Letter
Dear Ms. Wright:
In its meeting of 20 January, the Commission of Fine Arts reviewed and approved the revised concept design for alterations the south facade of the General Services Administration (GSA) headquarters building on the 1800 block of E Street, NW.
The Commission members appreciated the response to their previous recommendations for more careful design study and documentation. They supported the revised treatment of the retail bays and canopies in relation to the sloping grade, the historic existing facade, and the planned courtyard infill additions, as well as the treatment of the enlarged south entrance. They also supported the physical expression of the building's historic exterior walls within the retail spaces and emphasized the importance of maintaining their visibility as the retail interiors are designed; they expressed appreciation for GSA's commitment to protect the visible character of the building through the control of internal design as well as signs for the retail tenants. In addition, they recommended careful consideration of the treatment of the roofs above the existing low-rise hyphens due to their visibility from many office windows and supported GSA's intention to provide landscaping on these roofs.
The Commission delegated review of the final design to the staff which, as always, is available to assist you.
Sincerely,
/s/Thomas E. Luebke, AIA
Secretary
Mina Wright, Director
Office of Planning and Design Quality
U.S. General Services Administration
301 7th Street, SW
Washington, DC 20407-0001
cc: Shalom Baranes, Shalom Baranes Associates