CFA 18/MAR/21-3

Location

920 F Street, NE
Washington, DC
United States

Owner
D.C. Department of General Services
Property
School-Within-School at Anne M. Goding Elementary School
Description
Building renovation and additions
Review Type
Final
Previous Review

Letter

Dear Mr. Anderson:

In its public meeting of 18 March conducted by videoconference, the Commission of
Fine Arts reviewed the final design submission for the renovation of and additions to the School-Within-School at Anne E. Goding Elementary School, located at 920 F Street, NE. The Commission approved the final design with the condition that additional options be submitted for the finish of the window frames.

The Commission members commended the substantial improvements to the existing school, commenting on the skillful massing and observing that the excellent landscape design will provide liveliness to the building’s exterior; in particular, they cited the garden beds and vertical gardens around the building as a strong design element that will be a welcome enhancement for the community. However, they questioned the use of color on the interior surfaces of the thin, projecting metal window frames of the south, west, and north facades, which they said might appear arbitrary and give the fenestration an inappropriate character for an educational institution. If color is used, they advised against the choice of saturated tones and particularly against the use of green, a color that will be provided by the palette of landscape plantings. The Commission members concluded by approving the design for the building and site with the conditions that the window frit be a white or pale neutral tone, and that the applicant provide two alternative color palettes for the window frames: one using a single muted tone, and a second using one or more colors, perhaps in a more expressive way.

The Commission looks forward to reviewing the documentation of these outstanding items for the completion of the final design submission. As always, the staff is available to assist you with the submission of additional documentation.

Sincerely,

/s/Thomas E. Luebke, FAIA
Secretary

Keith A. Anderson, Director
D.C. Department of General Services
2000 14th Street, NW, 8th Floor
Washington, DC 20009

cc: Salo Levinas, Shinberg Levinas Architects
Diana Halbstein, D.C. Public Schools