From the Octavia to the Plaza West
On April 26, 1910, a building permit was issued to DC Architect B. Stanley Simmons for construction by the Gormley-Poynton Company for $150,000. The building was to be a 4-story apartment building with 43 units on the northeast corner of Columbia and Quarry Roads, NW. The building was initially named the Octavia. It was renamed the Westcliff in the 1950s. At that time, there was a reconfiguration of the units in the building. During the 1960s, the building came to be owned by the same owner as the apartment building to the east, then known as the “Park Plaza.” Hence, 1669 Columbia Road came to be known as the “Plaza West.” A hallway was constructed that connected the two buildings together.
A Cooperative is Born
In 1980, the tenants of Plaza West were notified that the building would be sold and converted to condominiums. Pursuant to the Rental Housing Conversion and Sale Act of 1980, the tenants agreed to form a tenants association to purchase the property. In 1981, with assistance of Esther Siegel, Rick Eisen, Debbie Goldberg and Larry Weston (from the Metropolitan Washington Planning & Housing Association) and from the DC Department of Housing and Community Development, the tenants succeeded in purchasing the building and organizing it as a cooperative housing association.
Converting to a Market-Rate Cooperative
In 1987, a reorganization of the Plaza West Cooperative Association was necessary to renovate the building. This was made possible, in part, by the Land Acquisition for Housing Development Opportunities (LAHDO) program of the District Government. Through this program, the District purchased Plaza West and sold the building back to the tenants while retaining ownership of the land. Thus, the tenants were only required to finance the building acquisition and renovation while leasing the land from the District Government. This program has allowed Plaza West units to be more affordable.
The renovation, carried out by CIH Properties, Inc. was completed in 1989 and 53 units were made available to persons willing to acquire shares in the market-rate Plaza West Cooperative Housing Association.
Into the Future
Years later, the Plaza West Cooperative remains a financially secure market-rate cooperative and diverse, vibrant community!
Plaza West Cooperative 