DC Metrocentric

Reflecting back on the year that was 2009, we wonder will it be remembered as the year the housing market finally turned around… or perhaps as the year where things really just stalled? What ever it ends up being, there was certainly no shortage of activity in the world of construction, architecture, and development in the Metro area.

During the beginning of last year things were not looking so good, but as of late the picture has been a little more rosy. However even in the face of difficult conditions, the commercial development market continued to buzz with its share of new projects, some good, some not so good.

We finally got to see how some of the new museums on the National Mall are going to look, and watched as the new National Institute of Peace’s flowing arches jumped from rendering to reality.

The more we think about it, 2009 might end up being “the year of the library” as more than a handful of neighborhoods got newly designed bastions to reading, some we liked more than others.

Of course you may have heard that our newest first family moved to town (and no we don’t mean the Real World cast). There were lots of grand openings and parties, some of which reminded us of the extravagance of the good old days!

To make way for all the new development, there was plenty of demolition to go around, but unfortunately some projects ended up not getting much further than being a big hole in the ground.

We can only hope that next year will be as interesting as the last and that the DC Metro Area continues to lead the way as one of the Nations top markets with enough innovative and inspiring architecture to bring us into the next decade!

From everyone here at DCMetrocentric, we wish you a very happy New Year!

[Photo: M.V. Jantzen]

We can not think of a better example of an interior public space more in need of a makeover than L’Enfant plaza. We have spent some time debating the short comings of the retail promenade in the past, and now it seems like our prayers are being answered. JBG companies is planning a $40 million renovation.

The entire complex was built back in the 60s by heavy hitters like IM Pei in that Brutalist style that we all love some much (we hope the sarcasim came across there). As you can see the new design by SmithGroup aims to bring light and open up what is currently a subteranian cramped feeling collection of retail and restaurants.

This is long over due, but what do you think of the renderings, are they an improvement? We can’t imagine that the red entrance will actually end up that bright a color once it’s built, but we can always hope.

One more rendering of the new red entrance from the street… Read the rest of this entry »

There sure have been some amazing sunrises these past couple days, it must be the time of year! This great shot perfectly captures the stunning colors against a great silhouette of all the construction cranes that still are shaping our skyline.

[Photo: Roger Smith]

In what is generally a fairly slow news week, we got our hands on some shinny new renderings of the CSIS project on Rhode Island Avenue in Dupont that we’ve been closely following. The most interesting thing is the new way the entrance to the building has changed with a new moat like feature (pictured above).

This was not in the original facade renderings, but we do like the way it looks. We suspect it was added for security, not looks, but it does add something to the positives column as long as people don’t fall into it! The interiors have also changed, absent is the spiral stair case we saw in previous renderings (we will leave if that is a good or bad thing up to you) check them out after the jump…

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There has been a lot of moving dirt lately over at the National Institutes of Heath (NIH) research campus in Bethesda and the latest major project to get under way is the new $130 million second phase of the Porter Neurosciennce Research Center.

The design by Perkins Will is striving for LEED Platinum certification and plans to include the now common photovoltaic arrays and green roof, but also includes some interesting gray water reuse for the plumbing systems. We can say the design isn’t exactly ground breaking, this is a laboratory after all, but we guess it gets the job done. [Rendering: Perkins Will]

Christmas lights aren’t the only things hanging off of the Eisenhower Old Executive Office building this holidays season, scaffolding has also been a fixture lately on the historic and ornate French Second Empire style building right next to the White House.

Originally built for the State, War and Navy Departments between 1871 and 1888 the building is getting both an interior update and an exterior restoration of the granite, slate and cast iron details. The buildings style has had a lot of detractors over the years, but it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971 ensuring its preservation.

Exterior work started earlier this year and while the Christmas lights will certainly come down before the scaffolding, the work should be finished up in 2010 before next Christmas.

[Photo: M.V. Jantzen]

Anacostia - Construction is just about ready to start on the new 11th Street Bridges. Work will include three entirely new spans between the existing ones with completion by 2013. [JDLand]  

Penn Quarter - Shoveling snow from the sidewalks in front of your property is legally required (pictured below), however it seems a few of the larger residential buildings didn’t get the memo. [PQLiving]

Columbia Heights - This weeks powdered snow was not the best for building snowmen and snow balls, but some folks managed to build a structurally sound 4 ft tall snow fort over at 13th and Harvard. [New Columbia Heights]

An interesting way to shovel the sidewalk. [Credit: William Couch]

Hartland Commons is a new proposed boutique hotel for the Shaw District located on Florida Ave across from the historic Howard Theater. The design includes some interesting use of glazing to bring light into the interior of the building, but we can’t help wondering if the actual project will ever see the light of day (we couldn’t help ourselves).

We like the rendering above, but the one after the jump almost looks like an entirely different utilitarian communist building, who knows which one gives the better impression of how this thing would actually look once built.

What do you think?

Communist looking gray rendering after the jump…

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We just got word that we are one step closer to finally getting started on the development of 45 acres in Arlington into a massive new park. The folks at Donohoe were award the contract to bring new walking trails, athletic fields, and other amenities to the area of land right in between Crystal City, the Potomac, and the Pentagon.

The project includes river overlooks and an aquatic center and will provide area residents with much needed additional access to the river in an area that is currently inaccessible. Don’t worry about the cost either, it is being funded with some bonds from back in 2004 that were set aside for public parks. We are just amazed at how many people they managed to fit into the rendering!

There will officially be one less place to look at glossy pictures of luxury homes in the Washington DC areas come January. We got word earlier that the five year old magazine Washington Spaces’ final publication will be the November/December issue.

The magazines publisher is a subsidy of the Washington Post, and we must say we were a little surprised at the news. Despite the economy, the magazine apparently had over 80,000 subscribers. 

On another note, since editorial cycles generally are many months, we bet there are a bunch of articles that were written that will end up going unpublished… so we will put this offer out there, any authors who are interested in finding a new venue shoot us an email and we will publish your piece, we will even pay you something (though it may be in Starbucks gift cards). Let the emailing begin: DCMetrocentric@gmail.com

Station Place right next to Union Station is just about ready for the last of its tenants. The massive development, once complete will have over 1.5 million square feet of office space and the first two buildings are already occupied by the Security and Exchange Commission. 

If it feels like these buildings have been under construction forever, it’s because they have… the project broke ground in 2002. [Photo: Takomabibelot]

With the Federal government closed for the day and most construction sites and office buildings closed as well, downtown is feeling like a bit of a ghost town. However the cold sure isn’t keeping area photographers from being out and about… here are a few of our favorite shots.

[Photos Credit: Baskin, Capitol Hill Watcher, John C Peirce]

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Your weekly chance to take a stab at real estate appraisal.

Well your guesses are in and counted, and the actual list price on the historic summer home site of Grover Cleveland is listed for a hefty $8,900,000. They are clearly banking on the history here.

You may have heard that Costco is coming to the new Fort Lincoln development in NE, and now it sounds like it isn’t going to cost the District as much as first thought to bring in the mega retailer. Councilman Kwame Brown, chair of the Economic Development Committee, says a development featuring Costco and Target should only need around $15 million in assistance from the city.

The groundbreaking is set for 2010 on the development that also includes a Target and other retail. [Photo: DaveYDaacon]

A bi-weekly take on the area from our friends at UrbanTurf.com

Top Five Posts of 2009

Choosing the best from the best is a fairly difficult task. There were plenty of articles written for UrbanTurf this year that justifiably deserved a place on our annual Top 5 List, but when it came down to it, only a few made the cut.  

Read the rest of this entry on UrbanTurf.com »