Letter
Dear Mr. Bellamy:
In its meeting of 21 February, the Commission of Fine Arts reviewed a new concept submission for a streetcar maintenance barn and training center to be located at 26th Street and Benning Road, NE. The Commission expressed appreciation for the improvements to the concept and approved the more vertical alternative shown in Scheme 1.
The Commission members made several recommendations to be considered as the project is further developed. They recommended that the modulation of the building's facade be studied to create more regular bay spacing, and that the configuration of the roof and skylights be studied to optimize the building's environmental performance and use of daylight. For the landscape design, they suggested that the rail yard be clearly defined with walls and barriers to demarcate the area from the public areas of the site; they recommended that the use of rain gardens on the steeply sloped portions of the site be carefully studied to ensure that they will succeed, both functionally and aesthetically. In addition, the Commission members requested a wider palette of trees, not limited to columnar–shaped species but including shade trees which would complement the existing landscape of the Spingarn Campus and the adjacent golf course.
The Commission delegated the review and approval of the final submission to the staff, which is available to assist you with the next submission.
Sincerely,
/s/Thomas E. Luebke, FAIA
Secretary
Terry Bellamy, Director
D.C. Department of Transportation
55 M Street, SE, Suite 400
Washington, DC 20003
cc: Ali Shakeri, D.C. Department of Transportation
Otto Condon, ZGF Architects