DC Metrocentric

It’s not all about super slick modern design in our fair city, sometimes the preservation of older functional design features like this water tower really do it for us! Water towers are fairly common in other cities like NYC, but in DC they are rare, which is probably why we were so impressed when we saw this one out the window while we were in NoMa at Artomatic last weekend. The NoMa Station project has repainted their old water tower old school style and it looks great.

[Photo: DCMetrocentric]

The construction of the Arlington Memorial Bridge was apparently authorized by Congress after then President Warren G. Harding was caught in a three-hour traffic jam. Built in 1931 as a connection to Arlington National Cemetery, the neo-classical bridge design included a draw bridge (picture) which has since been sealed shut. You can also see the temporary buildings built on the National Mall during World War I which served as barracks and offices all the way until after World War II.

We just love old timey photos!!! [Photo Credit: NPS]

Look familiar? Amazingly over the last 70 years the buildings at the corner of 18th Street and Columbia Road NW have remained mostly unchanged other than the Peoples Drug Store being replaced by a McDonald’s. The name Adams Morgan actually didn’t come into use until the 1950s from the names of the two area High Schools.

[Photo Credit: LeRoy O. King Jr.]

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Many people are aware that the original layout of the city of Washington was designed in 1791 by Major Charles L’Enfant and subsequently reestablished in 1901 by the McMillian Commision. For the most part (at least in National Mall area) the vision was realized. However we are really sad the some of the design for the southern half of the mall as pictured, and all those gardens were never realized.

The “Congress house” and the “President’s palace,” as L’enfant termed them, were the cardinal features of L’Enfant’s plan; and these edifices he connected “by a grand avenue four hundred feet in breadth, and about a mile in length, bordered by gardens, ending in a slope from the houses on each side.”

However the “southern pavilion” (shown in the lower right of the drawing) was never built. Currently all you find is the rental facilities for the tital basin paddle boats. Maybe congress will convene a second McMillan Commission 2.0 to re-re-establish the original plans? We can dream right? Then maybe they will build the South Capitol Street Mall toward the new stadium too.

So what part of the old plans would you keep and what should have gone?

Our good buddy Perez Hilton was in town this past weekend for the Washington Correspondents dinner, and in addition to commenting on all the celebs in attendance he managed to say this, about the buildings in our fine town.

And you know what? We really agree with Perez! There are not enough of the beautiful historic buildings around anymore! Oh and Union Station is definitely nicer than NYC’s Penn Station! [Perez on DC’s Architecture]

If you have been down 16th St NW in Dupont recently, you may have noticed the massive yellow banners announcing the court order sale of the famous Toutorsky mansion and former bed and breakfast. The gorgeous neo-Belgian style mansion was originally built in 1893 and is one of the largest remaining building of this style in the District.

The building was originally built for Supreme Court justice, Henry Billings Brown, famous for his writing the majority opinion in the infamous Plessy v. Ferguson case which justified racial segregation.

Word is that the sale is due to the current owner filing chapter 11 bankruptcy, but it is not exactly clear. So if you’re interested and have around 7 million bucks to drop, sealed bids on the 17,000-sq ft historic mansion are due by this Wednesday April 30th.

[Photo Credit: Joanne Lawton-WBJ]

Built in 1887 to house the Pension Bureau and transformed into a museum by an act of congress, the National Building Museum is truly DCMetrocentric’s museum mecca!

The reason should be obvious considering the museum celebrates architecture, design, engineering, construction, and urban planning. This cool shot is of the buildings distinctive columns being built over one hundred year ago!

The National Building Museum’s huge Corinthian Columns (some of the largest in the world) really provide a stunning setting for the interior of the building and often serves as a great backdrop for many of our towns grand charity galas. The photo really shows the scale of the columns!

Speaking of museums, Penn Quarter Living reported on a new one going in on the corner of 14th & G St NW. The historic building is being fully restored  for the Armenian Genocide Museum of America. The current Hahn shoe store facade will be completely removed and the building will be restored based on period photos of the original look. [Flickr Photo: iandavid]

It’s now been just over a year since the District lost its historic Eastern Market in SE to a late night fire. Luckily this market will not suffer the fate of many others in DC and is being fully restored to it’s original 1873 design. In the mean time the temporary tents have been working well for the vendors and residents!

Photographer Erin M was on the scene the day of the fire, and revisited the market a year later to document how things are progressing.

You can see that the building is all boarded up now, but the boards have beautiful paintings on them depicting the city and it’s residents. The good news is that the market hall restoration (dispite a cost of $30 million) is still on track for the grand reopening next year!

