A multi-use project combining residential, arts, retail, and offices occupies the geographic center of Washington D.C.’s commercial core within the Pennsylvania Avenue Historic Site. Midway between the White House and the Capitol, it holds a strategic position linking the private commercial side of the city to the public institutions and cultural facilities of the National Mall. Framing the site are the classical images of the National Gallery, the post office, and various commercial structures from the post-Civil War era.
The project was subjected to intensive review because of the area’s historic significance. Strict limits were placed on the mass and bulk of new construction, restoration of street facades, reconstruction of original storefronts, and new interiors.
A diagonal line was struck across the varied depths of the existing structures, paralleling the street line. The resulting trapezoidal shape gives wedge-like form to the new eight-story building. Brick, paired punched windows, and cast stone band the masonry, while brise-soleil attachments echo details of the adjacent Romanesque building.
The wedge is an armature to which two connecting metal and glass bays are attached directly behind three smaller buildings. Their industrial appearance mirrors the restored cast-iron façade.
