Posts tagged Preservation
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Great Hall’s new look could accentuate its past
Having spent most of my life in the DC area, I have a good stock of memories of things that I found particularly impressive or pleasing: Meridian Hill Park, rowhomes in Capitol Hill, the Tidal Basin, and seeing the Washington Monument at night have stuck, indelibly, in my head. Union Station is the train terminal for DC, and it’s historic, too. It should be on my personal list… Keep reading…
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Should Union Station’s Great Hall be less great?
Union Station’s Great Hall is one of the city’s most fantastic public spaces. It is beautiful, engaging, and lively. And somebody wants to tear a couple of giant holes in its floor. Earlier this week, Washington City Paper reported on a proposal to cut holes in the Great Hall’s floor in order to provide better access to the basement food court, and to replace… Keep reading…
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Washington’s first sidewalk cafe
A modest, four-story storefront once stood near the corner of 14th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW overlooking Washington’s first sidewalk café. From an illegal gambling parlor to a trendy 1960s discotheque, the building saw much in the way of what Washington had to offer for nighttime entertainment. It began its colorful career in about 1872, although according… Keep reading…
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The little shop that survived (sort of)
A recent article in The Washington Post about the historic synagogue downtown that was moved once and will be moved again soon got me thinking about historic buildings in D.C. that have been moved. Georgetown’s exquisite Dumbarton House is another example; it was moved north about 50 feet in 1915 to allow the Georgetown stretch of Q Street to be connected up with its Washington… Keep reading…
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Lost Washington: The old Palais Royal department store
Many Washingtonians remember the Woodward & Lothrop department store, which used to be downtown at 11th and F Streets, N.W. The old Woodies Building is still standing. But less well-known is its old rival, the Palais Royal, which was located in the block immediately to the north, at 11th and G. The Palais Royal got started in 1877 on the northeast corner of 12th Street… Keep reading…
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HPRB denies S Street addition
The Historic Preservation Review Board decided not to follow the Dupont Conservancy’s recommendations and will not allow the 3rd floor mansard roof at the corner of 15th and S Streets, NW. Keep reading…
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Preserve our buildings with conservation districts
DC should create a less restrictive form of historic district, in many places called a conservation district, for its historic row house neighborhoods and other areas with historic value but which aren’t interested in becoming full historic districts. Residents of neighborhoods recently considered for historic review have expressed much trepidation about the designation… Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: DC’s contentious processes
Solar panels not historic; Rezoning the bear; The VA debate continues; Bike sharing stations not dense enough?; LaRecap of LaHood; Working around broken escalators; New York safety; Red card for driving. Keep reading…
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Historic committee favors addition atop historic rowhouse
Additional floors on top of historic rowhouses, sometimes called “pop-ups,” are one of the most reviled modifications outside historic districts. And for good reason: they’re typically ugly, cheap, and stick out like sore thumbs not just for their height but for the use of materials totally incompatible with the old houses. Meanwhile, local historic… Keep reading…
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Knee-jerk liquor license opposition undercuts credibility
If a sidewalk cafe is open late at night but nobody is around to object, does it make a sound? And should the local ANC just fight the plan anyway on the assumption that someone must mind? Lydia DePillis reports a particularly contentious liquor license debate from last week’s Dupont Circle ANC meeting. P.J. Clarke’s wants to open a sidewalk cafe at 16th and K, a corner… Keep reading…