Rockville Town Square Apartment and Condo Tour - Rockville, Maryland

Right now, you are standing outside Dawson’s Market.

Native to the area, Dawson’s Market is a grocery store that focuses on serving natural and local foods.

The grocer’s name is an homage to the regionally iconic Dawson family and its rich agricultural history in what is now known as Montgomery County.

Begin heading north down N Washington, with Dawson’s on your right, to the intersection of N Washington and Beall Avenue.

Our first stop will be The Metropolitan, but before we get there, I want to discuss Beall’s Grant and Heritage House.

These apartments are within the Rockville Town Square landscape; however, we will not pass them on this tour, since they are a bit further down the street.

Beall’s Grant is a garden-style apartment located at 254 N Washington.

It has 60 units with studio, 1 bedroom and 2 bedroom options.

Heritage House is a stone’s throw away from Beall’s Grant, at 95 Dawson Avenue, and features 100 garden-style apartment units.

Both of these apartments are considered affordable housing for the area, and thus, are subject to income qualifications.

Once you have arrived at the cross streets of N Washington and Beall, stop there and do not cross the street.

If you look across Beall Avenue, you’ll see The Metropolitan.

This luxury, mid-rise apartment building was built in 2018 and has 275 units, with a variety of layouts including two-story loft-style units and den additions for 1 bedroom and 2 bedroom units.

If you own a large dog, this may be the spot for you.

Though there are a few breed restrictions, there are no weight restrictions at The Metropolitan, so your jumbo-sized furry friend will be right at home here.

Hang a right and proceed east down Beall Avenue.

There are plenty of dining options in Rockville Town Square, with six of them immediately next door to The Metropolitan within The Spot Food Hall.

On your right, down Gibbs Street, there are additional restaurants, including one of my favorites: La Canela.

This locally-owned, Peruvian spot is one of the mainstays at Rockville Town Square.

It debuted in 2007 and has been serving fantastic Peruvian fare ever since.

My go-tos on the menu?

Leche de Tigre and a Pisco Sour.

On your left, you’ll see the Rockville Volunteer Fire Department.

Officially organized in 1921, RVFD moved its headquarters to this location on Hungerford Drive in 1966.

Speaking of Hungerford Drive, do you know the other names for this northbound-southbound thoroughfare?

No worries if you don’t, since, of course, I plan on telling you.

Hungerford Drive has quite a few names.

As it proceeds from north to south, it is called Frederick Road, Hungerford Drive and Rockville Pike; however, you can always refer to it as MD-355 to avoid any confusion.

Another important landmark to note on Hungerford Drive, aka 355, is The Fitz.

This garden-style condo building was completed in 2003.

It is located on the northbound side of 355, a few blocks up from the Rockville Volunteer Fire Department.

The Fitz provides a unique amenity for garden-style condos: an elevator…a particularly helpful amenity if you live on a higher floor and want to avoid those pesky stairs.

Once you have arrived at the intersection of Beall Avenue and Maryland Avenue, stop there and do not cross the street.

If you look across Maryland Avenue, you will see the leasing office entrance to The Fenestra.

This mid-rise apartment building debuted in 2008 and consists of 500 units.

Unlike the other buildings that we will look at today, The Fenestra is actually spread out among three buildings throughout Rockville Town Square.

Don’t worry about having to park and walk far though.

Each building has an underground parking garage with direct building access.

Take a right onto Maryland Avenue and proceed south.

Maryland Avenue has a great mix of businesses.

You’ll find the Rockville Memorial Library and a Gold’s Gym location.

There are restaurants like Peter Chang, Sushi Damo, Buffalo Wild Wings and Friendship BBQ offering diverse dining options for lunch and dinner, and morning joints like Vie de France and Starbucks for coffee and pastries.

The center of Rockville Town Square serves as a gathering place for locals, hosting concerts during the summer and housing an ice skating rink during the winter.

Two of my favorite retailers in Rockville have their brick and mortars in Rockville Town Square: Cottage Monet and Shop Local.

Both stores are owned by local women and have fantastic gift options.

You’ll find these retailers on the other side of Maryland Avenue after the entrance to Parking Garages A and B.

If you have kids and are looking to do something creative, Color Me Mine is a great spot to check out.

This paint-your-own ceramics studio encourages hours of fun and engagement for kids and adults alike.

I’ll reconnect with you over there.

Across from Color Me Mine on Maryland Avenue, you’ll see an entrance to the Palladian.

This building has a unique set-up since it serves both as an apartment building and a condo building.

