Letter
Dear Ms. Mahaffie:
In its public meeting of 21 October conducted by videoconference, the Commission of Fine Arts reviewed a revised concept design for alterations and additions to the Jackson Graham Building, currently serving as the headquarters of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), located at 600 Fifth Street, NW (case number SL 22-025). The Commission approved the revised concept and provided the following comments and recommendations for the development of the design.
In their approval of the project, the Commission members endorsed the proposed development of the concept, including material selections, facade details, exterior lighting, and site design. They found that the simple volume of the proposed building’s overall massing would serve as a quiet and elegant foil to the recesses and projections that punctuate the four facades; they commended the design of the projecting volumes along Fifth Street for their role in relating the building to its urban context of buildings of varying heights. For the design of the penthouse, they approved the simpler of the two options presented. Finally, they recommended that the paving in public space be the District of Columbia’s standard brick pavers, which would serve to integrate this site into the larger context of predominantly brick sidewalks.
The Commission looks forward to further review of this prominent project in Judiciary Square. As always, the staff is available to assist you in the development of the design.
Sincerely,
/s/Thomas E. Luebke, FAIA
Secretary
Jane Mahaffie, Principal
Stonebridge
7200 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 700
Bethesda, MD 20814
cc: Jon Pickard, Pickard Chilton
Paul Wiedefeld, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
David Maloney, D.C. Historic Preservation Office