Intervention as Art

Q and A with Steven Spurlock of Wnuk Spurlock Architects 
by Beth Herman

Fostering a relationship that began more than 30 years ago, Steven Spurlock of Wnuk Spurlock Architects was commissioned to create a new 5,250 s.f. hybrid art studio/woodworking shop/office/gallery/storage space for maverick artist Sam Gilliam, a significant force in the former Washington Color School. Commandeering a small industrial building in the District's Brightwood neighborhood that had seen its share of rather disjointed incursions, Spurlock and project architect Marcy Giannunzio proceeded to transform the ragged space through a series of artful interventions. It went on to receive the AIA's 2012 Award of Excellence in Interior Architecture. DCMud spoke with Spurlock about the process.


DCMud: Describe the site as you found it.

Spurlock: The city square that it sits on is trapezoidal in shape, facing 14th Street with Longfellow as a side street, then Colorado cuts diagonally across the back. There was originally a brick masonry commercial structure of some nature on the southwest corner of the property.  At some point it was converted to a gas station. Later, using the two existing masonry walls on either side, someone built a wall on the backside and one on the front side and put a roof over everything, which essentially created an office area in the front a big warehouse area in the back. There aren't a lot of uses for that kind of space in the city, so it was one of those wonderful finds for Sam.

DCMud: What gave you the idea to employ, in your words, "multiple programmatic freestanding interventions" - essentially to accord each entity (studio; woodworking shop; gallery; office; etc.) its own personality?

Spurlock: The client definitely wanted something that had a rawness or an edginess to it - not to have it look all pretty and new. For instance we took the old masonry structure and made it into storage. As some of his pieces are constructions -- he sometimes will paint on pieces of metal or plywood, and introduce pieces of canvas with that -- the need for a separate woodworking shop was imminent to fabricate the wood pieces. And you cannot have the wood shop and a paint shop in the same places for dust issues.


DCMud: The office space with its bamboo flooring appears to be more of an oasis.

Spurlock: The office intervention is kind of a box in a box. It was meant to be a freestanding element that you dropped into the space. As we stopped to think about it, we realized the whole building should look like a container with little interventions introduced into it so you could read a history of how the space evolved: the tension between the old and new parts. Above the office we put a balcony and glass rail. This was done compositionally to make the office box look more attractive, and the artist also likes to go up and see things from a different perspective as part of the creative process.

DCMud: Describe the artist's studio space.

Spurlock: It was the block wall when we first started, and because he's in there all the time we knew we had to insulate it. We used canvases of white painted drywall to provide a neutral backdrop for the composition and display of art, as Sam likes to hang what he's working on to contemplate it. We cut windows into the drywall to reveal sections of the old masonry in between for contrast. At the party walls, the drywall is partial height and pulled away from the corners so it appears to float in a wall of masonry. At the exterior, it goes full height for improved thermal insulation of the building. All of the walls are built with studs, covered with plywood, and then there's drywall on top of the plywood to allow him to hang heavy items anywhere he wants. It was a nice contrast to the old brick - to create that juxtaposition of the old and new.

DCMud: Artists usually require a prodigious amount of light. How was this addressed?

Spurlock: We grouped 10 skylights in the center to control the natural light - didn't want them washing out the walls at all times. Along the perimeter, where the hanging walls are, we put in a lot of high tech lighting fixtures to illuminate the pieces on individually-controlled dimmers. For evenings or cloudy days, there are color temperature-corrected fluorescent lights that we installed in a playful pattern to make the space less static. Solar voltaic panels on the roof allow the artist to generate his own electricity to satisfy his interest in energy conservation.


DCMud: Was there some, perhaps more personal element of the  design that came as a surprise?

Spurlock: One of Sam Gilliam's early breakthroughs as an artist in the 1960s was a stained canvas that he draped from the ceiling, or over things. In his former studio, he didn't have enough space to do that and he'd not done it in years.When he got into the new space, he realized he could once again do that, which was a really nice benefit for him to be able to go back to his roots if he wanted.

photos courtesy of Anice Hoachlander

City Again Rules to Save Historic Mt. Vernon Triangle Houses

The DC government has ruled three nineteenth-century row houses in DC's Mount Vernon Square Historic District must be preserved, giving some resolution - at least for now - to a long-running saga that spotlighted tensions surrounding urban church parking and historic preservation.

