Chinatown Arch Refurbishment
17 07 2009If you’ve been through Chinatown lately you may have noticed the iconic Gateway Arch is all covered up. Work is now underway to refurbish the arch to its original architectural grandeur. The DC Commission on the Arts an Humanities is leading the effort to repaint and replace the woodwork and should finish up by the end of summer.
[Photo: Otavio_DC]
With all of DC’s budget problems, was refurbishing this arch, as beautiful as it might be, really necessary?
agreed. did dccah pay for this initially? odd that they’re the organization to fund refurbishing and that the company thats doing it started before dccah selected them.
agreed. i thought this looked fine. It looked like it was brand new. someone is spending money to justify their budget.
Woodwork is often damaged beneath paint. From the street I bet that the damage was not really apparent.
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. ”
So because DC is having to tighten its fiscal belt, we’re supposed to let art, and the sites that make DC DC, crumble? What isn’t corrected today will take greater cost and effort to correct later.
I’m with Bill. The arch was starting to look shabby. Because of its location, people touch the base, and birds perch on the top, almost 24/7. The constant contact with living beings means that even a small crack or raw spot can turn into rot or mold very quickly.
The arch has never been repaired since its installation and the exterior is deteriorating. Also, the arch is subject to significant wind impact which adds to the wear on its structure and exterior.
[…] Chinatown – A shrouded Chinatown arch under repair. [DC Metrocentric] […]
Do we even need the arch there it really isn’t much of a Chinatown anyway its mostly a bunch of chain restaurants with Chinese writing instead of truly authentic Chinese restaurants and stores.
Of course we need the arch. It is finely crafted and very beautiful.