D.C.’s Design Guru

Herb Heiserman ’90, M.Arch. ’92 is a guy with simple tastes. He loves milkshakes, mashed potatoes and sloppy Joes. The architect’s downtown Bethesda office, just steps from the Metro in a converted food court space, is furnished with Ikea pieces, delivery pallets and flea market finds.

But take one step into the most popular restaurants in Washington, D.C., and it’s clear his work is anything but basic.

Murals throughout Tico evoke fun with Latin-American flair; stacks of firewood above the kitchen create a rustic feel at the Red Hen in up-and-coming Bloomingdale; a hanging herb garden and classic Greek tiles bring the Mediterranean to Arlington, Va., at Kapnos Taverna (which will open a third branch in Fall 2016 at The Hotel at the University of Maryland).

As a managing principal at Streetsense, Heiserman works with more than 130 people, from experienced architects like himself to financial gurus and marketing whizzes—and even a chef—to conceptualize and construct D.C.’s latest culinary, retail and hospitality offerings.

“Some might call us a one-stop shop, but we’re better—we’re experts in all these areas,” he says. “We tell our clients, ‘You are the artist, and I am the painter.’ We’re the ones that get that story on the canvas.”

Heiserman was inspired by his architect father to get into the field, coming to Maryland in hopes of getting into the architecture program. Distracted along the way by the fun of college life, including joining the fraternity Tau Kappa Epsilon, he wasn’t accepted until what was supposed to be his senior year. Then he stayed to earn his master’s degree.

His main goal after graduation was to grow his dad’s three-person practice, based in Bethesda. Within five years, 26 people were working at the Heiserman Group, focusing on restaurant chains expanding in the D.C. area in the 1990s and early 2000s.

“Starbucks at the time created community,” says Heiserman, who estimates he designed more than 100 of its coffee shops. “Suburbia was expanding outside the Beltway. First came the rooftops, then the retail to anchor the community.”

Other clients included Panera, Five Guys, Hair Cuttery and Sport and Health Clubs. But when the housing bubble burst and the recession hit in 2008, Heiserman had to rethink his business model.

Luckily, he found an opportunity with some childhood friends working together in the real estate business: Marc Ratner, Guy Silverman and Jeff Pollak. While he focused on individual store designs and experiences, they concentrated on mixed-use development and planning.

“We both wanted to create neighborhoods,” Heiserman says.

They officially merged in 2010. Since then, they’ve expanded Streetsense’s scope beyond planning and design, and their clientele now includes hotels, university libraries and shopping areas, in addition to restaurants.

Though the Streetsense team customizes every space, certain trends have emerged in recent years, particularly as restaurateurs seek to appeal to a younger, more casual generation of diners that prioritizes fresh food over starched tablecloths.

“We want to be respectful of the space that’s already there,” Heiserman says. “When you inherit good guts, like brick walls, you want to incorporate that into elegant design. When you walk on a real wood floor, that speaks to the authenticity of the food and the music, and it stimulates all the senses.”

One of his biggest projects now is transforming the third floor of the swanky Tysons Galleria into a dining destination. Though he can’t reveal any specifics yet, he’s recruited top local chefs to create eight “culinary experiences” throughout the space, which will open around Labor Day 2016.

“I’m an architect but also a storyteller,” Heiserman says.

WANT TO GET A TASTE of Streetsense’s designs—as well as some of the best food and drink in town? Check out Heiserman’s fantasy dining day: