Established in 1980, The Wilkes Company's mission is to develop and build for the long term while enhancing the built environment. We believe that transit-oriented, mixed-use development incorporating design excellence, animated streets, public art and sustainability is an essential element of a vibrant urban community like Washington, DC.

Company History

The Wilkes Company was founded by its Chairman, Charles C. (Sandy) Wilkes, in 1980. Berkeley M. Shervin joined the company not long after, in 1982. Mr. Shervin is a partner and serves as President and Chief Operating Officer. Together, Mr. Wilkes and Mr. Shervin have established The Wilkes Company as a leading real estate development company in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.

The company's focus has been on developing transit-oriented mixed-use projects, hotels, shopping centers, and industrial facilities in the District of Columbia as well as in Fairfax, Prince George's, Calvert, St. Mary's and Prince William Counties.

The Wilkes Company maintains a special interest in Washington, DC. With Quadrangle Development Corporation, we are in the final phases of developing Mount Vernon Place, a 2.1 million square foot mixed-use project that includes several city blocks downtown in the Mount Vernon Triangle neighborhood. To date, two office building (AIPAC headquarters and the DC Bar headquarters) and five residential mixed-use projects have been completed, consisting of 334 condominium units across two buildings (Madrigal Lofts and The Sonata); 234 rental apartment units in The Lyric at 440 K; and 325 rental apartment units in The Lydian at 400 K. The Cantata at 811 Third Street with 275 units has recently been completed, and The Crosby at 300 K will be delivered in Spring 2024.

The company also developed the historic Henley Park Hotel on Massachusetts Avenue, NW with Coakley & Williams and renovated and adapted for office use the historic parochial school at St. Mary's Church on Fifth Street, NW. We built what is now the 200-room Fairfield Inn on H Street, NW. Other current projects include a planned 120-unit residential building in the Brookland neighborhood of Washington, DC and a 130,000 square foot office building at the Rhode Island Avenue Metro Station.

The Wilkes Company portfolio includes over a million square feet of warehouse/distribution space. We have assembled transit-oriented sites throughout the metropolitan region and, after subdivision and/or rezoning, leased them as interim uses to regional and national tenants. Representative holdings include properties leased to McDonald's, Auto Zone, Ourisman Automotive Group, Penske, Tag B Parking, and Compass Coffee. We developed and own a number of Extra Space self-storage facilities located throughout the region.