1232, 1234, and 1236 New Jersey Avenue, NW. Image: HPO

On Thursday, the city released its most recent ruling that the Third Street Church of God, located in DC's Mount Vernon Square Historic District, must continue to preserve three nineteenth century row houses it owns at 1232, 1234, and 1236 New Jersey Avenue NW.  Last year the Church petitioned the Historic Preservation Office (HPO) for permission to totally demolish the homes, built in the 1860's, to make way for parking.  It argued saving the buildings would constitute an "economic hardship."  The HPO rejected the permit, so the Church requested that the office of the Mayor's Agent hear the case.

The Church first announced plans to demolish the structures last year, but the HPO recommended only partial demolition, as it stated in a staff report that parts of the houses still had structural integrity to justify saving.  The Church changed its plans to comply with the HPO's recommendation, and the Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB), the HPO's decision-making body, approved that permit.  The church went forward with the demolition, but then decided to make the case for a full demolition permit again.  It was that permit that the city again rejected on Thursday.

Mayor's Agent hearing officer J. Peter Byrne wrote in the ruling released Thursday that historic preservation trumped the Church's economic hardship argument.  Byrne wrote that the church's plans to use its property to serve its programming deserved "great respect," but that the Church "must pursue its facility goals within the constraints of the Historic Landmark and Historic District Protection Act, which benefits both the surrounding neighborhood and entire District of Columbia."

According to public record, the Church bought the row houses over 20 years ago for $98,400, but their 2011 assessed tax value was more than $500,000 - almost the exact same amount as the church's annual revenues.  In any case, the city ruled, the church's economic hardship argument doesn't stand, as securing the buildings for the Church's original estimated cost of $77,420  "does not seem prohibitive in light of the Church's revenues and assets."  The best option, the city suggested, might be for the church to avoid any expense to itself at all and just sell the row houses.

Washington DC real estate news

10 Questions with Yolanda Cole

10 Questions is a weekly feature in which we interview some of the leading District figures in real estate, architecture, development, and planning. This week's subject ... Yolanda Cole, principal of Hickock Cole Architects.

Through over 25 years of experience in building and interior design, Cole has had a hand in many award-winning buildings (senior designer for Australia's Chifley Tower and New York's Capital Cities/ABC headquarters, to name just two), and been consistently recognized as a leading figure in the business community.  Originally a partner at leading woman-owned interior design firm LyrixDesign, Cole is now a senior principal and co-owner at Hickock Cole Architects, widely acknowledged as one of the leading architectural firms in the area, having designed the new NPR headquarters, the CSIS building on Rhode Island Ave., the DC AIA architecture center, among others.

1.  What's a typical day for you?

Go to the gym, get to work, check email, and attend any combination of meetings on:  projects, RFPs, proposals and interviews; marketing and business development; corporate issues like budgets, employee reviews and staffing; and meetings and presentations for industry organizations. And then there’s more email. It's go, go, go!

2.  What or who is your biggest influence?

The "what" would be that I am internally driven to make things happen, so I am my own engine. The "who" would be my inner circle:  my mother, my daughter, my business partner, and my significant other.

3.  What neighborhood do you live in?

The 14th Street corridor, and I love it!


4.  What is your biggest DC pet peeve?

Taxation without representation and Congress meddling in DC affairs.

5.  What is the #1 most played song on your iPod?

I'm a shuffler, so no one song gets greater play. I go with the flow by my moods and my playlists.


6.  Favorite DC haunt?

Muleh for clothes, Rasika for dinner and Bohemian Caverns for music. I also enjoy just being at home.

7.  What's your favorite thing to do on a Sunday afternoon?

Play my flute, write, or do a little bit of nothing. I'm not very good at the latter.

8.  If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

Italy. I would love to learn to speak Italian. The food is pretty awesome, too.



9. If you couldn't be an architect, what would you be?

An astro-physicist. I am amazed by the wonders of the cosmos.

10. Name one thing most people don't know about you.

I'm an introvert!

A Blossoming Bloomingdale

Bloomingdale - DC’s funky, off-the-beaten-track Northwest neighborhood - is on the verge of a clutch of new dining and nightlife options. When the dust clears in six to nine months, the neighborhood could have up to eight new drinking and dining establishments, potentially turning it into a genuine destination.

Sprawling west from the intersection of Florida Avenue and North Capitol Street, the architecturally rich neighborhood has offered few amenities to the swarm of newcomers, until now.  The area only gained its first table-service restaurant, Rustik in 2010; a second, Boundary Stone, took another year to open.  Now, it seems, restaurateurs and other entrepreneurs have discovered the area.  On First Street, a short commercial block will soon hold three new restaurants.

