This past Thursday I had an opportunity to experience something quite exciting, and something that frankly I'd like to see more of around the city. Real community activism. Fifteen individuals brought together with a single cause. To not just improve their surroundings, but to make of them a destination.
Out of that desire has emerged R.E.E.L. (which stands for River East Emerging Leaders). Billing itself as 'a progressive network created to enlighten, engage and empower our River East Community', R.E.E.L. hopes to bring attention, community involvement, and ultimately investment to some of the more neglected areas of the city. The event took place at the progressive Honfleur Gallery (more on this great art space in a future post, but in the meanwhile be sure to check out their website or stop by).
The overall take from Thursday's event was a pleasant mix of community pride and a desire for positive change. The anticipation and excitement was truly tangible, and those of us from other wards may have even found ourselves a little envious, perhaps wondering if we couldn't get the same sort of thing started in our own neighborhoods.
So forget what you think you know about Anacostia, and stay tuned. If last week's event is any indication, the area east of the river has a bright future ahead.
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For more on R.E.E.L., please attend their next event on Wednesday, March 18th.
6:30-8:30 PM
Honfleur Gallery
1241 Good Hope Rd., SE
Washington, DC 20020
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Friday, February 20, 2009
Anacostia Gets R.E.E.L.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Metro Announces Plans to Use Stimulus Funds for 'Shovel Ready' Projects
This just in from Metro. We only hope that this includes replacing more of the old bus shelters with the new, modern design!
METRO NEWS RELEASE:
Metro prepared to begin host of projects using economic stimulus funds
Projects will create jobs, build infrastructure for an improved Metro
Fixing crumbling platforms and the oldest section of track in the Metro system, installing emergency tunnel evacuation carts, securing a bus garage and replacing old buses, are just a handful of projects that Metro officials have deemed “shovel-ready” to help jumpstart the economy using Congressional economic stimulus funds.
Metro officials today unveiled a list of projects before The National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board for inclusion in the region’s six-year transportation improvement program.
“We are proud to be the first in the region to have a detailed list of ‘shovel ready’ projects,” Metro Chief Administrative Officer Emeka Moneme says. “We’re ready to do our part to boost the economy starting now.”
The Metro projects are focused on stimulating the local and national economy by creating jobs and building a stronger regional transit system. All of the projects are linked to Metro’s strategic goals of delivering quality service, improving reliability, using resources wisely and ensuring safety. The projects total $230 million.
“Our projects target improved passenger and maintenance facilities, safety and security, information technology, operations and equipment and will make a vast improvement in our infrastructure to enable us to provide better service,” says Metro General Manager John Catoe.
Some examples of Metro’s stimulus projects include:
• Replacing Metro’s oldest buses
• Replacing crumbling platforms
• Installing SmarTrip purchase capabilities at more Metro fare vending machines
• Enhancing bus garage security
• Installing technologies to improve bus route and schedule information
• Rehabilitating the oldest stretch of track in the rail system
• Building a railcar inspection and test facility to speed up the process of putting railcars into service
• Updating the train arrival signs on platforms and mezzanines
• Replacing the Metro Center Customer Sales Facility
• Expanding and replacing vehicles for paratransit service
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Friday, February 13, 2009
DDOT to hold First Public Forum on Anacostia Waterfront Initiative
DDOT NEWS RELEASE:
Public Forum on Anacostia Waterfront Initiative
Program is First in New Educational Series
The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) is inviting interested parties to attend the inaugural Anacostia Waterfront Forum on Tuesday, February 17, 2009. The program is the first in a new educational series about the benefits development along the entire Anacostia Waterfront will bring to the District of Columbia.
Meeting Information:
| What | | Anacostia Waterfront Forum: “Sustainable Development, Infrastructure and the Future of the District of Columbia” |
| Who | | Gabe Klein, Acting Director, DDOT |
| When | | Tuesday, February 17, 2009, 6:30 – 8:30 pm |
| Where | | Martin Luther King, Jr. Library |
The Library is near the Gallery Place – Chinatown Metro Station on the Red, Green & Yellow lines. Use the 9th Street exit when you arrive at the station. There is also free parking available in the garage below the library.
