Silver Spring hotel being demolished (Photos)

Demolition of the former Hampton Inn hotel at 8728 Colesville Road in downtown Silver Spring is underway. The building has a history of great change, having started life as an office property before its conversion to a hotel. Next-door neighbor United Therapeutics acquired the building in 2021, and is now removing it to allow for the continued expansion of its biotech campus. The controlled mechanical structural demolition is scheduled to continue through the end of May 2024. A noise suppression plan for the demolition was approved by Montgomery County on January 3, 2024.

Silver Spring office-to-apartments conversion underway (Photos)

The buzz in downtowns impacted by the work-from-home revolution is all about converting underused office buildings into housing. This is already happening in downtown Silver Spring. The Guardian Building at 8605 Cameron Street and Georgia Avenue is undergoing just such a conversion. It will essentially double the height of the building when complete, and replace mostly-vacant offices with 177 apartments, and 7496 SF of retail and restaurant space. What you see here is the gutting of the current office structure. The plan long predates the pandemic, having been introduced by the property owner in 2017.

Kensington gas station demolished to make way for new shopping center (Photos)

A vacant gas station at 10619 Connecticut Avenue in Kensington has been demolished. The demolition signals the beginning of construction of the future Kensington Crossing shopping center. Tenants signed for the retail property so far are Mezeh Mediterranean Grill, Buffalo Wild Wings GO, and an M&T Bank branch with a drive-thru. Three retail spaces are still available for lease at this prime property on a major commuter route.

Howard Johnson's Wheaton restaurant and hotel now completely demolished

Only the memories of chicken croquettes, fried clams and orange sherbet remain at the corner of Veirs Mill Road and University Boulevard in Wheaton. The former, and many would argue historic, Howard Johnson's hotel and world-famous roadside restaurant building have now both been completely razed.

The property will become part of the future Wheaton Gateway mixed-use development. In later years, the hotel structure had become a Best Western and Ambassador Apartments, and the restaurant building a mattress store. These were among a handful of extant Howard Johnson's buildings remaining in the state of Maryland.

Demolition of former Howard Johnson restaurant in Wheaton set to begin this week

Demolition of a building most recently home to Mattress Firm, but best remembered as a Howard Johnson restaurant, is set to begin later this week at the corner of University Boulevard and Veirs Mill Road. The Howard Johnson/Best Western hotel building behind it has already been razed. Both are being removed to make way for the Wheaton Gateway mixed-use project, which will include residential and ground floor retail uses.

Demolition at 900 Spring Street in Silver Spring

Demolition may soon be underway at 900 Spring Street, formerly the headquarters of the National Ready-Mixed Concrete Association. The site was expected to be redeveloped, but a search of the Montgomery County Planning Department development map shows no project application has been submitted for this address. Maryland property records show the NRMCA is still the owner of the land. Montgomery County records - and a sign in front of the building - indicate a demolition permit has been requested for the property.

Wheaton Gateway project to open sidewalk on weekends

Developers of the Wheaton Gateway project at the corner of Veirs Mill Road and University Boulevard East have, as promised, announced some changes to improve pedestrian safety around the property that is home to the former Howard Johnson hotel and restaurant (more recently known as The Ambassador apartments). Through the end of February, they say the sidewalk will only be closed to pedestrians on weekdays between 7:00 AM and 4:00 PM.

This should help some during the heaviest commuting times, and especially in the evening rush hours, when the sun sets early at this time of year. The developers also say that, as a result, demolition work will pause on weekends this month.

A second change, which they alluded to in an announcement last week, is that flaggers will now be present during sidewalk closures. As I reported last week, many pedestrians were walking into (or worse, with their back to) oncoming traffic to avoid the long pedestrian detour around the site.

Wheaton Gateway developers warn jaywalkers about safety, potential tickets at site

The developers of the Wheaton Gateway project on the site of the former Howard Johnson/Ambassador Apartments are asking pedestrians to obey the current detour in place around the property at the corner of Veirs Mill Road and University Boulevard West. They say that flaggers will be added at the site to assist in directing vehicles and pedestrians before the end of the month, as well as other "safety enhancements." But they also warn that police may ticket pedestrians who enter the roadway to get around the closed sidewalk.

Ambassador pedestrian detour

This has been an ongoing issue when sidewalks have closed in downtown Bethesda, and no pedestrian walkway is provided. Despite the dangers, some people will inevitably walk into oncoming traffic to avoid a long detour. Pedestrian safety advocates have asked Montgomery County officials to either bar sidewalks from being closed, or mandate pedestrian walkways on the side of the closure, to address this problem.

Photo/map via Wheaton Gateway

Ambassador/Howard Johnson Wheaton demolition update (Photos)

Demolition of the former Ambassador Apartments continues at the corner of University Boulevard and Veirs Mill Road in Wheaton. This was formerly a Howard Johnson hotel and restaurant, with the latter structure still visible in the foreground of three of these photos.

You can see the structure on the rooftop, which appeared to be an equipment room, has been obliterated. The flooring and frame girders of the ends of the very top floors that were still in place a couple of weeks ago are now gone, as well. Demolition will continue through the spring.