at 3415 Yuma Street NW were under contract to Highcrest, a DC-based developer that had pitched a residential project spanning the two properties. Now, they're back on the market with brokerage Feldman Ruel, which previously had the listings on both properties.

Highcrest presented plans to ANC 3F last November for a redevelopment of the site and two adjacent properties along Connecticut Avenue into a community with more than 110 apartments. The development would have spanned three sites: a 65-unit building with 20% affordable units at the parking structure along Yuma Street, and another 45 apartments at the Burger King site and the parking lot behind it. According to Feldman Ruel's Josh Feldman, the developer was ultimately unable to move forward with either deal for reasons unrelated to the properties themselves.

Making the site's current availability all the more notable is the fact that the building itself is now gone. Demolition was underway in February 2026, leaving behind a cleared parcel on one of Van Ness's most visible corners. The two lots for sale — the former drive-thru restaurant and a parking lot separated from the building by a service alley 

The Van Ness Burger King's story has never been short on twists. After the restaurant closed in 2023, Compass Coffee pitched a concept for a coffeeshop at the site, but that never came to fruition. A raze application was filed with the city after a period of uncertainty, with the property's broker noting at the time that the demolition potential was entirely separate from the sale. Now, with the building down and the Highcrest deal apparently off the table, the question of what rises on this prominent stretch of Connecticut Avenue is, once again, wide open.

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/van_ness_burger_king_site_back_on_the_market_after_demolition/24683.