Click Here for flyer. (pdf)
More after the jump...
The development of the Anacostia Waterfront is a topic of discussion in the District among community activists, political leaders and national policy experts. In a letter to DC Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, Mayor Adrian Fenty put in the District’s bid for some of the money proposed in President Obama’s economic stimulus package. In a Washington Post commentary that appeared on February 1, Alice Rivlin, Brookings Institution and Walter Smith, DC Appleseed Center, urged President Obama to “make the critical infrastructure needs of our nation's capital a high priority.”
At Tuesday’s forum, DDOT’s Acting Director Gabe Klein will provide the welcome and Chief Engineer Kathleen Penney will give a presentation on the topic, “Sustainable Development, Infrastructure and the Future of the District of Columbia.” Presentations will focus on how investments in Waterfront infrastructure should lead to social, economic, and environmental progress in Waterfront and District neighborhoods, but especially those East of the Anacostia River.
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Thursday, February 12, 2009
Artomatic 2009 Takes it to the River
Artomatic 2009 will be held in DC's Capitol Riverfront BID
ARTOMATIC NEWS RELEASE: In celebration of its 10th anniversary, Artomatic will be bringing its trademark one-of-a-kind multimedia arts event to Half Street’s 55 M Street, S.E., in Washington, D.C.’s Capitol Riverfront neighborhood in summer 2009, the arts organization announced today.
In conjunction with the Capitol Riverfront Business Improvement District (BID) and Monument Realty, Artomatic will be presenting more than five weeks of art, music, theater, workshops and more — all of it free for visitors. Located between the U.S. Capitol Building and the Anacostia River and between Barracks Row Main Street and South Capitol Street, the Capitol Riverfront is a vibrant new business center, urban neighborhood, entertainment district and waterfront destination.
More after the jump...
“We’re thrilled to be partnering with Artomatic on this unique arts event. With both Artomatic and Major League Baseball within blocks of one another, the Capitol Riverfront will be the go-to location for summertime entertainment in 2009,” said Michael Stevens, executive director of the Capitol Riverfront BID. “Artomatic sets the stage for the type of future festivals and entertainment that you will see in the Capitol Riverfront at the three new parks — Diamond Teague, The Yards Park and Canal Park — which begin opening spring 2009 through 2011.”
Artomatic 2009 will be held at 55 M Street, S.E., a new 275,000 square feet LEED Silver Class A office building developed by Monument Realty. The building, currently under construction, is located atop the Navy Yard Metro stop and within a block of Nationals Park, home to the Nationals baseball team.
“We are pleased to be hosting Artomatic at 55 M Street for its 10th anniversary,” said Michael Darby, principal of Monument Realty. “It is not only a great opportunity to promote the neighborhood and attract new visitors but also to bring some very talented artists to the Capitol Riverfront.
Held regularly since 1999, Artomatic transforms an unfinished indoor space into an exciting and diverse arts event that is free and open to the public. In addition to displays by hundreds of artists, the event features free films, educational presentations and children’s activities, as well as musical, dance, poetry, theater and other performances. Artomatic 2008, held in D.C.’s NoMa neighborhood, attracted a record-breaking 52,500 visitors and 1,540 participating artists.
The 2009 Artomatic event promises to be an equally appealing destination for D.C. area arts fans as well as those looking for summer entertainment, said Artomatic President Veronica Szalus.
“The D.C. area has a vibrant, energetic arts scene and we are excited to be able to showcase that talent and share it with the community,” Szalus said.
Artomatic 2009 will be held May 29 to July 5. The event will be open Wednesdays and Thursdays from noon to 10 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays from noon to 1 a.m., and Sundays from noon to 10 p.m. Artomatic will be closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Admission to Artomatic is always free for visitors.
