This building is so big....
..I can see Dunbar High School from the corner of Florida and North Capitol. It is part of the skyline of the neighborhood. Now keep that in mind when someone wants to fiddle around with zoning rules to make a tall building. What is it? Nine or ten stories tall? A little further downtown a tall building next to a bunch of other tall buildings really don't matter much. However, a tall building surrounded by a bunch of 2-3 story small homes, sticks out.
posted by Mari @ 20.11.06
6 Comments:
I think they did a good job with Dunbar. It's not smack against the road like the GPO buildings. The fact they have such a large lot and one large building at one end is nice. I think it they had done this as a 2 and 3 story buildings, the athletic field would be ringed by buildings. All the buildings would be at the edge of the property. The net effect would be negative on the community. More so than now I think. But I have also always thought that the height matched the city jail for the same purpose. I think they could personalize it more by allowing the senior class to do their year on the metal roofing facing NJ and N St's, too.
Depends on usage. Schools and church/schools have historically been dominant structures in many communities, reflecting their popular usage. As a high school (named after a preeminent American writer) with a free publicly accessible swimming pool (in need of upkeep), which serves as a voting center, I don't see the problem with it towering over other structures. If only everyone respected such institutions for their full worth.... I'll admit, it could be prettier; but I intentionally chose not to by a home near to it.
Regardless of who it is named for and its occasional public service it is a tall unpretty building that looks like a jail.
My concern is that developers or others may want to also build tall unpretty buildings for private use. Maybe if they name it after a great person the aesthetics of it won't matter.
What is wrong with a new 10 story apartment building within a historic zone where the standard is 30 and 40 ft?
If they just named it after me, I'd like it to be at least 40 stories tall, with 4 pillar like search light beams, a glass pyramid penthouse with patio, accessed by a tranparent express elevator (with cool Ani D / Erykah B elevator mixes), a draw bridge and a wide moat around it filled with sting rays and/or gr8 yt sharks. Some useful retail/veggie restaurants on the groud floor would be nice. It could go across the street from my house if they'd just raze that darn elementary school. : )
But, hopefully with better ANC leadership and a more involved constituency, we won't have to worry such dreams becoming reality.
If someone proposed and fully funded a nice 2 story, elegantly landscaped, modern, light filled, extremely functional public bldg with interesting features which complemented the local architecture in Shaw, could they call it maybe the Donald Rumsfeld Branch of the DCPL or Dick Cheney Center for Botanical Studies? Bet those dudes are looking for good PR options.
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