ASH Relocates to New Headquarters

Matthew Gertzog, MBA, CAE

2010-03-01

In late January 2010, ASH moved to its new headquarters building at 2021 L Street, NW, in downtown Washington, DC. It was purchased by ASH in late 2008. The 10-story, 80,000 square foot building will house our 65-person headquarters staff, accommodate ASH committee meetings in its top floor conference center, and be home to the "ASH Club" — a place for ASH members to work and informally network while in Washington, DC.

Photo courtesy of Dr. Monica Bessler from Washington University School of Medicine
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The search for a new headquarters began more than two years ago when the ASH Executive Committee began contemplating its next “move” knowing that the lease at its current headquarters was set to expire in March 2010. A subcommittee was formed to investigate lease-versus-purchase options, and the group quickly concluded that purchasing in Washington, DC, was the wisest long-term financial decision for the Society. After looking at a number of buildings in the downtown DC area, the subcommittee ultimately chose 2021 L Street, NW, because it had many of the key features ASH was looking for, such as:

  • Proximity to several Metro stations and easy access to the NIH, Capitol Hill, and Reagan National Airport
  • Enough square footage to accommodate our current needs and allow for future growth
  • The capability of meeting contemporary energy standards

ASH employees are housed on floors 6 through 9, there is a conference center on the 10th floor, and retail tenants are on the ground level. ASH is currently looking for tenants to occupy floors 2 through 5; leases will be structured so that space can be reclaimed in the event that ASH expands in the future.

The new facility has a number of features that will make it a great home for ASH, including:

  • The 10th floor conference center, which includes contemporary meeting space and modern audio-visual technology; we will now be able to host our committee and leadership meetings in house.
  • The finished roof has an expansive view of Washington, DC, and will be used as a venue for ASH social gatherings.
  • A fitness facility on the first floor has modern exercise equipment and is available to ASH members and staff.
  • The "ASH Club," which is modeled after the “airport club” concept, provides computer access, private meeting rooms, and informal networking space for members to gather after a meeting or before they head to the airport to catch a plane. Any ASH member is welcome to use the ASH Club; there is no fee for this benefit.
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The ASH leadership is especially proud that the building will be LEED certified. LEED is an internationally recognized green building certification system, providing third-party verification that a building was designed and built using strategies aimed at improving performance across a number of key metrics: energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts.

"We are excited to have a permanent home and hope that many ASH members will take advantage of the ASH Club," ASH Executive Director Martha Liggett said. "We know that ASH members who travel to DC for business often find themselves with a bit of extra time on their hands, so the ASH Club was designed to offer them a welcoming space to participate in a teleconference or hold a small meeting, shower after a run on the Mall, catch up on e-mails, or print boarding passes before a flight."

While the headquarters address has changed, phone numbers and e-mail addresses of ASH staff have remained the same.

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