ArchiCritic: Convention Center
16 04 2009Everyone has an opinion on architecture, what’s yours?
By Spencer Lepler
I moved to DC after the old convention center had already been torn down, and as a result the only convention center I’ve known has been the series of buildings that start less than a block away. But this doesn’t mean that I don’t know the old convention center; every time I go to metro center I see its ghost. Sometimes the absence of a building can have as much of an architectural influence as the original.
In the case of the convention center, the large void left between H street NW, New York Avenue, 11th NW and 9th NW is an unmistakable scar on the landscape. The sudden opening up of the metropolitan “canyon” into a broad “plain” of asphalt and vehicles is a jarring reminder that this space used to be filled with a purpose. When I look at the void, I can see what the building’s shape must have been; the way the surrounding buildings address the void gives me hints as to how the old convention center must have engaged the street. I can never really know what its form was, but I have a good idea.
The hole that is felt in the physical density of the surrounding neighborhood tells a story as much about the action of the old building being torn down as the inaction of nothing new being built. This space escaped the heady construction haze of the past few years and remains for all intents and purposes a vacant lot. With a little research I found that one of the planned purposes for this site was a library annex, but as with most things in the district, red tape, congressional oversight and a lack of funds doomed the project.
I can only guess how this neighborhood would feel if a new building was constructed on this site: it would be like the rest of downtown, a canyon of glass and steel with too many cars parked on the side of the street. The current surface lot and express bus “terminal” fill an important need for the city, I only wish there was a more architectural way to achieve these goals. While the sun-shaded “Green Path” with its metal benches, glass artwork panels and astroturf (pictured above) provides a pleasant waiting area for the bargain buses on sunny days, it does little to provide shelter during bad weather, and though the surface lot provides much needed off street parking, it could be accomplished in a more urban and environmentally friendly manner. A multi-level underground garage would accomplish the same function but provide a greater density of parking space while leaving the surface free for new greener uses.
Ideally something should be done with this site that respects the story of its past. The convention center housed more than just home and garden and trade shows. From the Congressional Black Caucus to the Washington Drag Academy, the old convention center was a place that many parts of the Washington, DC community for a brief moment called home. As such any new construction on this site should be some something that can serve all the parts of this city, just as the old convention center did. And until that happens, I will continue to see the old building’s ghost every time I take a bus to New York.
Spencer Lepler is an intern (unlicensed) architect who has lived and worked in the DC metro area since 2005. He posts on a semi-regular basis to his blog – selophane.com. He hopes to be licensed by the year end.
The mixed use City Center development is apparently still slated to be built on the site, with first phase completed by 2011, though ground hasn’t been broken yet.
[Photo: grace*c*]
point taken, but the old convention center was nothing to be loved.
Agreed. It’s a shame the site has sat empty for so long, but the old convention center was a momumental eye sore that depressed the aesthetic views of the area for residents and feel of the city for visitors.
I wish you’d mentioned more about the CityCenterDC development. I believe it’s set to break ground this fall, and it will be a truly great mixed -use project. It will restore the streetgrid, create public space, bring 24/7 life, and serve as THE retail destination for downtown, the city, and the metropolitan area. Night and day when compared to what was there.
It should have been turned into a park. We need more green space in DC. When else are we going to have this much track of land. Build “City Center” somewhere else.
i’m definitely one to lament the loss of old architecture.
but not the old convention center.
it was the epitome of a block killer.
for two blocks.
it made h feel like a canyon and new york ave feel like a wasteland.
the 9th street side…as i recall .. had some unattractive elements of streetscaping.
it was a monument to the uninspired.
the parking lot is more attractive.
and i’m not a fan of parking lots.
I agree with Justin … hasn’t the time for mourning this barren space come and gone?\
I hate that I’m saying this, but yes: The parking lot is more attractive than the old CC. 1960s/70s planning and architechture at its worst. I’m eager to see the City Center break ground, but I’m OK with seeing the memory of the old CC fade away.
AC/DC and James Brown played shows at the old convention center when I was a teenager in the mid 80s.
Aside from that, though, it sucked a great sucking a thousand times over. I’m interested to see the new development get underway there.
The old convention center was a giant concrete bunker, an architectural eyesore and an unfortunate dead zone downtown.
I’m w/ Justin, the post certainly should have included mention of the pending City Center project. Sure it is unfortunate that things are not moving faster than they are but given the current economic climate it is par for the course. When completed it will help tie together the CBD w/Chinatown and the Mass Ave developments.
As far as parking lots go this one is not so bad either. It has some Low Impact Development zones around the perimeter to help with rainwater run off, a (somewhat successful) art exhibit/gathering space, and has served as a venue for homeless soccer championships (awesome), DC pro team tennis, and the circus amongst otherthings.
CityCenter Master Plan
Have to disagree with Paul– CityCenter should definitely be built. This area already has lots of green space. The Old Convention Center site is 2 blocks from Franklin Square, and 6 blocks from the National Mall. Penn Quarter has several pedestrian plazas like the Navy Memorial and the Police Memorial. And the plans for CityCenter call for a new park in the triangle bounded by 10th St, 11th St and New York Avenue anyway.
Navy Memorial is green space?
Green space if you count the green water in the fountain.
let me pile on…i’m glad that old semi-brutalist nightmare is gone. it killed the neighborhood, plain and simple. this is one of the only times in my life that i would say a parking lot is an improvement over a vertical structure.