Rugo assembled its in-house team of designers, drafters, shop masons, and mosaic artists to create a stunning example of craft in a classic building.
This classic, Ionic-style former Riggs National Bank has been purchased by Michael Milken and converted to the Center for the American Dream to encourage entrepreneurialism. Located one block from the White House, the building houses several grand banking halls. The first phase of Rugo’s involvement was to assist in the design, material selection, and execution of the grand lobby entrance. Rugo used a number of striking marbles and hand-cut mosaics to combine modern interior design with the antiquity of the building exterior.
The floor features three preassembled, hand-cut marble mosaics, all cut and assembled in Rugo’s in-house mosaic studio. These large mosaic panels are surrounded by elegant banding of Irish Connemara, hand-selected to show the gradation from light green to dark green. The balance of the flooring is first-choice Crema Marfil from the Cotto quarry, selectively sawn to eliminate all mud seams. The borders and bands are in Verde Issorie, Corinthian Beige, and Rainforest Brown. Once complete with fabrication, the entire floor was dryset in our studio to ensure a perfect fit. The desk features solid monolith, radial-faced base pieces, and monolithic countertops out of specially sawn 4cm material. The lobby base is also 4cm Corinthian Beige and features a complicated sloping top with a 1/8”-set back.
Rugo also produced special lettering cut from Bronze and inlaid into the marble with zero joint. The lettering forms the prosperity formula created by Mr. Milken.
Location: 1501 – 1505 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC
Completion: 2021
Owner: Akridge Development
Architect: Shalom Baranes Architects
General Contractor: Grunley Construction Company Inc.
Services: Design, Material Selection, Fabrication, and Execution
