Artist’s rendering of a 1959 design for the National Cultural Center, which would ultimately be called The Kennedy Center. (Image: Greater Greater Washington.)
Just had to share this posting and photo from Greater Greater Washington. (It’s a favorite local blog of mine.) This is a 1959 artist’s rendering of what might have been The Kennedy Center, then referred to as the National Cultural Center.
Personally, I like this 1959 design better. The building is joined with the Potomac River. I have never figured out why the current building is cut off from the water. We seem to deny our waterfront.
Los Angeles–The Walt Disney Concert Hall downtown was designed by Frank Gehry. (Image: Luis Gomez, One Photograph A Day.)
Good morning, Borderstan. We are still in Los Angeles, house- and dog-sitting. It’s a rainy, gray Christmas here, but we have been fortunate to have some great weather during our stay. Tomorrow we are off to Illinois and we are hoping the temperatures are not too cold. Here is a photo that Luis took on Monday of the Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown L.A.; it is a Frank Gehry building. Luis’ posting is here, along with additional photos.
The Metropole at 15th & P NW. (Photo by Luis Gomez, One Photograph A Day.)
In a post, “Judging New Buildings,” The Prince of Petworth poses the question about the new Metropole… here in Borderstan… at the northeast corner of 15th and P NW:
This is the newly opened Metropole located at 15th and P. I kind of like the left side which has some staggered windows. While I don’t love it, overall I’d say it looks pretty good. What do you think?
Personally, I’m just glad it’s done. The construction didn’t really inconvenience me, except for the lack of sidewalk on that section of P Street. Like many other Borderstanians, I just got tired of looking at the construction work.
Find out what is happening with the design of the new Shaw branch of the D.C. Public Library over at Greater Greater Washington.
In 2004, DC closed the the Watha T. Daniel library in Shaw and several other libraries, to replace the aging buildings with new, modern facilities. Though the interior drew some criticism, neighbors widely praised the open, airy glass design as a huge improvement over the prison-like, concrete, Brutalist original library.
Then, neighbors found out that the cost of the glass forced the library to cut back, replacing the glass facade with a concrete one that even replicated the vertical slit architecture of the original:
