It’s time to say farewell to the unsightly, brutalist hotel along the Key Bridge in Rosslyn. Arlington County officials announced Friday they would be condemning the former Key Bridge Marriott hotel, saying it is “unsafe and unfit for habitation.”
The county said it had a “responsibility” to ensure the public’s health and safety and that permanently closing the building would help do so.
Aaron Miller, deputy county manager for public safety, said the condemnation was approved by the state’s building and fire prevention codes.
Police cleared out homeless people and squatters who had used the hotel for shelter.
“Over the past couple of weeks, our public safety teams of fire and police have responded to several calls on the property. In particular, we had a medical call,” Miller said. “For instance, the fire alarm system is not working, and there’s no water to the property.”
In a statement, the county said it was working in conjunction with nonprofits and using government resources to ensure unhoused residents have a place to go and receive necessary services and care. Officials were on the property Friday, offering these resources to people rehoused.
The nearly 600-room, 12-story hotel has sat vacant along the George Washington Parkway in Virginia since July 2021.
The building was purchased in 2018 by a subsidiary of the owner Woodridge Capital Partners, KBLH LLC, and was approved to be demolished and turned into two residential buildings in 2020. no further actions were taken in that project until its closing the following year.
The Key Bridge Marriott has anchored the Virginia side of the Key Bridge for over 50 years, and was Marriott International’s longest continuously operating property.
WTOP’s Cheyenne Corin contributed to this report.