Posts tagged Preservation
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The old Lorton, Virginia prison is being turned into homes. Here’s its fascinating story.
The Lorton Reformatory is a prison in Lorton, Virginia that closed in the late 1990s. This May, it officially reopened as a sprawling complex of apartments called Liberty at Lorton about 19 miles outside of DC. The development is a great example of how a historical site can supply housing in a region that badly needs it, while still preserving a historical landmark with a storied history. Keep reading…
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See plans for these historic Anacostia homes slated for restoration
After years of neglect, four historic homes in Anacostia are about to see new life as a local historic preservation nonprofit finalizes plans for their restoration. The L'Enfant Trust acquired the homes this spring, after months of back and forth between Mayor Muriel Bowser and DC Council over their fate. Keep reading…
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DC designated 3,000 properties as historic in the last 5 years, and more are coming
With 11 new historic districts in the last five years, the percentage of the city’s buildings designated historic is growing rapidly. Based on targeted and interested new neighborhoods, that growth doesn’t look to be slowing down any time soon. Keep reading…
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Alexandria is already often waterlogged. How will it adjust to climate change?
Alexandria built its waterfront at a low elevation. That's become a real problem in recent years, and now the city is trying to figure out how to preserve its history and also adapt to a future with much more rain and flooding. Keep reading…
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Some in this gated community are trying absolutely everything to stop a new DC apartment building
Recently a group of neighbors along 16th Street NW, many from a gated community called Beekman Place, applied to downzone an area near Meridian Hill (Malcolm X) Park in order to stop a nine-story building from being built… despite the fact that the buildings across the street are almost the same height. Keep reading…
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Historic districts are a poor substitute for good planning, but great for dodging it
DC is growing, and as this spring’s passionate debate about the DC Comprehensive Plan revealed, managing this growth is one of the most important and contentious city planning discussions of our time. However, decisions about historic preservation are happening outside of this discussion, even though they’re having a big impact on our collective future. Keep reading…
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At this abandoned school, can YIMBYs support fewer homes and more parkland?
The historic, long-abandoned Crummell School and the surrounding area in the Ivy City neighborhood in Northeast DC are planned for redevelopment. Out of the three proposals put forward, the city recently chose the proposal that builds the most new homes, including a significant number of affordable homes. Keep reading…
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DC preservation officials: You don’t want a historic district? Too bad.
At their confirmation hearing last month, four Historic Preservation Review Board Commissioners confirmed that community opposition to a historic nomination does not play a role in their decision, and that they only evaluate applications based on whether or not a nominated building or district is historic. That stands in stark contrast to other city agencies that are mandated to incorporate community feedback. Keep reading…
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The Chevy Chase Trolley station that moved to the country
When the Chevy Chase Land Company started developing land north of Rock Creek Park in 1890, they built a streetcar to connect it to Washington, DC. That streetcar line ended at Chevy Chase Lake on Connecticutt Avenue, just south of the Georgetown Branch, where a small building on the west side served as a waiting station and office. Keep reading…
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DC’s historic preservation process is too easy to abuse
Recent contentious historic preservation cases have shown DC’s system can be abused by neighbors who simply want another tool to halt change in their neighborhood. Part of the problem is that the very process used to designate a site does not legally incorporate the views of the surrounding community. Keep reading…