Remodeling Gives Edlandria New Look, New Faces

Theda Shirey, co-resident manager of Edlandria along with her husband, Ray, spruces up the fitness center. Meanwhile, son Jesse shows off a new kitchen. (Photos Ann Cameron Siegal For The Washington Post)

Ray Shirey and his wife, Theda, have lived in four different units at Alexandria's Edlandria apartments since 1971. Their son, Jesse, 31, was born while they were living there.

However, Shirey admits he doesn't know many of the residents very well.

Give him time.

It's not that Shirey is uninvolved in the community -- quite the contrary. He and Theda have been co-resident managers there for 25 years. Their son began working on the grounds and as a porter when he was in his teens; he now works in the leasing office.

However, a major renovation project over the past year has caused a hefty turnover in the population of the 233-unit garden complex. In 2003, when residents were given four months' notice of the impending year-long overhaul, they were offered more than $800 per household in relocation fees. About three-quarters of tenants chose to leave.

Darlene Knight and Joseph Harris, who have lived at the Edlandria since their daughter, now 12, was 2, opted to stay, weathering the disruption of long-term construction. They moved from their original apartment to a spiffy new one last December.

While rents throughout the community rose $200 to $300 per unit, the renovated units have new walls, new windows, new doors, new kitchens, new bathrooms; even the things that can't be seen, such as plumbing and wiring, were upgraded. A few courtyard units were renovated five years ago, so are not on the list to be gutted.

According to Knight, the best new feature is the enlarged closets. "We used to have tiny closets, but now there's tons of space," she said.

Reconfiguring the living room and the all-electric kitchen freed up some closet space. However, it also relocated the stackable washer and dryer to the kitchen, right next to the refrigerator -- a pass-through window between the kitchen and dining area can provide guests a glimpse of the laundry.

Knight has no complaints, though. "The dining room is larger, the living room a bit smaller," she said. There is a ceramic tile foyer, new flooring and carpeting, and new cabinets and counters. Soundproofing between units has been upgraded, too.

Knight does miss the ceiling fans from the old, late-1960s apartments, but acknowledged that they presented maintenance headaches.

"Now each bedroom has its own thermostat control," she said. All utilities are included in the rent, and the apartments have central air conditioning.

Most of the other residents have been there a year or less and are just starting to get to know each other. The one recreational amenity on the property is a cozy new fitness center, but the Edlandria's compact office seems to be the place to chat.

While two couples signed leases recently, Lillian Gerhardt, a retail worker at Springfield Mall who moved to the Edlandria in May, popped into the office just to visit. About the same time, Matt Robinson, a federal employee who moved in four months ago, dropped by to praise the maintenance staff's handling of "a nit-picky problem" in his apartment (a squeaking door).