Letter
Dear Ms. Gonzalez:
In its meeting of 19 July, the Commission of Fine Arts reviewed a second concept design for the proposed renovation of and additions to an existing single-family house at 4101 Arkansas Avenue, NW, to convert it to a two-family residence (case number SL 18-171). The Commission approved the concept with the following recommendations for the development of the design.
The Commission members reiterated their support for the proposed scale of the expanded house, expressing appreciation for the site sections and the perspective view included with the submission. They recommended that the proportions and articulation of the facades be further studied in three dimensions, including with a model, in order to bring the elegance, discipline, and subtlety of the neighborhood’s Modernist rowhouse precedents to the design of this freestanding duplex building. They supported the differing heights of the proposed bays on the Arkansas Avenue facade but found the presented curving roofline unnecessary and unrelated to the rectilinearity of the precedents and the context; they recommended that the roofline more cleanly emphasize these bays. Overall, they cautioned against a composition that is haphazard and odd; they recommended that the proportions of the facade materials and the window openings be adjusted to establish a clear hierarchy and to reflect the interior uses; they also recommended that the proposed trellises be composed as part of the proportional system of the facades.
The Commission looks forward to review of a more developed design for the project prior to the submission of a final design, and they strongly recommended consultation with the staff which, as always, is available to assist you.
Sincerely,
/s/Thomas E. Luebke, FAIA
Secretary
Rocio Gonzalez
4101 Arkansas Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20011