Rosslyn Twin Towers

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Rosslyn Twin Towers
Rosslyn 2013 02.JPG
Rosslyn Twin Towers (left), final construction of 1812 N Moore (right), with the treeline of Theodore Roosevelt Island in the foreground.
Rosslyn Twin Towers
Interactive map of Rosslyn Twin Towers
General information
StatusCompleted
TypeOffice, ground floor retail, observation deck
Location1000 and 1100 Wilson Boulevard
Arlington, Virginia
Coordinates 38°53′39.54″N77°4′10.74″W / 38.8943167°N 77.0696500°W / 38.8943167; -77.0696500
Elevation~50 ft (15 m)
Completed1980-82
Height
Antenna spire381 ft (116 m) [1]
Technical details
Floor count26-27 [1]
Floor area1.2 million square feet (110,000 m2) [2]
Design and construction
Architects Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum, KCF-SHG Inc. [1]
Main contractorMonday Properties

The Rosslyn Twin Towers are twin office buildings located at 1000 and 1100 Wilson Boulevard in the Rosslyn neighborhood of Arlington, Virginia. They were the tallest buildings in the Washington metropolitan area for three decades until the completion of 1812 N Moore, a block away, in 2013. They remain the tallest twin towers in the region and the commonwealth of Virginia.

Contents

The buildings are home to the headquarters of Politico and WJLA-TV, and were formerly home to the headquarters of Gannett Company/USA Today. [3]

The towers are part of a complex that features retail, and televisions and news tickers visible from the nearby intersection. Arlington County approved construction of rooftop decks for each tower in 2015. [2] The project was completed in 2018.

History

The project, initially known as Arland Towers, was first proposed and approved by the Arlington County Board in 1978 on the site of a shopping center, at a projected cost of $60 million. [4] They were among several tall buildings proposed around the time for Rosslyn, which did not have any buildings taller than 15 stories, as developers realized the potential to build large projects close to Washington, D.C., while avoiding the city's height limit.

The towers and other projects alarmed federal officials, who feared they would disrupt views from the National Mall and nearby. The Commission of Fine Arts, National Park Service, General Services Administration and National Capital Planning Commission asked the county board later in 1978 to rescind its approval, but the board declined, and construction started. [5] Interior Secretary Cecil Andrus, who is responsible for the National Mall, sued the county government that year to block the towers and other projects, arguing they would ruin the skyline [6] . The District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia rejected the lawsuit, saying the federal government had not demonstrated that the buildings would be a nuisance. [7]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Rosslyn Twin Towers". Emporis. Archived from the original on February 4, 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Rosslyn's twin towers to enjoy twin roof decks as 1100 Wilson joins the party". Washington Business Journal.
  3. ↑ "Courted by D.C., Sinclair to keep regional broadcast hub in Rosslyn for now". Washington Business Journal.
  4. ↑ Boodman, Sandra G. (February 16, 1978). "Rosslyn to Get $60 Million Development". The Washington Post .
  5. ↑ Boodman, Sandra G. (October 29, 1978). "Federal Agencies Plead in Vain to Restrict Rosslyn Skyline". The Washington Post .
  6. ↑ Boodman, Sandra G. (December 22, 1978). "U.S. Sues to Block Five High-Rises Set for Rosslyn". The Washington Post .
  7. ↑ Boodman, Sandra G. (February 21, 1979). "Rosslyn High-Rise Suit by Interior Dept. Is Rejected". The Washington Post .
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