The designer is also leading planning and approvals for the proposed expansion of Washington’s Union Station train hub to address future transportation needs while preserving the station’s historic character. The firm also is active in office-to-residential conversions in Washington, D.C., including 1250 Maryland Avenue SW, which began construction in June 2025.

One of Beyer Blinder Belle’s most notable efforts was the 16-year implementation of a master plan to revitalize Judiciary Square in Washington, including restoration, renovation and expansion of the H. Carl Moultrie Courthouse. The project received a Justice Facilities Review Award, the America Institute of Architects’ highest recognition for civic architecture. The designer also worked on the new Irish Embassy in Washington.

Beyer Blinder Belle also partners with Washington-based Phelps Architecture, Construction and Engineering High School, with firm staff participating in student activities, mid-year reviews and final reviews. The designer also offers annual Youth Education Scholarship to its students. It also provides scholarships annually to Howard University and to the University of the District of Columbia as well as a paid internship to the Howard scholarship recipient. The firm has also provided past community grants to local organizations such as the River East Design Center, and it donates to various external organizations and committees such as Women in Architecture, the Big Green Commute, Urban Land Institute and AIA events.

Beyer Blinder Belle partners Jill S. Cavanaugh (JC)and Kevin Storm (KS) discussed some of these topics with ENR. This Q&A has been edited and condensed.

 

What is an important MidAtlantic region project you can discuss?

KS: Our office-to-residential conversion and three-story addition at 1250 Maryland Avenue is important to our office on a number of levels. It continues our firm’s legacy of creative adaptive reuse, a practice area we have pioneered since our founding. It contributes to the much-needed housing stock and ongoing revitalization of central Washington, and it allows us to innovate alongside a visionary developer-client in the growing post-war building conversion sector.

The most obvious design challenge here involves the adaptation of deep, post-war commercial floorplates into functional, livable residential units. We confronted this challenge through a variety of design strategies: shifting exterior walls to create generous recessed terraces—above and beyond the more typical 4-foot, tacked-on balconies seen around the city—that encourage true outdoor living and decrease indoor unit depths and incorporating unit-specific amenities in the daylight-challenged areas, such as larger service-laundry-mudroom areas that are more often associated with freestanding homes.

 

How have office-to-residential conversion challenges played out?

KS: There is no question that the recent interest in office-to-residential conversions has led to a number of false starts and challenging financial models. Perhaps the initial optimism has been somewhat tempered when confronted with the difficult realities of finding ideal conversion candidates. But we remain optimistic that this sector will continue to grow, help mitigate the dual crises of office vacancies and housing shortages and shift the needle toward more mixed-use and vibrant downtown neighborhoods.

As architects, we can use our creativity and technical expertise to help our clients find realistic paths forward as the more suitable pre-war conversion opportunities become scarce and we are left with often less-than-ideal post-war candidates.

are often highly complicated projects with numerous challenges: unexpected existing conditions revealed late in the design process, challenging physical constraints such as deep floorplates and inefficient building envelopes, the need to balance significant change within the constraints of historic fabric and a host of other unique hurdles.

 

How did you achieve diversification across your service lines?

JC: Beyer Blinder Belle was founded in 1968, sparked by the urban renewal movement and around a commitment to retain existing buildings as a means to preserve the social integrity of communities. This mission has shaped our practice and draws us toward projects that span different sectors for a wide range of clients. While we are best recognized for our stewardship of historic and sensitive urban sites—through planning, restoration and design of new buildings—all of our work is unified by a persistent exploration of historic, cultural and civic meaning.

 

Why is it important to balance large and small projects?

JC: The importance is not size, but complexity and impact. Naturally, some complex projects are small, and some are large. But the range allows us to remain constantly challenged and leverages the breadth of our skills and agility. Smaller projects traditionally have a shorter lifespan with a leaner team, while larger projects have longer trajectories and larger teams. The mix allows for resilience and affords our staff diversification and opportunity.

 

How are repeat clients both satisfying and challenging?

JC: Like any relationship, a sense of familiarity is comforting. From a practical standpoint, working with repeat clients allows us to focus on the work and not the marketing pursuit or learning curve. Established relationships typically reflect mutual trust and respect, but they still require diligence and creativity to avoid complacency. If either organization becomes too attached to what’s worked before, it can sometimes be more difficult to introduce—and become more skillful with—innovative design approaches, processes or materials.

 

Talk about your partnership with Phelps Architecture, Construction and Engineering High School.

JC: BBB has partnered with local organizations in each city where the firm practices. We recently completed Just 3.0® registration with the International Living Future Institute, and our collective, firmwide volunteer efforts were instrumental in achieving exceptional performance levels for the inclusion and stewardship categories.

Since 2014, BBB has mentored dozens of students at the Phelps Architecture, Construction and Engineering (ACE) public high school, participating in fall and spring semester architecture desk crits and the end-of-year Honors Engineering Design and Development Senior Capstone Team Project Symposium.