Hilary Allard Goldfarb

The pandemic wasn’t about to stop Hilary Allard Goldfarb from continuing to grow Rockefeller Group’s D.C.-area business.

“Our city and our region can and should lead the way,” Goldfarb said. “We’ve used the last year to both innovate and to reaffirm our core values. And this is what allows us to aggressively pursue growth.”

Under her leadership, the Rockefeller Group partnered with Stonebridge to start the transformation of the Jackson Graham Building at 600 Fifth Street NW in D.C. into a 48,401-square-foot building with additional floors, a completely new facade, and design elements to anticipate the future of work.

The joint venture is considering a variety of uses for the site, home to the region’s transit authority for five decades, from modern, high-density office space to ground-floor retail and mixed-use.

“We just received Commission of Fine Arts approval, and we have great tenant interest,” Goldfarb said of the Graham Building redevelopment. “We’re designing now and plans are progressing on schedule, and we’re looking forward to fully capitalizing next year with construction starting in the first quarter of 2023.”

There were also positive updates on the two development JVs that the firm owns with The Meridian Group: Boro Tower in Tysons, Va., which continues to attract high-quality tenants; and the 202,000-square-foot, 1901 L Street in Downtown D.C., which just became the first building in the city to achieve WELL Silver Building certification.

Goldfarb explained the certification as just another example of how the company has asserted its core values.

“We have a tenant-driven approach and we’re focused on elements that are designed to improve the tenant experience,” she said. “In our sticks-and-bricks industry, you’re not often given an opportunity to both reaffirm your core values and innovate. And that’s really been the opportunity of this past year.”

Later in 2021, Rockefeller will launch its industrial development pipeline in the mid-Atlantic.

“As a native Washingtonian, as well as somebody who’s built a career here, what I really love most about our city is our work ethic, and our grit,” she said. “This is what gives me confidence and why we remain committed to aggressive growth.”