See Pike + Rose under construction

The future site of Pike + Rose.

When finished, Pike + Rose will be a new neighborhood 5 times the size of Bethesda Row. But for now, the 24-acre site at Rockville Pike and Montrose Parkway is doing double duty. On one side, it’s still Mid-Pike Plaza, a 1960’s-era strip mall that continues to do business. But at the end of the shopping center, where Toys ‘R’ Us used to be, it abruptly becomes a construction site.

Where Mid-Pike’s parking lot ends today, there will one day be a bustling urban street (or so we hope). The first phase of Pike + Rose, which will contain an office building, an apartment building, ground floor retail, and a movie theatre, should open next year. Eventually, the entire site will be demolished and rebuilt.

There’s nowhere in White Flint where the contrast between present and future is more pronounced. But for now, it’s just another afternoon of shopping and hanging out and Mid-Pike Plaza. Check out these photos of construction at Pike + Rose and click here to see a slideshow with more photos.

Looking into the Pike + Rose construction site. This will eventually be a new street called Grand Park Avenue.

Business as usual at Mid-Pike Plaza while its replacement rises in the background.