Registration for participation in Artomatic will open in March and will be open to all artists — including painters, photographers, sculptors, graphic designers, musicians, poets, actors and dancers. Artomatic is an unjuried event, so all artists are welcome, from professionals to beginners. Registration will be on a first-come, first-served basis and will end once space is filled. To be notified of the date when registration will open or to stay up on other Artomatic news, sign up to receive ArtoNews, the Artomatic newsletter, on the Artomatic Web site.
Artomatic is run entirely by participating volunteers, and new participants are sought year-round. To volunteer and help make plans for Artomatic 2009, e-mail volunteer@artomatic.org.
“Artomatic 2009 will fulfill 10 years of commitment to the growth of our cultural community and help fuel our creative economy,” said Artomatic Chair George C. Koch.
More details on the event will be available on the Artomatic Web site, www.artomatic.org, in coming weeks.
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About Artomatic: Artomatic is a creative community that collaborates to produce and present a free arts spectacular. Participation is open to all, from recognized artists to undiscovered talents, who work in a variety of arts forms. In partnership with the development community, Artomatic transforms unused building space into a playground for expression, serves as a catalyst for community growth in up-and-coming neighborhoods, and helps to grow the creative economy. The nonprofit Artomatic organization is headed by a volunteer Board of Directors and is funded in part by the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, an agency supported by the National Endowment for the Arts. For more information, visit www.artomatic.org
About the Capitol Riverfront BID: The Capitol Riverfront Business Improvement District (BID) is dedicated to making the Capitol Riverfront neighborhood clean, safe, friendly and vibrant; to creating the best quality of life in the neighborhood; and to attracting office tenants, residents, retailers and visitors. For more information, visit www.capitolriverfront.org.
About Monument Realty: Monument Realty is an award-winning full service real estate firm. The firm's diverse portfolio includes mixed use, office, residential and hotel properties. Monument Realty has developed more than 5 million square feet of office space, nearly 5,000 residential units and three hotels valued at more than $5 billion. For more information, visit www.monumentrealty.com.
Read more!
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Bad to the Core
Despite Multiple Bites at the 'Apple', Design Still Floundering
What happens when modern technology gets put into older, traditional, even historic surroundings? The answer has a lot to do with how well the integration of the old into the new is executed. In some cases the modern interventions adversely affect the existing, such as in old offices and homes where wire mold raceways run along baseboards and up wall surfaces, or in older retail establishments where acoustical ceilings conceal not only ductwork and conduit, but often beautiful tin ceilings. Bad examples of integrating old and new have certainly given rise to a fair number of critics of modern design. Likewise, many methods have been devised at hiding 'unsightly' modern amenities in our homes. However, there are also countless examples where these modern interventions are done well. Certainly when there is thoughtful integration, and the design of the object is as important as the function it performs, then the results are often a pleasing interplay of old and new. This is evident in everyday life, where well-designed objects become more than just functional. They help to transform our surroundings. The glossy kitchen appliance becomes a showpiece in our kitchen and the flatscreen TV no longer need be relegated to a cabinet. Even plumbing fixtures have become design stars in that most basic of functional spaces.
Yes, when we accept that advances in technology have manifestations in our daily lives, and further accept that our environments are adaptable to these (provided that the design of these objects is thoughtful and beautifully executed) then the enrichment that these provide is not simply limited to the conveniences they provide, but is also evident in the contribution they offer to our built environment.
If there is one company that understands how to make a design statement out of technology it is Apple. From their release of curvaceous CPUs in an array of bright colors to the most recent iPod, which has become as much accessory as music player, the rest of the industry has had to follow suit. Apple gets that the design of the object can elicit the senses as much as the technology its flashy sheath contains. It is surprising then that the designs for the proposed Apple Store in Georgetown fall so flat.
