New NPR Headquarters
4 05 2009Ever since we heard about the plan to build a new headquarters for NPR last year we have been excitingly waiting to see what the building is going to look like. Development is being handed by Boston properties and the architect selected is Hickok Cole who has put together a preliminary design centered around a huge glass atrium (pictured). Who would have thought that NoMa would be getting another glass building?
NPR will remain at its current location and lease it back from Boston Properties until the new headquarters is ready for occupancy, anticipated in late 2012. The over 300,000 sq-ft development will include space for NPR News’ extensive, broadcast and multimedia operations and a public space for live shows and events. [Rendering: Hickok Cole Architects]
You left out the fact that the new NPR complex will incorporate the existing old telephone company building on the site. So it is actually a more interesting project then the average glass cube.
Looks very impressive from this rendering. I would love to see other angles though. With a move in date of 2012 they should be starting this year I imagine.
On the bright side, it looks like Swampoodle (you know and I know that applying “NoMa” to a 5-block area makes no sense) is getting a distinctive character. If you’re going to create an image in people’s heads when they think of a neighborhood, “big glass buildings” isn’t all that bad. It doesn’t scream “culture”, but it also doesn’t scream all the negative things that people used to associate with that neighborhood back when it was just another dilapidated part of town.
Nice building. They don’t talk about that in their pledge drives.
Does anyone know why Noma is mostly on the east side of North Capitol but includes the area between I street NW, New Jersey Ave NW and Mass ave nw?
Why not have it just the eastern side of North Capitol or everything from Mass Ave up to New Jersey and New York or Florida Ave instead of having that cut out portion on the Northwest side.
Que: Two part answer to your question.
That little chunk is going to be Republic Square. The way that BID democracy works is that if the business is contiguous with the BID’s boundaries and it wants in, it usually gets in. Bigger districts mean more businesses to pay the membership fees, so the core usually likes new members, too. I assume that’s what happened with Republic Square.
The reason NoMa doesn’t include ALL of that chunk of NW is that the rest of it has been designated “Northwest One”, which is an ambitious effort to fix a nasty housing project, but still let poor people live there. See http://www.planning.dc.gov/planning/cwp/view,a,1285,q,634070.asp
[...] DCMetrocentric found the photo first. But I figured I’d post it here as well. This image shows the artistic rendering for the new 360,000-square-foot National Public Radio building designed by Hickok Cole Architects. [...]
[...] details are coming out on the new NPR Headquarters at 1111 N. Capitol St. National Public Radio has announced that Balfour Beatty Construction will be the developer in [...]