Letter
Dear Mr. Hunter:
In its public meeting of 18 July conducted by videoconference, the Commission of Fine Arts reviewed a concept design for the construction of a new building and associated landscape for the Harriet Tubman Elementary School at 3101 13th Street, NW. The Commission approved the concept design, providing the following comments and delegating the review of the final design to the staff.
The Commission members expressed strong support for the overall planning and siting of the building, citing the accommodation of an increased program area and maintaining the school’s central courtyard as the spatial focus of the design. They suggested further exploration of how the property’s history and cultural narratives could be better incorporated into the design, potentially incorporating the existing ghost houses on the northwest corner of the site into the landscape as a physical reminder of the row houses that once existed on this block. They also cited the importance of the historic design of a green “parking” border along the street—the public areas between the curb and property lines that are an integral part of Washington’s open space system—and they therefore recommended continuing this public landscape treatment on the site’s perimeter to ensure its expression on both sides of the street.
Please coordinate the delegated final review with the staff which, as always, is available to assist you.
Sincerely,
/s/Thomas E. Luebke, FAIA
Secretary
Delano Hunter, Director
D.C. Department of General Services
3924 Minnesota Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20019
cc: Omar Calderon Santiago, Perkins Eastman DC
Lauren Wheeler, Natural Resources Design
Renee Pean, D.C. Public Schools