Washington Design Center

Executive Steering Committee of the Washington Design Center Showroom Owners (formed as of August 10, 2012)

August 17, 2012

Dear Design Colleagues in the Washington, DC Metro Community:

As many of you are aware, as of late July, the Washington Design Center has been sold to the Museum of the Bible. Within the next four years, the new owners intend to completely reposition the building in order to create a new home for their extensive collections. The building will no longer remain a design center.

We want to keep you as informed as we possibly can about the changes that are occurring at the Washington Design Center. We intend to share information with you on an on-going basis. Here is what we know to date:

1. The new owner has retained Vornado Realty Trust as the property management company for the Washington Design Center. This will ensure that the building will remain open and will continue to serve the needs of our clients.
2. The new owner has advised us that they will not begin construction on the Museum of the Bible before the summer of 2014.  With the cooperation of the new owner, it is anticipated that our showrooms will remain open at a minimum through the summer of 2014.  At that time construction will begin on The Museum of the Bible, with an estimated completion date in 2016.  By that time, however, it is our intent to have completed our move to a new facility in the DC metro area.
3. Many of the Washington Design Center showrooms met together on August 10, 2012 to agree upon a relocation plan for the Washington Design Center.

The group committed to the actions below:                          

1. We agreed to act together as a group in order to relocate into a new facility in the DC metro area.
2. We appointed an Executive Steering Committee of seven companies, in order to effectively guide the group. This includes the following firms: Baker, Knapp & Tubbs; Duralee; Galleria Carpets; Kravet; J. Lambeth; Niermann Weeks; and Robert Allen.
3. We interviewed three real estate brokerage firms and selected Cassidy Turley to help us plan and accomplish our move into a new facility.
4. We agreed to keep everyone informed as further decisions are made and as the timetable and location are established.  

We understand that there may be some uncertainty in the design community due to the above changes. We hope that this letter, as well as our future communications, will help to allay your concerns. Our showrooms remain open and we invite you, our clients, to show support for our showrooms by shopping, placing orders, and continuing to visit the Washington Design Center as we transition to our new location.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact any member of the Executive Steering Committee.

We know that we will find the right home for the future Washington Design Center and will continue to provide you with the very best in home furnishings products and services.

Sincerely,

* Member of the Executive Steering Committee

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