City Center In, Library Out
12 05 2008Well we can finally stop calling it the old convention center development, Hines Archstone announced today that the new name will be City Center DC. Unfortunately they also announced plans for a four-star 400-room hotel on parcel B (pictured) which had originally been slated for a new central DC library.
Despite the announcement getting a lot of press today, doesn’t it feel like they were trying to slip this one by? We were excited for a new central library, area residents would have benefited a lot more from the library then they will from the new hotel.
The hotel for the convention center and the library are two top priorities. So it is good we will be getting one of them, but a new city library or renovated MLK library must stay a high priority. A new library could give us a chance to redeem ourselves design-wise for the hideous MLK library, I don’t care how famous the architect is, it wasn’t pulled off well. Not to mention, it would be a great asset to people in the surrounding area and all around the city, there are some incredible city libraries in the country and we should have one too.
So I guess that means we are stuck with MLK in Penn Quarter for another 30 years? Are they at least going to refurbish?
This new development is named “City Center DC”. The Mayor endorses this new name.
There is a “Center City Action Agenda” for D.C. that outlines neighbourhoods in the central core of D.C. In this document by the DC Office of Planning, the area where the newly endorsed “City Center DC” is, this same area is called the “Mount Vernon Square District”. In the same document, Penn Quarter doesn’t even exist - a name that is more established than any of these new ones. In international media such as magazines, journals, and newspapers, the name Penn Quarter shows up often.
http://planning.dc.gov/planning/frames.asp?doc=/planning/lib/planning/city_center_action_agenda/the_opportunity.pdf
Is this a lack of planning on even the most basic level?
So, who thinks this is going to be confusing?
I’m actually excited to see a hotel going up in that area. I think it will be a good anchor to draw more people to the area and a way for travellers to see the new DC. Hey, anything that helps get rid of the Barry stigma is a good thing in my book. That said, the MLK Library is a wretched building and needs to go. I would love to see DC build a world-class library downtown.
I kind of like the MLK Library building. What I don’t like is the fact that homeless people live there.
Why doesn’t the city build a modernist annex to and renovate the building in Mt Vernon Square (a la The Louvre)? It is a beautiful old building and there is plenty of room to grow. Plus, as near as I can tell, the building is vacant right now.
Blame the new Convention Center for that change… After dropping the ball on getting the “Convention Center Hotel” up and running in time for conventions, DC is doing everything they can to keep conventioneers on this side of the river… gotta keep them coming in town instead of going to… cough cough… that other convention center. Will be tourist central once this place goes up, with the three new convention center hotels, and the several already surrounding this lot.
The MLK library = Seagrams building but someone forgot the other 40 stories. Not a good look. I like Ted’s idea.
I like Ted’s idea too. The library is not wonderful but how could we justify public funds to just throw it out and build a new one? Let’s fix it up. Anyway, since that whole street cleaned up the library does not seem as bad. Meanwhile, a hotel by the Convention Center is critical.
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