Letter
Dear Mr. Seaman:
In its meeting of 19 March, the Commission of Fine Arts reviewed the final design for a new residential, retail, and theater building to be located at 900 Maine Avenue, SW, in the Southwest Waterfront development area known as The Wharf (case number SL 15-090). The Commission approved the design with the following recommendations, the review and approval of which they delegated to the staff.
The Commission members expressed appreciation for the planning of this mixed-use building and the improvement in its design since the first review in 2012. However, they recommended more clarity and legibility in the application of the different facade types to the uses associated with them, observing that the visual richness will be achieved through the varied architecture along the length of the waterfront and need not be emphasized within each building's design. They also expressed concern that the treatment of the various changes in grade in the public space adjacent to the building appears overly complicated, and they requested additional study and documentation of the stairs and ramps in this area as they relate to the building entrances.
The Commission looks forward to the review of forthcoming submissions for the other development parcels at The Wharf. Please coordinate the submission of revised final documents for Parcel 2 with the staff which, as always, is available to assist you.
Sincerely,
/s/Thomas E. Luebke, FAIA
Secretary
Shawn Seaman
Hoffman-Madison Waterfront
690 Water Street, SW
Washington, DC 20024
cc: Douglas Campbell, Perkins Eastman DC
Jennifer Steingasser, D.C. Office of Planning