Letter
Dear Mr. Hunter:
In its public meeting of 15 June conducted by videoconference, the Commission of Fine Arts reviewed a concept submission from the D.C. Department of General Services for a new building for the District of Columbia Archives, to be located on Van Ness Street, NW, near International Court, on the campus of the University of the District of Columbia (UDC). The Commission did not take an action and provided the following comments.
The Commission members expressed appreciation for the opportunity presented by the new D.C. Archives building to strengthen the relationship of the UDC campus to its neighborhood and the city. They recognized the challenge of the program for the facility for archival storage and research, which has resulted in an architectural expression of largely windowless volumes, with glazed curving elements flowing through and around the boxy forms on the south and east facades. Noting that these glass forms enclose spaces with different functions—the public lobby and reading room on the first floor and the staff office and meeting spaces on the second and third floors—they suggested further development of the scale, rhythm, and articulation of the glass skins to differentiate these volumes. Finding that the proposed approach to the new building from Van Ness Street appears constricted and fragmented, they suggested unifying and simplifying this area to make it appear more generous and welcoming, both as the entrance to the archives and as a new threshold into the UDC campus beyond.
The Commission members emphasized the potential of the new building and its landscape to contribute to the appearance and experience of the UDC campus more generally. Observing that the new building will define the west side of Dennard Plaza, they suggested further study to strengthen its role in addressing the plaza, and they recommended the installation of a larger number of plantings, particularly trees and lawn. In support of the D.C. Government’s goal of reaching a 40% tree canopy across the city by 2030, they recommended increasing the number and variety of trees around the new building and in Dennard Plaza, which will shade and relieve these large expanses of hard surfaces.
The Commission looks forward to further concept-level review of this important project. Please consult on the further development of the design with the staff which, as always, is available to assist you.
Sincerely,
/s/Thomas E. Luebke, FAIA
Secretary
Delano Hunter, Acting Director
D.C. Department of General Services
2000 14th Street, NW, 8th Floor
Washington, DC 20009
cc: Lee Becker, Hartman-Cox Architects
Caitlin Olson, Studio39 Landscape Architecture
Dr. Lopez Matthews, Office of the Secretary of the District of Columbia
Javier Dussan, University of the District of Columbia