Now, here’s the million-dollar question: What exactly is the difference between an apartment and a condo?

These terms are often used interchangeably to describe a unit or a flat within a building.

When we discuss this matter with rental clients, we usually advise that units within an apartment building are owned by a single business entity, while units within a condo are owned by different, individual owners.

There are rental pros and cons to both.

If you want to know more though, feel free to reach out to us or again, visit rockvilleagents.com.

Back to the Palladian, this mid-rise building was built in 2007 as a condo building with 218 units to sell.

Unfortunately, due to the market at the time, not all of the condo units sold, so the developers decided to convert the remaining 66 units into apartment units managed by First Service Residential. T

Thus, the Palladian currently operates uniquely as both Palladian Apartments and Palladian Condominiums.

Continue south down Maryland Avenue towards E Middle Lane.

Here, you will proceed straight and cross the street.

I’ll pick back up with you again on the other side.

Alright, we’re back.

The building on your left, across E Middle Lane, houses both a hotel and a luxury, hi-rise apartment building, in addition to some smaller store fronts.

The Cambria Hotel Rockville is on the far side of the building from us, closer to 355, while The Upton is closest to us.

Let’s continue south down Maryland Avenue, and I’ll tell you a bit more about The Upton and one of my favorite local joints inhabiting one of the store front portions of the building.

Walk Duration: 1 minutes, 10 seconds – Voice Over Estimate: 1 minute, 15 seconds

Before you see The Upton’s entrance, you will notice a wine and beer shop, Pour Vino N Hops, on the other side of the street.

Like many of the places that I have mentioned, Pour Vino N Hops is locally owned and operated.

It’s a small shop; however, it’s a great spot to stop in, sit at one of the barrel-turned-high-top tables and enjoy a glass of wine or a pint of beer.

Next door to Pour Vino N Hops, you’ll see the entrance to The Upton.

The Upton opened in 2015 and has 263 units with a variety of layouts ranging from studio units to 2 bedroom plus den options.

One of the coolest amenities of The Upton is its unencumbered, panoramic views. To see these spectacular views, you have the option of hanging out in the clubroom with outdoor terrace on the 15th floor or heading to the 16th floor to lounge and grill on the rooftop deck.

Either way, these views are not to be missed.

Continue south on Maryland Avenue and cross Courthouse Square, also known as E Montgomery Avenue.

I’ll meet you a short distance down Maryland Avenue in front of the Red Brick Courthouse.

Now that we are reconnected, let’s take a quick moment to turn around and discuss another condo option in Rockville Town Square: The Victoria.

Here, we are looking at the red brick building with two rows of bay windows and store fronts.

The Victoria was completed in 1991 and consists of three buildings: 20 Courthouse Square, 22 Courthouse Square and 24 Courthouse Square.

20 Courthouse Square is solely commercial space, whereas, 22 Courthouse Square has a mix of residential and commercial units.

24 Courthouse Square has 10 floors dedicated to residential space.

The majority of the units within the Victoria have enclosed sunrooms, though a few of the units, including the 10th floor penthouses in 24 Courthouse Square and all of the residential units in 22 Courthouse Square, have balconies.

Now we can turn back around and continue to head south down Maryland Avenue.

Walk Duration: 1 minutes, 15 seconds – Voice Over Estimate: 57 seconds

The Red Brick Courthouse on your right was completed in 1891.

It is surrounded by 1.5 acres of protected park land.

This park, aptly named Courthouse Square Park, is one of 65 parks in Rockville managed by the City of Rockville.

That doesn’t even begin to factor in all of the other parks managed by the county via Montgomery Parks. If you love being outdoors playing sports or hiking, this is a great place to live.

As you continue down Maryland Avenue, you will notice quite a few Montgomery County municipal buildings in this area, including the Circuit Court on your left and the District Court ahead.

This is because Rockville serves as the county seat.

If you were to continue straight down Maryland Avenue, you would eventually come upon Rockville’s City Hall.

We’ll pick back up at the intersection of E Jefferson Street and Maryland Avenue, across from the District Court.

Well, hello again.

Let’s head east down E Jefferson Street, also known as MD-28, towards Monroe Street.

Walk Duration: 2 minutes – Voice Over Estimate: 1 minute, 20 seconds

To our south, there are a few more apartment buildings to note.

Victory Court Senior Apartments is a 62+, independent living community located on the edge of Rockville Town Square at 209 Monroe Street.

