| Page 2 of 3 < > |
Carr Empire's Changing Skyline
Oliver T. Carr Jr., Washington commercial real estate giant and the patriarch of a family of developers, with Angie O'Grady, president of Preferred Offices.
(By Jonathan Ernst For The Washington Post)
TOOLBOX
   Resize
COMMENT
 Discussion Policy
 CLOSE
Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.
Who's Blogging  |
Though their business disappeared with astonishing speed, the Carrs insist they will be heard from again.
"The Carr family is not defined by a group of buildings," said Thomas Carr, who has not specified the family's next move. "The Carrs are going to remain extremely active in this real estate community."
Since the 1880s, when Solomon Carr came to the District from England and started building houses west of the U.S. Capitol, the Carr name has been associated with Washington real estate, and the family has nimbly traversed the ever-changing market, building in the suburbs as families flocked there for housing and putting up office buildings in the city ahead of others.
"I don't feel sad," said Oliver T. Carr Jr., 81, the patriarch of the family. "We had a great time. We made it great. We feel lucky to have had a terrific experience."
Today, he is running an executive office business, leasing temporary space to companies in the District and Maryland and Virginia suburbs.
One of his four sons, Robert O. Carr, had been talking to developer Douglas Jemal about joining forces, but says, "I won't talk about my future until it's firm."
Oliver T. Carr III, another son of Oliver Jr., recently sold his company, Columbia Equity Trust Inc., to a private real estate investment fund. Richard W. Carr, another son, plans to continue running Oliver Carr Co., a private real estate holding firm controlled by his father.
CarrAmerica was considered at one point the largest private landlord in the District, known for building several large office buildings along Pennsylvania Avenue NW and for refurbishing the landmark Willard hotel and building an office complex there. It built 1800 M Street NW; the mammoth International Square in the 1800 block of I Street NW; and Terrell Place at Seventh and E streets NW, near the Verizon Center.
"They were the top of the heap," said John E. "Chip" Akridge III, a competing developer. "They were the best."
The patriarch Oliver Carr Jr. prided himself on creating a "Carr culture," valuing his employees, many of whom stayed for decades. He received honors and awards from the local business community but didn't seek publicity. "The biggest thrill for me relates to the people," he said. "It's the culture of the people, not the boxy office buildings we build. It's the relationships with people."
The company had its difficult times. Housing advocates criticized it for initially opposing a D.C. requirement that residences be a part of new downtown projects. Preservationists complained when CarrAmerica tore down the 185-year-old Rhodes Tavern to make way for its Metropolitan Square office building at 15th and F streets NW. And workforce advocates once picketed in front of Carr's home because of the low wages they said his company paid custodians.
In the early '90s, Carr's business nearly collapsed as a major real estate recession hit; the company restructured after defaulting on tens of millions of dollars in loans on properties.