Aroi Fine Thai and Japanese Cuisine opened several weeks ago.  Directly across the street at 1837 1st Street will be Costa Brava, a Spanish tapas restaurant that could open in the next few months. According to a placard in the building’s window, the restaurant hopes to stay open until 3am on weekends, though the owner and neighbors (who oppose the hours) met for a mediation process last week, and ANC Commissioner Hugh Youngblood says the owner will probably be held to the same hours as Rustik next door, closing around midnight on weekdays and 1am on weekends.

An empty space at the corner of 1st and Seaton Place is scheduled to become the Red Hen, an Italian-influenced restaurant that Youngblood predicts will become a city-wide destination restaurant. According to the Washington Post, the owners are DC restaurant veterans Sebastian Zutant and Mike Friedman, and the interior architect—Zutant’s wife, Lauren Winter—is responsible for some of the city’s hipper eateries, like Rogue 24 and Chez Billy. There’s no word on an opening date.

Around the corner on Rhode Island Avenue, Grassroots Gourmet, a bakery serving cakes, cookies and coffee with a progressive twist, hopes to open at 104 Rhode Island Avenue in two weeks. At this point, the shop won’t have seating for patrons, but co-owner Jamilyah Smith-Kanz says the market will help determine the store. “We’ll see what happens: the neighborhood is shaping it as much as we are.”  

Next door, Demers Real Estate, which is leasing the building, says the company is negotiating a lease with the owner of Petworth’s Domku restaurant. The new establishment would supposedly be a vegetarian one, but Domku owners are not talking publicly.

Across the street at 113 Rhode Island Avenue, in a former barbershop, a window placard announces the Showtime Lounge, a coffeeshop by day, beer/wine/spirits hangout by night. There’s no word on when the establishment will open. “I think they’re taking their time on it,” said Youngblood.

Even North Capitol Street, not known for its high end retail, will sport several new establishments. Teri Janine Quinn, ANC representative-elect (who just won Youngblood’s seat) is opening a wine bar - Lot 1644 - at 1644 North Capitol Street. The bar will also serve food, and Quinn hopes to eventually add a cheese shop to the front of the building, though the latter may not come for a while. “I’m concerned about rolling that out immediately, because North Capitol doesn’t have foot traffic,” explained Quinn. She could not give a date for the bar’s opening.

A building two doors south of Quinn’s, at 1626, has been a neighborhood sore spot for years. Engine Company 12 Firehouse was taken over by local developer Brian Brown years ago, who promised to establish a hopping three-story restaurant, each floor with its own theme. The project was supposed to be completed by spring 2011, but construction simply languished.

Finally, last week, amid negotiations with the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, Brown sold the building to Abbas Fathi, who also owns Shaw’s Tavern. “We promised the city to have the entire project done in nine months,” said Steve May, who’s handling renovations. The final product will be a full service restaurant featuring American/southern cooking: po boy sandwiches, burgers, and hush puppies. But both Fathi and May were already involved in the project prior to the sale, and neighborhood observers are skeptical.

Washington D.C. real estate development news

Your Next Place

This wonderfully-restored Federal is over 135 years old, making it about as old as my father's suits.  (Depending on the season, he can look like anything from an extra from "Boogie Nights" to a Civil War reenactor.)  Though it has all the modern finishes you could ask for - expanded bedrooms, up-to-the-minute kitchen - it's also retained a lot of the little touches that make it so warm and inviting.  This sounds like an obvious, easy thing to pull off, but judging from all the real estate I see that try and fail to capture this vibe, it must be pretty difficult, sort of like all the women that go for the Rihanna look and end up looking like David Bowie.

The house, which is very pleasantly set back from the street, sports a quaint front porch and a small stone patio.  And the wall of the adjacent house, which isn't as set back, is covered with lush climbing vines and greenery, creating a sort of Southern gothic atmosphere.  If I lived here, I'd have a special bodysuit made with ivy leaves all over it, and then film myself standing stock-still against this wall and leaping out at terrified passersby.  Then I'd put the footage on Youtube and let the millions of clicks pay my mortgage.  (Yes, I'm half-joking, but we both know it would probably work.)

