Letter
Dear Dr. Pace:
In the last meeting of 16 February, the Commission of Fine Arts reviewed the revised concept design for the new Ward One Senior Wellness Center located on the corner of Georgia Avenue and Newton Street, NW. While the members continue to support the efforts of the Office of Aging to provide a welcome amenity for the senior members of the Ward One community, they expressed concern about the monumentality of the proposed design and the possibility of overwhelming the existing context of smaller scale structures in the neighborhood. In order to reduce the perceived size and top-heavy appearance, the building should be modified by reducing the cornice at the octagonal entrance and by removing the crenellations created by the panels of the roof garden parapet.
The Commission members requested that the applicant continue to work with staff as the project develops and has delegated the final review of the project to the staff. They ask that the applicant team submit contextual photographs of the surrounding neighborhood and material samples during the final review. If you have questions about the process, please feel free to contact the staff.
Sincerely,
/s/
Thomas Luebke,AIA
Secretary
Dr. E. Veronica Pace, Executive Director, Office of Aging
Government of the District of Columbia
441 Fourth Street, NW, Suite 900S
Washington, DC 20001
cc: Louis Fry III, AIA, Lance Bailey & Associates