D.C. Moves On Up To CityCenter; Tenants & Tastemakers Mingle At Posh Preview Party

NORTHWEST -- It truly was a beautiful day in the neighborhood yesterday -- all the more so if your neighborhood happened to be the some 4.5 blocks bounded by New York Avenue, 9th, H, and 11th Streets, NW.

For it was on Wednesday evening that CityCenterDC finally provided a lucky group of notables with a first-ever glimpse of the 458 rental apartments, made available via the development's matching twin towers.

Guests found themselves quickly ushered into the gleaming communal space bordering the property's massive, two-story fitness center. There they were greeted by a sumptuous buffet of both savory and sweet bites cooked-up by top rated Italian osteria Casa Luca (which also happens to be conveniently located just down the street), as well as a lively soundtrack courtesy of U.S. Royalty's John Thornley.

Encouraged by organizers to take a tour of the property, attendees wasted no time in boarding a bank of elevators, which promptly whisked them up into the heavens (or rather to a posh, upper-level two-bedroom model unit).

And while it's hard to determine if it was the apartment's private balcony, dramatic floor-to-ceiling windows, bamboo and porcelain flooring, quartz countertops or stainless steel appliances that prompted cheek-to-cheek smiles for the rest of the night (or possibly the bottomless Perrier-Jouët champagne bar), suffice it to say that the party's 8:30p.m. end time turned out to be really more of a guideline than a hard cutoff.

The evening was made all the more memorable by CityCenter's actual tenants, who were also naturally invited to yesterday's celebration. Despite most having already moved-in several days ago, the novelty of helping christen such an enormous community had still not worn off and their excitement was still palpable.

In addition to the rental apartments, Phase I of CityCenterDC, which began in March 2011 and is now nearing completion, also includes more than 270,000-square feet of retail space, 520,000-square feet of office space (Covington & Burling, the American Hospital Association, etc.), 216 condominium units, a public park, a central plaza, and pedestrian-oriented streets and alleyways.

Phase II is expected to commence in 2015 and will see the addition of a 370-room (approximately) luxury hotel and an additional 73,000-square feet of retail.

The neighborhood is apparently about to get much bigger.