Inside, the living room is warm and inviting, with a vintage fireplace and more than a touch of period charm.  Right off the living room is the formal dining, wide and high-ceilinged, and the kitchen is outfitted with all the modern finishes you could ask for.  Upstairs, the bedrooms are generously proportioned - time to order that California king - and outside you have a nice yard, and parking secured by a rollup gate.  Located in Logan Circle which, if you ask me, is still arguably the best location in the city, with easy access to tons of amenities and neighborhoods and bars and restaurants.  You'll have access to so many options, that going out is virtually guaranteed to be an exercise in hand-wringing and paralysis, followed by a wave of regret no matter what you pick, because deep down you know something else could've been better.  Enjoy!

1219 S Street NW
2 Bedrooms, 2 Baths
$759,900

Washington DC real estate news - well, sort of news

West End Development Raising Tensions. Again.

As developers prepare for a massive redevelopment effort in DC's West End, following years of battle over the nature of development, yet another fight is brewing, this time over where to put the temporary fire station. An open field in the West End is on a short list of potential sites, but some neighbors say that park, Francis Field, is not the ideal spot.  Ultimately, the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) must decide on a temporary site for the station, but the issue is already raising tensions.

Current West End Fire Station. Image: Gary Griffith

The West End fire station, as well as the West End Library and the Special Operations Division for the Metro Police Department, must relocate in 2013 when Eastbanc begins work on redevelopment of two West End parcels, one of which houses the fire station.  The city awarded the lots to a team of private developers in 2010 under the agreement that they would rebuild the West End Library and the fire station, in addition to building condominiums and retail space.  The process has been blocked by a Ralph Nader-led advocacy group claiming to protect the public library.

In the meantime, the city must find a temporary location for the fire station.

Work on Francis Field. Image: Gary Griffith

DMPED confirms that it has three sites on its short-list for the fire station: Francis Field on 25th St. NW between M and N Streets, the tennis courts on 23rd St. between N and P Streets, and the vacant Stevens School at 1050 21st St.  Each of the sites presents some awkwardness for a temporary fire station location. The city awarded Stevens School, vacant since 2008, to another private developer in September.  The tennis courts are located in a residential area, making them a less likely alternative.  Francis Field, the final possibility, is therefore drawing scrutiny.  But a group called Friends of Francis Field argues that relocating the fire station there would destroy hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of recent investments in the park. 

Gary Griffith of Friends of Francis Field said his group worked to raise $350,000 through a zoning process for renovations to the field in 2010.  Those improvements, made by the developer Vornado when it built West End 25, involved planting trees and putting up a fence, among other things.  "We don't think that those renovations should be undone," Griffith told DCMud.  "We think it would be a bad precedent on the part of the District...what other private company would ever want to put funds into a public park if the District were just going to tear it out?"

Work on Francis Field in 2010. Image: Gary Griffith

Griffith said the Steven's School might be the best suitable temporary location, but the District has already awarded it to a private developer.   "In giving away all these buildings to private developers, they have got nowhere to put the fire station."  Griffith questions the city's planning and timing surrounding the sell-off and temporary relocation of public infrastructure.  "We think that the deputy mayor has created this problem and he should solve it without taking away needed district property."

Jose Sousa, deputy chief of staff with DMPED, told DCMud that DMPED had been working with the National Park Service to discuss the feasibility of the tennis courts and Francis Field as possible sites for the fire station. Sousa said representatives from DMPED and Fire and Emergency Medical Services (FEMS) would be meeting with with ANC2A and ANC2B next week to "share additional information about the benefits and challenges associated with each of the proposed sites."

"Our goal is to try to come to an accord on this in the near future. We've been working closely with the office of Councilmember Evans on this as well," Sousa wrote in an email to DCMud.

For now, the Friends are looking to the West End Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 2A take a stand on the issue.  Although the ANC is not a decision-making body, its recommendation could have sway with the city.   The fire station temporary location issue is on the ANC2A agenda for November 14th.  No matter what the city's decision, it seems no one is likely to be happy.

Rendering for the redevelopment of Francis Field (completed) - Image: Public Record

Construction on The Tellus in Arlington Underway

The Tellus, a 16-story apartment building on the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor and Arlington's first to earn LEED Gold, is now under construction.  The Tellus will replace the 1960's-era "Arlington Executive Building" and developer Erkiletian has now started groundwork on the project, Bill Denton of Erkiletian told DCMud on Tuesday. Erkiletian completed demolition of the old building, located on 14th Street North in the Courthouse section of Arlington, in early October.

