The Vacant Storefronts of Woodmont Triangle

St. Elmo Avenue

4938 St. Elmo Ave. – Former Gallery St. Elmo location

Owner: John O’Donoghue

Gallery St. Elmo , a boutique consignment and home furnishing shop, moved out of this space to a new location at 4931 Cordell Ave. in March. AMR commercial is handling the leasing of the space.

4924 St. Elmo Ave. – Pizza Pass space

Owner: The Lenkin Co.

Pizza Pass, which as recently as six months ago had plans to open additional restaurants, closed at this retail space in early February. The Lenkin Co. is planning to build a 16-story apartment complex with 210 units on this site. The building would share public space with the Bainbridge Bethesda building next door. In order to construct the building, the developer plans to demolish the office building and parking lot at 4922 St. Elmo Ave. as well as the former Pizza Pass location and the still-operational Chef Tony’s restaurant at 4926 St. Elmo Ave.

4910 St. Elmo Ave. – Former Red Tomato Café location

Owner: Greenhill Capital

Red Tomato Café closed in January 2014 after the landlord grew concerned about structural damage possibly caused to the building by the construction of the adjoining Bainbridge Bethesda apartment building. This property and the vacant auto body shop building behind it are the subject of an ongoing lawsuit between Greenhill and Bainbridge, similar to the lawsuit won by Greenhill over the Fresh Grill building. Greenhill is proposing a plan to redevelop the vacant properties stretching from Fairmont Avenue to St. Elmo Avenue into a new two-story building. (Rendering pictured right above, courtesy of Steven J. Karr AIA, Inc.)

4817 St. Elmo Ave. – Former GreenWICH/ Quiznos

Owner: Greenhill Capital

Sandwich shop owner Tim Lee attempted to rebrand this long-time Quiznos location on St. Elmo Avenue into his own concept offering healthier fare, GreenWICH, during the summer of 2014 after encountering problems with Quiznos’ corporate management. However, the sandwich and salad shop closed in October and the property has been vacant since then.

4828 St. Elmo Ave. – Previously a Design Within Reach furniture store

Owner: Greenhill Capital

This unique building with a curving façade was constructed in 1960 and for many years housed a Johnny Rocket’s restaurant, which meshed well with the building’s old-time diner design. In 2004, the furniture retailer Design Within Reach opened at the location. It operated there for more than a decade until departing in January, saying only that it planned to move all of its furniture to the company’s Georgetown location. The building was sold to a Greenhill subsidiary in August 2014 for $3.15 million, according to Maryland real estate records.

Cordell Avenue

4834 Cordell Ave. – Former UFC Gym

Owner: Greenhill Capital

After going through a name change from L.A. Boxing to the UFC Gym in 2013, the fight-training center officially closed in January. The business announced in an email to its members that it was closing due to “economic conditions, rising expenses and increased competition…” The building has been on the market for three months and Greenhill is leasing it.

4848 Cordell Ave. – Previously home to a men’s shelter

Owner: Greenhill Capital

Work is nearing completion to transform this former Catholic Charities-run men’s shelter into a new high-ceilinged restaurant and bar space. The men’s closed and left the space in August 2014 and later moved to a location in White Flint. On Friday, construction crews were working on the space, but major structural elements like a large wall and big glass windows were in place at the new building.