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Demonstration Center

R.I.S.E. Demonstration Center

The District of Columbia Department of General Services issued a Request for Proposals to engage a design-builder to develop a design for and to renovate the existing chapel on the Saint Elizabeths East Campus located at 2700 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, SE. The Chapel was constructed in the 1950s and consists of approximately 14,600 square feet of space.

 

The chapel is to be transformed into a Demonstration Center as part of the Mayor’s Five-Year Economic Development Strategy. The goal of this effort is to spur the creation of new technology-related businesses and jobs; to create economic opportunity at all skill levels for residents of both Ward 8 and the city as a whole; and to accelerate the diversification of Washington D.C.’s economy.

 

When fully operational, the Demonstration Center will serve the following primary functions:

  • An center to develop and to showcase new technologies and businesses;
  • A community economic empowerment center that provides coordinated support for local businesses, entrepreneurs and job-seekers, linked to the social services they need and helps manage the evolution of campus programming to promote economic revitalization through increasing community ownership; and
  • A talent development campus to provide offerings designed by regional institutions of higher education and workforce development organizations, serving students ranging from K-12 through professionals in a variety of occupations seeking advanced career credentials.

 

The inclusion center will be a computer lab for the local community, for use by everyone from seniors to small businesses. Programming will be provided by D.C.’s tech partners, including the University of the District of Columbia’s community college.