Though we have yet to see a Halloween house as over the top as the one we showed you last year, we have seen some great holiday spirit. When you are out tonight trick or treating, or bar hopping… make sure you check out the decorations in your neighborhood.
Seen any really great houses in your neck of the woods? Send us a pic and we will post it. DCMetrocentric (at) gmail.com
We have seen a lot of things in architectural renderings over the years, but never advertisements. This rendering is of a proposed development in Vernon Heights designed by Gaver Nichols Architects. Right there hanging off the side wall is a huge ad for Movado watches.
We don’t get it, renderings are used to show people how new buildings will look in their neighborhood and a big old ad isn’t really going to win many people over. The only thing we can think of is they were looking for something to cover the huge brick wall and the rendering program didn’t have any ivy or lattice work… any thoughts?
Why oh why do bad things happen to good buildings? We love this building at the corner of 4th and Rhode Island avenue even though it has fallen into disrepair. The details are just incredible especially the cornice molding and brickwork at the top corner. Will someone please buy this building and restore it to it’s former glory?
[Photo: The Courtyard]
Apparently there is some growing concern over the $700 million Northwest One project because of the current market downturn. The combination of the 1,000 market rate condos and the recent drop in value of federal low-income housing tax credits is creating a bad situation that jeopardizes the massive development.
The WBJ is reporting that in order to make up the shortfalls and keep the momentum of the project going, the city may increase the funding from the D.C. Council or add more market-rate units at other sites that have a better potential to sell quickly. We just hope the District doesn’t take any unnecessary risks.
A bi-weekly take on the area from our friends at UrbanTurf.com
Leaning Left: Top DC-Area Zip Codes Supporting Barack Obama
Earlier this week, UrbanTurf examined the DC-area zip codes that look to be supporting John McCain for president. Today, in our second installment, we look at the areas in DC, Maryland and Virginia that seem to be favoring Barack Obama.
The lighting in these photos by Lindsay Punk is what initially caught our eye. Using HDR with the photos taken at night has created this almost neon glow that just looks incredible. How much do you want a big blown up version of these hung up in your living room?
The photo to the left is of the Aerospace building across from L’enfant Plaza, and the second photo is of the plaza of the National Gallery of Art. You have got to check out the rest of the photo set all taken in this incredible lighting up on flickr. Stunning, just stunning!
The Howard Town Center complex is a project that has long been in the works but never really made it past the design phase. The concept is for a two-acre, mixed-use town center near the Howard University campus. This rendering by Goetz Group Architects attempts to create a more human scale for the development by breaking up the plane of the larger building into different parts, though we aren’t sure how effective that will be given the large modern overhangs.
This building is not like anything else in that neighborhood, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. With the land swap earlier this year, all the pieces are in place to finally get this development going, but it remains to be seen what the finished building will actually look like. We can’t imagine a design that is this edgy will ever fully make it off the drawing board. What do you think of the design?
[Rendering: GGA]
A bi-weekly take on the area from our friends at UrbanTurf.com
Leaning Right: Top DC-Area Zip Codes Supporting John McCain
With less than a week to go before the election, UrbanTurf decided to do some research to find out which DC-area zip codes are supporting John McCain and which are supporting Barack Obama. Today, we take a look at the top three zip codes in DC, Maryland and Virginia that look to be favoring Senator McCain, and tomorrow we will do the same for Senator Obama.
Sometimes demolition has to take a measured piece by peice approach. At 1812 Moore Street in Rosslyn, they couldn’t just knock down the building because of the adjacent metro station and proximity of other buildings. As a result, over the last few weeks the building has slowly been dismantled to make way for a much taller new building.
Got any great demo pictures you want to share? We love to hear from you! DCMetrocentric (at) gmail.com
[Photo: Mrs. Gemstone]
In honor of the World Series this week between the Phillies and Rays, we dug up this cool photo from 1912. This is a baseball game reproducer from the Washington Post showing the results of the 1912 World Series. Crowds would gather on the street in front of the Post’s building to watch the entire game. The closest thing this area has now is that big screen on the ABC building in Rosslyn, but it’s not really as cool.
[Photo: Harris & Ewing Collection - Shorpy]
The sign for the old Waterside Mall, one of the last remnants of the failed urban renewal, has finally come down and construction is already well underway to replace the old mall with a great looking new set of buildings. This demolition also makes way to finally reconnect 4th street to M street SW which has been closed for over 40 years.
Guess they didn’t want to just take down the sign either… they completely demolished that thing! [Photo: Liliang]
The District has taken another step towards the major redevelopment plan for the St. Elizabeths Hospital campus in Southeast. The newly announced plan uses the already discussed move of the new Department of Homeland Security HQ to the empty boarded up mental hospital to promote development and bring in businesses.
The District seeks to build a mix of offices, restaurants and shops to create a town square-style center, which would draw business from the new workers and residents who live nearby. The eventual developments could total over 3 million in space by the time the plan is fully built out.
A lot of credit for the project goes to Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton who has been a champion for development south of the Anacostia for years. When we spoke with the Congresswomen back in June, this was one of the projects she said she was most excited about… and we can’t help but be excited too!
[Photo: Goldmember]
Shaw - The plans for a diner/comedy club/yoga studio/dance company at 14th and T won’t see the light of day… The developer has sold the space to a big-box furniture store. [GGreater Washington]
Penn Quarter - The former Equitable Bank building that for the last few years served as Club Platinum and Teen Club Bounce was ceremoniously shut down this week. Any ideas for what should replace it? [PQLiving]
Mt Vernon Triangle - Debate rages over to pros and cons of preservation centered around the plans for the corner of 6th and K street NW. [The Triangle]
The gorgeous flowing new Arena Stage being built in Southwest is getting closer and closer to being complete. The exterior of the new section is now completely up and the supports for the glass canopy lobby over the older section are now in place. The orange framework you see in the photo is a cantilever support system for the curved walls that we’ve never really seen used in this area.
Anyone know more about this construction method?
[Photo: Daquella Manera]
