Handel Architects

The Ritz-Carlton, Georgetown integrates a 1932 landmark incinerator building into a high-end mixed-use complex on a steeply sloping site in Washington D.C.’s highly-regulated Georgetown neighborhood. The mixed-use program consists of an 86-key Ritz-Carlton Hotel, 28 residential apartments, a 14-screen theater, below-grade parking for 350 cars, and 8,000 sq. ft. (745 m²) of retail space. A 40-foot height limitation and Floor-Area Ratio of only 2.5 eliminated the possibility of stacking program elements on top of the site. To solve this, approximately 50% of the program was placed underground. Residential units take full advantage of Potomac River views and are situated on top of the plinth along K Street. The theaters and parking facility are concealed within the plinth, while hotel buildings are located off quiet South Street.

The incinerator was transformed into the hotel’s public spaces: the lobby, bar, restaurant, and meeting spaces. The smokestack itself became a private dining room 16 feet (4.9 m) in diameter. In keeping with Georgetown’s historic character, the buildings were crafted in brick, stone, and metal to make a contemporary statement of massing while reinterpreting the vernacular of the historic city. The interiors expose the essential structural components and contrast them with simple but richly textured furnishings and finishes.