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The DC Preservation League is accepting nominations for its annual list of Most Endangered Places in Washington for 2012. The online nomination form can be found HERE and must be submitted no later than COB Monday September 9, 2013. Selections will be announced in October 2013.

This list, issued annually since 1996, has included historic buildings and places such as the west campus of St. Elizabeths Hospital, McMillan Reservoir, Martin Luther King Jr., Memorial Library and the Joseph Taylor Arms Mansion (Chancery of the Democratic Republic of the Congo). The list of Most Endangered Places in Washington is chosen by the DCPL Board of Trustees based on nominations submitted by concerned individuals, communities and organizations. Nominations are assessed based on the severity of the threat to the resource in question, whether through demolition, neglect, or inappropriate alteration. The list can include buildings, parks or other landscaped areas, or even vistas and other aspects of the city’s unique planned history.  All Most Endangered Places selected are located in the District of Columbia.

Detailed descriptions of each site listed in past years including information about the threats motivating their inclusion on these lists can be found on our Endangered Places Link.

By Rebecca Miller, June 13, 2013, Washington Business Journal

>>>Read original article. 

Excitement has surrounded the development and preservation communities with the General Services Administration’s auction of the West Heating Plant located next to Rock Creek in the Georgetown Historic District.

This monumental building, with its streamlined Moderne style is an undeniable landmark structure in Washington.

Backing up this statement of “landmark structure” is the Determination of Eligibility prepared for GSA by The Louis Berger Group. To fulfill its Section 106 responsibilities under the National Historic Preservation Act, GSA also placed a covenant on this property, citing that any redevelopment must follow the Secretary of Interior Standards for Rehabilitation, thus creating no adverse effect.

Here is a little history about the site. The West Heating Plant‘s design was originally conceived of in 1940 by Public Building Administration consulting architect William Dewey Foster, but was delayed by World War II and was later built in 1946 to 1948. The plant’s purpose was to support the Central Heating Plant at 13th and C streets SW and supply heat to the existing and future government buildings in downtown.

The Central Heating Plant remains in use, but the GSA terminated the heating capabilities at the West Heating Plant in 2000.

In addition to history of the building, the DOE goes on to assert why the West Heating Plant meets the architectural, government and industry criteria for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. It should be noted that D.C.’s designation criteria are based on those of the National Register.

“Built between 1946 and 1948 under the direction of the PBA, the WHP was the second of two heating plants constructed to provide steam heat to the rapidly increasing number of federal buildings in Washington,” it read. “Following the success of the Central Heating Plant, built in 1933-1934, particular attention was placed on the design of the WHP. The result is an industrial building that is monumental in scale but minimalist and utilitarian in design and effectively demonstrates a shift from the Art Deco style of the Central Heating Plant to the Moderne.”

At the time of its construction, the West Heating Plant was the most modern heating plant of its kind in the country. Today, the plant possesses a very high level of integrity required by the National Register, including integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling and association.

The D.C. State Historic Preservation Officer will be the enforcer of the covenant placed on the property, which under the Secretary of Interior Standards requires the structure be used as it was historically or be given a new use that requires minimal changes to its materials and features. The plant will clearly not be rehabbed for its historical use — the equipment, boilers, tanks and others will all need to be removed, but the standards only allow for minimal changes to the building façade.

Not only does this property have SHPO review, but review by the Old Georgetown Board and the Commission of Fine Arts. With a straightforward Determination of Eligibility and a restrictive covenant, the logical next step should clearly be local designation and protections for this building.

Listing the West Heating Plant in the D.C. Inventory of Historic Sites is the right thing to do and will add no further restrictions to the site than the covenant already conveys.

The General Services Administration has created a full length history of St. Elizabeths.  The author, Thomas Otto, included interesting stories and many many photos of the campus’ rich history.

Click Here for the St. Elizabeths Book

This PDF is rather large and may take time to upload. Thank you for your patience.

By Bruce Yarnall, March 4, 2013, DC Historic Preservation Office

The DC Historic Preservation Office (HPO) has completed and is seeking public comments on a draft of the District of Columbia’s historic preservation plan, Enriching our Heritage, 2016. The plan is a guide for the city’s preservation efforts for the next four years, identifying goals and suggesting actions that citizens, organizations, businesses, government agencies and others can take to achieve the long-range vision for preserving, enhancing and celebrating our city’s heritage as established by the city’s Comprehensive Plan.

The plan was developed based on public outreach efforts by the HPO in 2012, with input from community organizations and citizens from all eight Wards and guided by a steering committee of preservation, planning, community and business leaders.

The draft includes a summary of recent preservation achievements, future challenges, and a series of specific goals, objectives and actions. A complete draft of the plan, including a timeline on the District’s history and recommendations for implementation of the plan, is scheduled for release on March 14th. A meeting to hear public comments on the plan will be held at the Historic Preservation Review Board at 9:00AM on April 25, 2013 at 441 4th Street, NW, in room 220-south.

The draft plan can be viewed on the HPO’s website as a “Related Document” by clicking here.

or can be sent as a PDF document upon request. To obtain a copy of the draft plan or to provide comments, please contact the DC Historic Preservation Office at historic.preservation@dc.gov, (202) 442-8835, or sending a request to Office of Planning/Historic Preservation Office, 2016 Plan, 1100 4th Street, SW, Suite 650, Washington, DC 20024.

