AREP’s $35 Million Reinvention of Rosslyn City Center Anchors Transformation of Gateway to Nation’s Capital

(Arlington, Virginia—December 2, 2021) American Real Estate Partners (AREP) has delivered a $35 million reimagination and reinvention of Rosslyn City Center (RCC) that includes a recently completed expansive mural, entitled Dream Big, that transforms the streetscape of this Arlington submarket.  RCC is an investment that makes AREP an integral partner in a vibrant commercial engine and corporate headquarters hub in Virginia, which once again ranks as the top place in the nation for business according to CNBC.

Located above one of the Washington region's busiest Metro transit stations at 1700 N. Moore Street, Rosslyn City Center brings to life AREP's core promise to go beyond the expected with a 67-foot by 50-foot mural created in collaboration with local artists' No Kings Collective. The mural, titled Dream Big, is designed to inspire and encourage viewers to explore the freedom of possibility. It is the final component of the building's award-winning transformation that also includes a state-of-the-art Gold's Gym, and Assembly, an innovative food hall experience delivered in partnership with hospitality powerhouse David Morton and his DMK team.

"Rosslyn City Center is home to some of the nation's and region's most significant companies. Along with Assembly and Gold's Gym, the mural plays a vital role in our effort to infuse creative hospitality and health and wellness to drive the transformation of RCC. AREP brings to the market a dynamic work environment where people want to be and can be at their best - as well as offering the surrounding community exciting new dining and fitness options," said Paul Schulman, AREP, Principal and COO.

Dream Big mixes curves typical of soft clouds with vectored shapes to connect something utterly familiar with dream-like abstraction. This mix aims to shift perceptions of art and nature and reality and dream states, leaving the viewer to see both “nature as art” and “art as nature.”

“Dream Big points to mental freedom, keeping one’s head in the clouds and having the mental freedom to think about what we really want out of life,” said mural co-creator Brandon Hill, of No Kings Collective.”

The mural is a gift to the community of an unexpected and extraordinary blend of design and culture.

Acquired by AREP in 2015, Rosslyn City Center is the result of a multi-year investment in transforming a 40-year-old office and retail complex into a new landmark for business, dining, and fitness. Signature assets include the state-of-the-art 30,000 square-foot Gold’s Gym that adjoins an outdoor plaza for exercise, dining, and work. DMK’s The Assembly, integrates elements from your favorite local coffee shop, hotel lobby, full-service restaurant, and co-working space, offering tenants and the surrounding community an array of culinary choices to match your needs from early morning coffee to lunch on the go, to a leisurely dinner to late-night cocktails. Assembly and AREP’s architect Cooper Carry received a Best Buildings Retail Award of Merit from NAIOP Northern Virginia, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association.

AREP’s rapid response to the pandemic earned both the WELL Health-Safety Rating and the UL Verified Healthy Building Mark for Indoor Air and Water for Rosslyn City Center, as part of portfolio-wide ratings that encompass more than 10 million square feet from New Jersey, through Washington DC to North Carolina. Notably, AREP was the first CRE company to achieve the iconic safety brand UL verification for Indoor Air and Water, for its entire portfolio.

“Rosslyn City Center answers our tenants’ needs for flexibility, adaptability, experience and performance. At the same time, this spectacular new centerpiece of commerce feeds the body with Gold’s Gym, feeds the spirit with the No Kings Collective Mural, and feeds the appetites with the exciting Assembly dining experience,” said Schulman.

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