There is, of course, another part of the equation. That being the Old Georgetown Board (with emphasis being placed on 'Old' -- at least as far as the members' interest in design are concerned). Perhaps then we should not have been too surprised to see that the first design presented to the board featured cornice and trim detailing borrowed from the neighbors. Apple's architects, like many a designer working in the District, apparently started with a dumbed down, safe approach, something intended to satisfy the OGB's obsession with historical mimicry. Fortunately, this design did not pass muster with the board. Nor should it have. The board's comments were actually on the money. The openings (especially at the ground floor) are too wide. The proportions are all wrong. The failure of this first design (and a few subsequent iterations) did not occur due to a difference of opinion at the review meetings, but rather on the drafting board. Even without the tacked-on ornamentation, the building proposed fails to acknowledge the existing rhythm of the adjacent facades. Rather than conveying the proportions of its three-story neighbors, the proposed infill places an awkward row of windows at its upper second floor, aligning with nothing. At the entry level, the glass storefront is too much of nothing, and does not jive with the rest of the facade.
What Apple and their architects have failed to do is to apply the same rigor given to the design of their products and packaging. Let's start with the basics. Apple is proposing to demolish the existing building on the site fronting Wisconsin Avenue and replace it with a new building. Why then does the rendered design attempt to evoke the past with ill-fitting traditional motif that even the foremost po-mo designer would have considered bad form? This is a new building in historical clothing (and that clothing is a straitjacket!)
Something good might have happened, then, after that first meeting. Design concept 2 actually succeeds in a way that designs 1, 3, and 4 never can. Why? Because design concept 2 actually accepts that it is not an old building. It does not do a half-assed job of conforming. Rather, it does what modern interventions into a historic landscape should do. It creates dialogue. At its core, unlike its sibling proposals, concept 2 has the right idea. Unfortunately, this concept is not without its own flaws. Here the integration is lacking completely. There is no apparent attempt to relate the mass to its neighbors. The design is too stubborn for its own good. Rather than rendering a thoughtful dialogue between the old and new, concept 2 is cacophonous and jarring. What is warranted is contextual modernism; what is delivered is apathetic modernism. Unfortunately this concept died a premature death in the OGB's court.
Concepts 3 and 4, by contrast, are dead on arrival. Concept 3 at least can be credited by attempting to push the limits within the perceived constraints of the historic district, but here branding goes a bit awry, as though an Oldenburg-sized PowerBook has been opened up on the avenue. (It is at once both Venturi's proverbial 'duck' and 'decorated shed'.) As if taking the worst aspects of concept 2, there is no reference to the rhythm of the street (beyond height), and any level of detail is non-existent. Despite even Steve Job's blessing, concept 3 is a dud.
Regrettably, this has all been followed up by a fourth concept that, were this Microsoft, might be referred to as Concept 1 'Vista'. It seems we have returned to the safe approach, and yet still missed the mark.
There is one main thing spoiling the bunch. Apple appears clearly perplexed in this situation to do what, in the design of its objects, seems modis operandi: to produce a design where outward appearance is as important as its content while integrating itself into its surroundings. Instead, Apple has tried to blend in via overt reference, in a way that might be characterized by offering iPods in houndstooth or denim patterns, or Macs in woodgrain. The result is a design that is neither Apple or Georgetown. The applique of ornament is too shortsighted to appease anyone. What Apple must do here, as with their products, is to put emphasis on the form and scale of this design. How does it relate to its context? How does it fit into its site? These are fundamental to creating a successful design in any environment, but especially when working within a historic context. The design must walk the line of being thoughtfully progressive and respective of the historic context. Should such a design arise, this will not only work to Apple's advantage by giving them a building that reflects their brand, but will also help to accentuate the nature of this part of the city by refusing to give it what it does not need: another stale, neo-traditional bore.
Update: OGB has rejected the fourth iteration of the design: Washington Post
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Wednesday, February 4, 2009
News from Around the Blogosphere...
From And Now, Anacostia, news that Clark Realty has withdrawn as developer for the much anticipated Poplar Point redevelopment project. Read their post here.
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