Another comparison shot of the main entrance after the jump…

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Once located on the current site of the City Vista development on Fifth Street, NW between K and L, stood the architecturally stunning Northern Liberty Market. During the turn of the last century, our city was once filled with grand market buildings like this one, serving the residents year round. Unfortunately the building was demolished in 1985, which was a loss of a real architectural gem in our opinion!

It’s always curious how other major cities around the world like London, Paris, and others managed to keep many of the similar style buildings from the time period preserved, while the District has knocked almost all of them down! At least the new City Vista will have a Busboys and Poets!

[Photo: WashingtonTimes via Rockcreek]

Big news for residents in Anacostia who live in some of the neighborhoods older historic homes, Mayor Fenty just announced almost $900,000 worth of grants specifically targeted at preservation.

The grants will be used to restore and repair houses in one of the District’s oldest historic area. 

It’s nice to see the DC gov investing money in an area that’s not necessarily an overly popularized trendy area, what with the Great Streets work along MLK Blvd and other projects recently.

Though there is always more which can be done, these grants will go a long way for the low to moderate income households they are going to be given to. The work will most likely be on the turn of the century wood-frame houses which are most prevalent in Anacostia. Visit the DC Historic Preservation Office’s site to get more information and see if you might qualify! 

Pictured by the way is what’s apparently the oldest home in Anacostia dating from the 1870s. We always wonder how some of the newer homes being built right now will hold up after over a hundred years? [Photo: stgermh]

You may have heard that the Pope is coming to the US this week, that is unless you are living under a rock! Pope Benedict XVI’s arrival at Andrews Air Force Base this afternoon marks the beginning of his 6 day visit to the United States.

During the visit, the Pope is going to be visiting some of the great buildings in modern Christianity, including incredible examples of classic architectural styles. Tomorrow (also the Pope’s Birthday) the Pope will be meeting with President Bush in the morning and then holding services at The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception which is the largest Roman Catholic church in North America.

Located on the campus of Catholic University, the Basilica was was designed by Shahan and McKenna in 1919 and church construction began in 1920 under John McShain. The building wasn’t fullly opened untill 1959 and it is designated as a National Historic Landmark on the National Register of Historic Places. The design is unique from many other Gothic Catholic churches and follows a very cool Byzantine-Romanesque style.

The Pope tour will also visit Saint Patrick’s Cathedral in New York (largest Gothic church in the US), as well as the MLB Stadiums in DC and NY. More information about the Papal Visit here on the USCCB blog.  

[Flickr Photo: DRStout]

We bet you didn’t realize that you almost always have little architectural drawings of some of our cities most famous buildings right in your pocket! This incredible shot by Brendon McKeon uses a wide angle lens with a small aperture to take photos of the buildings which inspired the likeness on our currency. 

Pictured fittingly is the treasury building on the $10, you can find the shots of the other buildings and bills on Brendon’s flickr site, but not the $1 bill because the pyramid with the eye obviously isn’t real! [Flickr Photo: Musely]

Closed since the 1980s, the historic Howard Theater is poised to be refurbished to its former glory. In it’s heyday, the theater at 7th and T Street played host to everyone from Ella Fitzgerald and Aretha Franklin, to The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, Chuck Brown, and of course Duke Ellington so there is some serious history to the place!

The refurbishment is being coordinated by Howard Theater Restoration Inc (HTR) with the intention of re-establishing the theater as the center of the U Street/Shaw arts district. In addition to restoring the 1200 seat performance space, HTR will also be adding a 600 sq ft museum covering the extensive history of the space.

This development has to be seen as a turning point for an area that is starting to reach the critical mass of population and cultural attractions to reach back to the heights it once achieved. It is going to be truly exciting to watch! [Rendering by HTR via RenewShaw]

Some buildings in DC seem like they have been around forever, but in most cases there was always something there before… and before La Tomate in Dupont there was the Sawyer Stone Mansion.

The mansion built by politician Philetus Sawyer was built in 1888, and while he resided there, it was apparently built for his daughter. The mansion was designed by architect William H. Miller and was built at an impressive estimated cost of $80,000, when the typical townhouse in Washington during the time period were built for less than $3,000. Eventually the Sawyer mansion was sold in 1921 and demolished.

So next time you see a building that you think has been standing there as long as time itself, remember old Philetus and chances are there was something there before it!

The Georgetown Waterfront Park is just about ready for action just in time for Spring! However it wasn’t that long ago that the entire area was just a huge parking lot. And even before that, back in 1946 (as you can see) it was just a stretch of industrial enterprise.

The park is going to be a great public use of a long neglected location and a benefit to the entire area. One of the most interesting parts will be the planned river viewing area for boat races, which could turn the area into a premier location for staging and viewing crew races. Exciting! [Photo: DDOT]