A bit further down from there, you will find other options that still keep you within a mile of Rockville Town Square, such as Park Terrace, Fields of Rockville and Fireside Park Apartments.

Ok, we are a little over our halfway point, and I hope you are hanging in there with me.

I realized that there were a few terms that I neglected to explain earlier, so I am going to go backwards for a bit as we continue to move forwards to the intersection of E Jefferson Street and Monroe Street.

I have spoken a lot about garden-style, mid-rise and hi-rise buildings so far, but did not explain what these adjectives denote, so here it is: Depending on where you are, this verbiage may get tweaked; however, around Rockville, a garden-style condo or apartment building is typically 1-4 floors, a mid-rise is typically 5-9 floors and a hi-rise is typically 10 or more floors.

Hope that helps solidify what you have seen so far today.

I’ll see you again in a few at the cross streets of E Jefferson and Monroe.

No need to cross the street.

We’re going to take a moment to discuss Americana Centre here and then turn left to proceed north on Monroe Street.

The cluster of brick buildings that you see across the street is known as Americana Centre.

This is a condo community built in 1971 with a mix of hi-rise, garden-style and townhome units.

This building includes all utilities in the monthly condo fee, except for cable and internet.

Let’s take that left and head north on Monroe Street.

As we head up Monroe Street, you’ll notice a park north of Americana Centre on your right.

That’s James Monroe Park—another small park consisting of .75 acres that is maintained by the City of Rockville.

It got a recent facelift, and I think it looks great.

North of James Monroe Park, you’ll see Town Center Apartments.

This is a hi-rise apartment providing affordable housing to seniors.

Behind that building, you will notice a bright yellow/orange hi-rise building called Main Street.

Main Street is the newest apartment addition to Rockville Town Square.

It focuses on providing affordable and inclusive housing, including having accommodations for individuals with special needs and disabilities.

There is also another apartment building, north of Town Center Apartments and Main Street, along 355 named Sunrise of Rockville.

Sunrise of Rockville is a senior living community that offers varying levels of care depending on the needs of its residents.

Hope you’re enjoying the walk.

I’ll meet you at the intersection of Monroe Street and E Montgomery Avenue (also known as Courthouse Square).

No need to cross the street. Take a left here onto E Montgomery Avenue and proceed west.

You may notice a bit of construction on your right – maybe not, depending on when you are taking this tour.

This is in preparation for Ansel Apartments, a new hi-rise apartment building expected to open in Fall 2021.

You will also notice quite a few businesses along this corridor including Giuseppi’s Pizza Plus, Amai Crepe, Regal Cinema, Ben and Jerry’s, World of Beer and HOT POT.

Personally, I would highly recommend a stop in Giuseppi’s.

I mean, who doesn’t love an old school pizza parlor?

We’re going to continue down E Montgomery Avenue until we reach the four way stop.

Let’s cross E Montgomery Avenue/Courthouse Square.

And we’re back in front of the Red Brick Courthouse again.

Did you know that this building has faced the prospect of demolition not once, not twice, but multiple times in its history?

Thanks to a great deal of advocacy, its presence at Courthouse Square Park seems to be safe for now, especially since Peerless Rockville is its current inhabitant.

For those that are unfamiliar with Peerless Rockville Historic Preservation, it is a nonprofit founded in 1974 to preserve buildings, objects and information important to Rockville’s heritage.

Another fun fact?

Rockville is Maryland’s third largest city.

I’ll meet you at the cross streets of E Montgomery and N Washington, where we’ll turn right onto N Washington and start our trek back to Dawson’s Market.

And we’re headed north on N Washington.

We’re officially on the west side of Rockville Town Square now, and like the rest of the area, there are some really great restaurants up this way.

If you’re in the mood for Greek food, Trapezaria Mediterranian Kuzina is a great choice.

Plus, East Dumpling House and Woodside Deli in Courthouse Center.

And plenty of small businesses like my friends at Rockville Town Square Cleaners.

We’re going to go straight across E Middle Lane and continue north on N Washington Street.

See you on the other side.

So, as we proceed up on N Washington to bring you back to your car, I figure I’ll start to wind things down and wrap-up.

Thanks for exploring Rockville Town Square with me today.

I hope you enjoyed the tour and learned a lot.

If you have questions about any of the information that you received today or want to learn more about other areas of Rockville, feel free to reach out to us via phone, email or social media.

And before heading back to Parking Garage C, I would recommend grabbing something at one of the vendors, like Dawson’s or Five Guys.

That way, you can get your ticket validated.