Letter
Dear Mr. Jakus:
In its public meeting of 16 July, the Commission of Fine Arts reviewed a concept design submission for renovations and additions to an existing office building located at 1445 New York Avenue, NW (case number SL 26-126). The Commission approved the concept and provided the following comments for the development of the design.
The Commission members expressed appreciation for the responsiveness to their previous comments and the range of alternatives presented; they endorsed the proposal to retain the 1980s historicist six-story facade while recladding the easternmost bays and upper stories in a consistent curtainwall system of glass and metal, with a two-story recessed metal-clad design at the loading dock and egress doors. They supported the solution to maintain the building entrance in its current location, but with the doors moved forward and a brick enclosure at the side, with the two western bays of the arcade enclosed with glass. They suggested several refinements for the facades, including strengthening the expression of vertical spandrel panels in metal, similar to the one abutting the neighboring building. For the penthouse, they recommended continuing the vertical mullions above the large opening to unify the facade design; they supported the preferred medium-sized cornice treatment. They commented on the rare opportunity to add color to a project in downtown Washington, and they expressed interest in the option using a patinated green copper finish for the aluminum curtainwall system, as well as support for the bronze-colored finish. They therefore requested the presentation of studies showing both of these metal finishes with options for different glass colors. Finally, to provide a better understanding of the building within its surrounding context, they requested views of the proposal from the corner of the Treasury Building and from distant locations for each option.
The Commission looks forward to further review of this project. As always, the staff is available to assist you with the development of the design.
Sincerely,
/s/Thomas E. Luebke, FAIA
Secretary
Frank Jakus, Technical Director
Ponte Gadea LLC
200 S. Biscayne Boulevard
Suite 3250
Miami, FL 33131
cc: Abram Goodrich, Gensler