"We are right on the construction schedule," Denton said.  The team is busy with sheeting, shoring and excavation.  S.E. Foster is the general contractor on the project.   Denton said Hurricane Sandy caused a four-day hold-up in construction, but that the team would try to make up for lost time. "The storm had a little impact, but we are going to try to pick that up."  The building is scheduled for delivery in the first quarter of 2014.

The Tellus, a 254-unit rental apartment building, is expected to be Arlington's first LEED Gold certified building.  The project has been in the Arlington development pipeline since 2009, but developers put off starting the project during the recession, and started moving forward on the project just this year.  Designs call for 254 residential units and 15,008 s.f. of office and retail space.  Plans call for smart car and bicycle facilities, and water-saving and energy-efficient features.  The schematic design is by the Lessard Group, WDG Architecture is the firm behind the newest working design.

Erkiletian has also promised a $75,000 art project, which could come in the form of a contribution to the Arlington Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources or an on-site art commission in collaboration with the County.  Denton said Erkiletian hasn't decided which art avenue it would take. An on-site commission could put Tellus developers in a longer lineup of DC area developers who have supported public art projects, especially sculpture, as part of their buildings.  In July, a developer installed a 16-foot stainless steel sculpture at the corner of 3rd and I Streets NW, adding to the neighborhood's existing sculpture at 5th and K Streets NW.

Arlington, VA real estate development news

Beauty and the Barn

Q and A with John Blackburn
by Beth Herman

Celebrated equestrian architect John Blackburn of Blackburn Architects, PC, also known for his deft restorations and renovations of historical properties, was charged with resurrecting a post Civil War-era bank barn, where the lower portion of the structure is built into a hillside, and where the foundation actually predated the war. Desiring a barn conversion where the 2,590 s.f. structure would be used for entertaining, much of the site design was driven by the client's wife, whose environmental concerns and adopted green practices resulted in an effort to preserve as much of the severely deteriorating historic structure as possible. The project received an AIA Merit Award in Historic Resources and Southern Living magazine's Home Award in Historic Restoration. DCMud spoke with Blackburn about the project.

DCMud: Tell is about the genesis of this historic structure and its metamorphosis.

Blackburn: It's my understanding that the bank barn foundation dates back to before the Civil War. It's on the banks of the Potomac in Loudoun County, Virginia, probably less than a mile from the Battle of Ball's Bluff (aka the Battle of Leesburg, October 21, 1861). I would imagine the barn was burned down at one point and rebuilt in the 1870s. The saw marks on the timber tell us the barn itself is post Civil War.

The open concept design includes an ample kitchen and a sleeping loft, so somebody can stay there overnight. An old corn crib on the south side of the bank barn has been converted to a sundeck on top, with view of the extensive horse farm to the west, and underneath it's a place for workers and caterers to pull in and conveniently unload trays and equipment out of view of any guests.

DCMud: What was the program for the bank barn?

Blackburn: In addition to extended family gatherings, it was to be used for meetings, receptions, office retreats, etc. The basement stores some of the family's classic cars, go-carts and other recreational equipment.

DCMud: What strategy did you use in adapting an historic structure like this for modern purposes?

Blackburn: My goal in doing any project like this is that when you walk away from it, you close it up and it appears like it originally was: a barn. Whenever I renovate an original structure I like to respect its original use and perpetuate that to any degree possible, though here the northeast facade was replaced with floor-to-ceiling glass that provides panoramic vistas of the property and Potomac.

DCMud: What about the exterior?

Blackburn: It's been completely reclad, as it had to be, in SIPs (structurally insulated panels) and new board-and-batten skin. How you clad and insulate these old buildings is important. We did this barn in original plywood--the one that goes against the original siding we paint black, so when you see through the cracks in the original barn board you don't see anything: It's all black. To support that, we bolted into a 12x12 timber that ran around the perimeter a stainless steel shelf angle which carries the weight of the panel. The panel sits on that and is screwed into the timber frame of the barn, and you add normal building paper and barn boards on the outside of that panel just like what was found the original barn. So on the inside you see the original boards and on the outside are new boards, but you can't tell the difference.

DCMud: The interior seems to maintain the barn's rusticity while courting air and light.

Blackburn: Interior materials and finishes are exactly from the original except where pieces were added to strengthen the structure or replace rotted board. Flooring is oak, as is the timber. We rebuilt the existing double sliding doors. After they are opened, behind them you have a double French glazed glass door  entrance which lets in a lot of natural light and ventilation, but when you walk away, you close the barn doors so as not to see them, and the look of the original barn is maintained.

DCMud: During many barn conversions, we see items like patios and decks.

