Letter
Dear Ms. Williams:
In its meeting of 16 April, the Commission of Fine Arts reviewed a revised concept design submission for a new above-grade garage and associated landscape to be located at Gate 7 (formerly Gate 6) on the historic St. Elizabeths West Campus, the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The Commission approved the revised concept submission and delegated the review of the final design to the staff, providing the following comments for the development of the design.
The Commission members commended the new proposal for a red brick garage with traditional arched openings and other detailing, characterizing the design as beautiful and in keeping with the architectural vocabulary of this National Historic Landmark campus, as well as consistent with the E.O. “Making Federal Architecture Beautiful Again.” For the development of the final design, they advised careful study of the articulation of the joints of the brick-clad precast concrete panels located between the arches. In their review, they also cited the sensitive and thoughtful design of the site in knitting this large building into the campus landscape.
Please coordinate the delegated final review of this project with the staff which, as always, is available to assist you.
Sincerely,
/s/Thomas E. Luebke, FAIA
Secretary
Kristi Tunstall Williams, Director
Architectural Services Division
General Services Administration, National Capital Region
1800 F Street, NW, Suite 4400
Washington, DC 20405
cc: Devin Carlson, ZGF
Hallie Boyce, OLIN