For more before-and-after photos of the construction from various angles, see the
Bixby Expanded Photo Archive.
June 4, 2017 - The completed Bixby apartment building's signage and entrace at 7th and L Streets, SE.
The Bixby, Sliding from to November 2007 to June 2017
Looking at the southwest corner of 7th and L Streets, SE, where the old Capper Seniors building stood for many years before its 2007 demolition, and now with the Bixby well underway.
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In late 2013, the Housing Authority secured funding to build on the south side of L Street between 5th and 7th a 195-unit apartment building (having decided in 2008 to switch from the original idea of building townhouses along this site). Construction began in spring 2014.
Nov. 1, 2007 - The view of 7th and L similar to the above rendering, just as demolition began on the old Capper Seniors building.
June 4, 2017 - The same location.
June 4, 2017 - The Bixby as seen from 7th and M Streets, SE. Because the project's footprint sits on a hill along its length, the construction steps downward considerably. And it requires stepping back a ways to get a wide view of the building. (Note that this is the back side of the building, different from the rendering at the top of the page, so it is less "articulated.")
June 4, 2017 - The new one-block stretch of what will be 6th Street, SE, as seen from M Street.
December 2006 - This is what the south side of L Street between 5th and 7th looked like for nearly 50 years. Built in 1958, its decline into a haven for crime, vandalism and drug use brought about its closing in 1973. After seven years of delays, it was reopened in 1981 as a 292-unit building for low-income senior citizens, though crime was never eradicated. The last residents moved out in early 2007.
June 2, 2008 - The same location, a temporary surface parking lot after demolition was completed in late 2007.
June 4, 2017 - And the same location again, with the Bixby's footprint right along L Street changing the view considerably.
March 2007 - Looking west down M Street from 7th in 2007.
June 4, 2017 - The same location.
March 2007 - Another view, from M Street at its intersection with Hull.
June 4, 2017 - The same location.
A rendering of 600 M Street (roughly the same angle as the above photo), the 500,000-sq-ft office development eventually planned for the southern/M Street portion of the site. No timeline for delivery has yet been announced.
A far-off view of the old building, from the roof of the Courtyard by Marriott, in March 2006. (2/6/06)
The same location, three months after demolition, and with the temporary surface parking lot almost finished. (3/20/08)
March 2007 - One more view of the entire building, as seen from M Street.
June 2, 2008 - The same location.
November 1, 2007 - The eastern face of the building, on Seventh Street between L and M.
June 4, 2017 - The same location, with the Bixby completed.
November 15, 2007 - Two views of the mid-November demolition work that tore the old building in two. First as seen from L Street....
November 15, 2007 - ...And from M.
November 8, 2007 - The southwest corner of the building, facing M Street.
November 15, 2007 - The same spot, one week later.
November 8, 2007 - Much of the initial demolition of the brick exterior was handled by Bobcats being driven into the walls from inside the building, rather than by swinging a wrecking ball. At left is a wall just being punched out, while at right you can see one of the other Bobcats at work. Don't hit the gas instead of the brake, guys!
November 1, 2007 - From its position above M Street, the roof at old Capper Seniors provided some panoramic views of Near Southeast, and of all the construction underway. This shot was taken a few days before demolition started.
The Yards is at left, south of
M Street, followed by the
US Department of Transporation (which is hiding
Nationals Park), the
Carroll Apartments and Capper Building #2, Van Ness Elementary (center), 1100 New Jersey,
Capitol Hill Tower, and the skeleton of
70 I Street at very far right. For more, see my
601 L Street overhead photos.
November 1, 2007 - The top floor of the old seniors building, with interior demolition complete, just a few days before the building itself will start coming down.
November 1, 2007 - The old seniors building, now a relic of the "old" Near Southeast, with the neighborhood's future as a commercial and residential destination rising a few blocks away.
November 1, 2007 - The elevator off the ground-floor lobby.
November 1, 2007 - The old sign.
The sign welcoming visitors to the Arthur Capper Senior Citizens Facility at 601 L Street, SE, is still intact, but the building's demolition is just a few weeks away, and interior hazmat cleanup is almost completed. (10/19/07)
March 2007 - A somewhat far-away view (thanks to a wide-angle lens) shows the old building's prominent position atop the eastern end of M Street, with newer buildings lining up to the west.