Letter
Dear Mr. Dunn:
In its meeting of 18 September, the Commission of Fine Arts reviewed a revised proposal for the installation of a perimeter security barrier for the front of Union Station in conjunction with a proposal for improvements to the adjacent Columbus Plaza. The Commission approved the submission as a design concept, reiterating its support for treating the barrier as an architectural rather than landscape element.
While the Commission members approved the proposed location of the bollards at the front of the station, they made several recommendations regarding the design of the stone plinths that terminate the long lines of bollards, which they suggested would be improved by adding vertical emphasis. They suggested that the lighting standards be mounted on the plinths, similar in character to the existing historic light fixtures on the balustrades flanking the station; this may necessitate adjustments to the spacing of these new features to align appropriately with the architecture of the station’s facade. In addition, the Commission recommended that the plinths be made of Bethel White granite to match the historic station, and that the color of the bollards and light standards be black.
The Commission approved the submission as a concept and delegated the review of further design development of this security project to the Commission staff. As always, the staff is available to assist you with the next submission.
Sincerely,
/s/Thomas E. Luebke, AIA
Secretary
Michael E. Dunn
Director of Design Support
National Railroad Passenger Corporation
360 West 31st Street
New York, NY 10001
cc: John R. Bowie, John Bowie Associates
Frank Seales Jr., D.C.Department of Transportation
David S. Ball, Union Station Redevelopment Corporation
Lisa Mendelsohn-Ielmini, National Park Service
Gary A. Burch, Parsons