Posts tagged Preservation
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Don’t label Barry Farm a landmark, say historic preservation staff
The Historic Preservation Office (HPO) recommends not turning Barry Farm into a historic dwelling. A vote on the future of the public housing neighborhood in Southeast DC won’t happen until July 11 by the Historic Preservation Review Board. Keep reading…
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Here’s what happens when you try to build 150 apartments in Dupont
At 16th and S streets NW in Dupont Circle is a prominent Masonic building, known officially as the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry temple. The Masons want to redevelop the patch of grass and parking lot behind the building, and they’ve gotten approval from the Dupont Circle Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2B and the Historic Preservation Review Board to do so. Keep reading…
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At Dupont’s Masonic Temple, opponents try to preserve history that never happened
A group of residents has filed a historic landmark application in a last-ditch attempt to block an apartment building on the site adjacent to the Scottish Rite Temple in Dupont Circle on 15th Street NW. But rather than arguing for the preservation of the area’s history, the applicants want to fix what they see as a historic mistake. Keep reading…
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DC’s Ben Franklin statue, built by the Washington Post’s founder, has a storied past
A statue of Benjamin Franklin stands on the southeast corner of 12th St. and Pennsylvania Avenue NW. A sheaf of papers in his left hand, Franklin gestures with his right as if arguing a point of policy. He faces the avenue, his back turned to the Old Post Office Building currently occupied by the Trump Hotel. Keep reading…
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Check out these historic train stations in the Washington region
Train stations are the perfect nexus of transit and architecture geekdom. They’re monuments to all the things that urbanists hold dear. Luckily, the Washington area is full of wonderful examples of historic depots, big and small. Keep reading…
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Reston’s routine zoning update is on ice for now, following an outcry
Reston's debate over a routine but nonetheless controversial zoning change may be over for now, as the Fairfax County Board deferred action on the matter earlier in March. Opponents feared the update would lead to Reston changing too much, but the zoning rule at the heart of the debate was never meant to address the issues many thought it did. Keep reading…
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The Palisades Safeway is one step closer to “non-historic designation”
In a staff report released last week, the Historic Preservation Office (HPO) largely agreed with the owners of the Palisades Safeway that their property does not merit historic designation. The Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB) will review the case and make a final decision this Thursday. Keep reading…
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In a shift, front-facing solar panels win DC historic preservation approval
If a homeowner wants to put solar panels on a roof facing a street, is that a laudable step toward fighting climate change or an affront to historic preservation? With a recent preservation board ruling, DC's historic preservation system took one very small step toward tolerance of visible solar panels, at least in some cases. Keep reading…
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Are the Georgetown Exorcist Steps historic? The answer could have big implications.
Don’t be fooled by its homely appearance, the empty lot at 3601 M St NW in Georgetown (formerly an Exxon station) is one of the hottest pieces of real estate in town. It’s also now the centerpiece of a historic preservation decision that could have far-reaching consequences. Keep reading…
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The Palisades Safeway files for historic designation to avoid historic designation
In DC’s historic preservation process, all nominations start with an application. Often composed by professional historians and/or architectural experts, the application lays out the history of the property and explains how it meets the designation criteria provided in the preservation law. Except when it doesn’t. Keep reading…