Letter
Dear Ms. Wright:
In its meeting of 23 January, the Commission of Fine Arts reviewed a concept design for a new eleven-story hotel building at The Yards, to be located on development Parcel L-1 at Tingey and 2nd Streets, SE. Expressing appreciation for the overall design approach and massing, the Commission approved the submission with the following comments.
In their support of the design, the Commission members made several recommendations for its development. Observing that the hotel building will serve as the eastern terminus and focal point of N Street, SE, the Commission members recommended reconsideration of the symmetrical placement of the hotel entrance on the west facade. They commented that, while zoning and other constraints of urban development can often lead to unremarkable facades, this particular urban condition seems to encourage a more expressive, asymmetrical treatment of the entrance to address the axis of N Street as it extends to the site from well west of South Capitol Street. They also recommended that the proposed southern and eastern curb lines across from the future Tingey Square be reconfigured to meet at a right angle, rather than with the proposed large radius, in order to integrate this street and the hotel building into the urban grid and to provide a better public space at the hotel entrance. Finally, they encouraged the design team to select the brick and detail the facade to present a modern appearance while recalling the industrial character of the Navy Yard area, perhaps with the use of a less ordinary brick size and coursing pattern.
The Commission looks forward to the review of a landscape design for the future Tingey Square. As always, the staff is available to assist you.
Sincerely,
/s/Thomas E. Luebke, FAIA
Secretary
Mina Wright, Director
Office of Planning and Design Quality
General Services Administration, National Capital Region
301 7th Street, SW
Washington, DC 20407-0001
cc: Brian Pilot, Studios Architecture
Jason Bonnet, Forest City Washington