Letter
Dear Ms. Starr:
In its meeting of 20 October, the Commission of Fine Arts reviewed alternative concept configurations for the relocation and adaptive reuse of a historic service station with a new multi-story residential building on a site located at 2200 P Street, NW. The Commission members present provided comments on the massing and orientation of the historic and new buildings.
The Commission members expressed support for the overall proposal to relocate the historic service station building to provide space for a larger building on the site. They commented that this site, which borders both the Dupont Circle neighborhood and the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway, provides the opportunity to address the park as well as the adjacent urban context. Of the options presented that maintain the orientation of the historic building, they expressed a preference for Option B, which retains the relationship between the service station and the parkway while establishing an urban plaza or restaurant terrace at the corner of 22nd and P Streets. In considering Option A, which rotates the historic building to be parallel to P Street, they suggested exploring a version where the current north facade of the building, with its large arched windows and engaged columns, would be oriented west to the park, close to the corner of 23rd and P Streets. For either option, they recommended further study of the articulation of the massing of the new building, particularly at the northwest corner adjacent to the relocated historic building.
As a quorum was not present for the review of this submission, this recommendation will be placed on the administrative agenda for confirmation at the Commission’s meeting of 17 November. The Commission looks forward to review of the concept design submission. As always, the staff is available to assist you.
Sincerely,
/s/Thomas E. Luebke, FAIA
Secretary
Phoebe Starr
Marx Realty and Improvement Company
708 Third Avenue, 21st Floor
New York, NY 10017-4146
cc: Shalom Baranes, Shalom Baranes Associates