If you know Sandlot DC, you know the vibes. The music, the people, the energy, the way a forgotten corner of the city suddenly feels like the place to be. And now, Suite Nation, the events and design firm led by Ian Callender and Kevin Hallums that turned vacant lots into cultural playgrounds from Anacostia to Buzzard Point, is officially taking its magic to the heart of Washington. Sandlot DC is opening a brand-new location, Sandlot Downtown @ District Center, in January 2026.
This next chapter is huge. The brand-new SandlotDowntown will take over 15,000 square feet of unused retail space inside 555 12th Street NW, transforming a long-vacant former Crunch Fitness into a fresh cultural engine for the city. The space sat empty for five years before Ian Callender saw possibility where the rest of downtown saw dust.
“Identifying vacant space is easy, occupying it is hard, but Leslie Smith of MetLife made this opportunity so seamless, and with the Department of Buildings Pop Up Permit Program, we can now turn an old gym space that has been vacant for 5 years into an active cultural arts and entertainment facility in the heart of Downtown for the next couple of years. Talk about a Creative Community Collaboration,” Callender told MVEMNT.
The opportunity came together unexpectedly but right on time. A chance meeting with developers at an Arena Social Arts Club event set everything in motion, and Callender jumped at the opportunity to expand Suite Nation’s footprint in the District. “I just fell in love with 555. It’s clean, and it’s exactly what works, as far as turning something on relatively quickly, instead of waiting for the story of a commercial real estate broker trying to find a home-run tenant that might take years,” Callender previously told the Washington Business Journal.
For those who have watched Sandlot grow from a one-time 2018 MLB All-Star pop-up into one of the most influential cultural brands in DC, this is another big moment. Callender and his team have already repurposed over 200,000 square feet of abandoned or underutilized real estate since 2010, partnering with more than 16 different property owners to bring their vision of community, creativity, and culture to life. Downtown is next.
To Callender, this space represents more than another location. It represents alignment, timing, and a city that’s still full of potential. District Center’s ownership group, led by MetLife Investment Management, sees Sandlot as a major value-add. Leslie Smith shared that bringing the concept to the building fits into the broader goal of strengthening community presence and boosting foot traffic.
“These types of activations help generate energy and foot traffic, which benefits existing tenants and makes the building more attractive to prospective long-term occupants,” Smith said.
The timing also aligns with other cultural investments in the area, including the planned Netflix office and entertainment space just around the corner. Callender intends to leverage the proximity to these developments, along with the building’s on-site parking garage, to make Sandlot Downtown a true hub.
Suite Nation is currently winding down its Gallery Space location at 737 Seventh Street NW. That venue hosted major events, including the welcome center for WorldPride, and will end its run with a pop-up WWE Superstore event tied to John Cena’s final match. Rising rent pushed the team to exit, but Callender is proud of the impact it made. “The Gallery Space program, it was exactly what we discussed with the Chinatown task force,” he said.
Even with that closure, Sandlot’s momentum is only growing. What started in 2019 with the first Southwest location has now expanded into five sites across the region, with more on deck. A Northeast location is coming soon, which will officially give Sandlot a presence in all four quadrants of the city, and there are active conversations about a future location in New Carrollton.
And now? They’re stepping into the center of the city with a brand-new canvas. DC’s cultural future has another anchor point on the way, and it’s coming with 15,000 square feet of possibility.
Sandlot Downtown opens January 2026 at 555 12th Street NW.
Cover photo: Sandlot DC Is Expanding Again, Set to Bring a New Cultural Community Hub to Downtown D.C./Photo credit: Suite Nation