Blackburn: Many times when people want to renovate something like this they'll put a deck on it and that's a sure sign that it's no longer a barn but a residence. I didn't want to do that. Subsequently on the east side, where additional double barn doors were falling off, I did the same as on the front side: We rebuilt the barn doors and put French glazed glass doors behind it. When you open these 6-foot wide doors, instead of a deck sticking outside of the barn that doesn't fit, your interior space now becomes your deck. A railing behind the barn doors but in front of the French doors prevents any egress. As mentioned earlier the corn crib on the south side was turned into a deck, but it is out of view.

DCMud: There were other barns on the property, so did you preserve them too?

Blackburn: We used barn siding on the interior of the bank barn, for example the sliding door in the kitchen and paneling in the bathroom. We had an existing barn on the north end that was falling apart, and we used the wood for this one. I've also learned from designing over 160 horse barns (some from historic beginnings) that these structures tend to be organic: Over the years, farmers would add a window here, a lean-to there, etc., so that it grows as you'd find with an industrial building. We did punch in a couple of windows so that light was channeled into a bathroom or kitchen.

DCMud: How would you summarize the work you did on this barn?

Blackburn: It responds to its historic context, and yet it responds to the site. Two of the major elements that respond to the site are the north window, which completely exposes it to the view, and the corn crib sun deck to the south which faces out over the farm but is completely hidden. These elements were melded into the context in a very successful way.

DCMud: Speaking of architecture that works, what would you count among the District's most influential designs for you?

Blackburn: There are two, though different as night and day, that I think are the best buildings in D.C. For an interior space I really like the Rotunda of the Library of Congress--the big, open reading room--which is the grandest, most beautiful, functional space. It's ornate, historic and fascinating. From the exterior, my choice has to be the Finnish Embassy. Because of its design and embellishment like the vines growing over it, it's my favorite building in D.C.

photos courtesy of Kenneth Wyner

HPRB Approves Two New Buidings for Blagden Alley

Slowly but surely, Shaw’s Blagden Alley neighborhood is growing. Two new developments proposed by Altus Realty Partners will fill in a couple of empty lots in the historic district and are now one step closer to reality—though a completion date is anyone’s guess.

Building at 1212 9th Street

On Thursday, DC’s Historic Preservation Review Board looked over proposed designs for the buildings by PGN Architects. One, at 1212 9th Street, will be four stories tall and include a small ground floor retail space; the other will sit at 917 M Street, but its longest side will run along the alley. HPRB approved both projects, leaving smaller details to be worked out with the Historic Planning Office staff.

At this point, both developments are in the very early stages, so details like whether the buildings will include condos or apartments, or how many units each will hold, are still up in the air. As for an estimated timeline for next steps, “it’s pure conjecture,” said Charlie Kehler, a principal with Altus. This stage is very much about design.

1212 9th Street, from the south

The four-story building on 9th Street is relatively straightforward. Filling in a vacant lot between Squares Fashions and a string of row houses, the building’s 9th Street façade will be clad in buff brick, with a stepped back central bay and a top floor of glass and aluminum. The ground floor would include shop windows topped by a steel canopy; above would be two floors of residences, plus a penthouse set back by about four feet. Just south of the building runs an alley, which residents would use to access parking.

The HPRB had a few comments about the height of the penthouse and whether the alley would be wide enough to regularly accommodate cars, but the board unanimously approved the design.

Building at 917 M Street

The second building is a bit more complicated. In an effort to complement the decorative Second Empire row houses that lie along M Street just west of 9th Street and just east of the proposed building, the architects gave the development’s M Street façade three vertical sections alternately made of block, glass and brick. Turning the corner, the long side along Blagden Alley uses the same materials—and includes a three-story glass gallery—though with more of a horizontal orientation.

The design incorporates an existing historic one-story garage on the alley. The developers are planning on excavating to create underground parking, and the new building would rest on top of part of the structure.

917 M Street building seen from west

HPRB members expressed some concern that, while the side of the building appears to be sufficiently industrial to fit with the alley’s overall aesthetic, the front is a bit too stark to complement the row houses. “It’s a blank cypher—I’m not sure what you’re trying to capture,” said HPRB member Nancy Metzger. Still, the group approved the design, leaving the developers to work with HPO to iron out any final issues.

Kehler was pleased with the decisions and said Altus is excited about the area. “We love the neighborhood’s identity,” he said. “We think it’s where DC will be focused in the future.”

Washington, D.C., real estate development news