DC Preservation League to Receive 2013 Institute Honor Award
for Collaborative Achievement by The American Institute of Architects

The DC Preservation League  is the recipient of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) 2013 Institute Honor Award for Collaborative Achievement.

Institute Honors for Collaborative Achievement are given by the AIA to recognize and encourage distinguished achievements of allied professionals, clients, organizations, architect teams, knowledge communities, and others who have had a beneficial influence on or advanced the architectural profession.

The jury, made up of respected architects from across the country commented that “Architectural history is a major part of the ethos of Washington, and the DC Preservation League has been a staunch and devoted steward of that history. The city’s appearance today owes a great deal to DCPL’s efforts in promoting solid preservation, architectural, and urban design principles.” 

“DCPL was honored to be nominated for this esteemed award by our colleagues at AIADC and we are delighted that the hard work of our staff and volunteers has garnered this national recognition.” said Edward D. Dunson, AIA, President of the DCPL Board of Trustees.

The League would also like to congratulate Ginnie Cooper of the DC Public Library for receiving the AIA’s Thomas Jefferson Award for Public Architecture. “Ginnie has been a tremendous advocate for the rehabilitation and reuse of historic DC Public Library buildings and the visionary for the innovative architecture of its new additions to Washington’s neighborhoods.” said Rebecca Miller, Executive Director of the DC Preservation League.                                                                      

DCPL will receive its award at the American Institute of Architects National Convention in Denver in May 2013.

For more information about the award go to http://tinyurl.com/cf9m5q4

The DC Preservation League (DCPL), Washington’s only citywide non-profit organization promoting the preservation and enhancement of the District’s historic and built environment, released its annual list of Most Endangered Places in Washington for 2012.

This list, issued annually since 1996, is selected by the Board of Trustees of the DC Preservation League from nominations submitted by concerned individuals and organizations across the city. These sites are selected based on the severity of the threats to the buildings and landscapes in question, whether through demolition, neglect, or inappropriate alteration. The list can include buildings, parks or other landscaped areas, as well as vistas and other aspects of the city’s unique planned history. All Most Endangered Places listed are located in the District of Columbia.

The sites on the 2012 list of Most Endangered Places in Washington are: Bond Bread Factory, 2146 Georgia Avenue, NW; Alexander Crummell School, 1900 Gallaudet, NE; Mount Zion Cemetery/Female Union Band Cemetery, 27th and Q Streets, NW; Old Thai Embassy, 2300 Kalorama Road, NW; Washington Canoe Club, 3700 Water Street, NW; Watchman’s Lodge and Tower, Donaldson Place, NW.

Detailed descriptions of each site and the threats can be found by clicking here.

Several sites were deemed “saved” and removed from the Most Endangered List in 2012. These include the DC War Memorial, Battleground National Cemetery, the Howard Theatre and Engine Company 6.

The DC Preservation League invites volunteers, civic associations, the DC government, the federal government, and other groups to partner with DCPL in preserving and protecting these endangered places. For more information, contact the DC Preservation League at 202-783-5144 or info@dcpreservation.org.

Photographs of sites available by request.

By Amanda Wilson, November 30, 2012, DCMud

>>>Read original article.

From the top, 315 feet above the street, a visitor is greeted with sweeping 360 degree view of the city.  The Capitol Building dome rises in the near distance, airplanes appear to graze the Potomac, and the city’s radial streets fan out in all directions. In the far distance, the Washington Cathedral and the Pentagon anchor opposite skylines.

The Old Post Office Building and tower, the third tallest structure in DC (behind the Washington Monument and the Basilica), at 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, with its cavernous atrium and spectacular architecture, is finally getting deserved, if delayed, attention as a destination venue.  Long underutilized as nondescript federal offices and a food court to match, details of a new design have finally emerged.

In February, the General Services Administration (GSA) selected the Trump Organization to overhaul the building.   Thursday night theTrump team presented in-depth plans for the overhaul of the Old Post Office Tower building at the annual membership meeting of the DC Preservation League.

David Horowitz of the Trump Organization told the preservation group – the very group that that helped save the building over 40 years ago – that the Trump group sees the hotel as its top project and that the project will place a heavy emphasis on preservation.

“Our goal for this property is to build the best hotel in Washington, DC, and realistically, the world,” Horowitz told the crowd. “We see an important role as the caretaker of this historic building on our nation’s Main Street.”  He emphasized that the plans are still in development.

Architect Hany Hassan, FAIA, partner at Beyer Blinder Belle in DC, presented the vision for the building.  He sketched a tentative plan that would extend the original ground floor level in the building’s central cortile – bringing back the “slab” on which the first post office workers sorted mail – and then open it up to public entrances from all sides.

Hotel drop-offs are penciled in for 11th and 12th streets, with retail and cafe space with outdoor seating on C Street and on Pennsylvania Avenue. “The building will finally be accessible to the public from all directions,” Hassan said.

The south side is where the Trump Organization would locate the public entrance to a lobby leading to the tower elevators and the Clock Tower Museum, which first opened to the public in 1985.

The existing mezzanine will likely be expanded for a restaurant or cafe, Hassan said.  He asked the audience to imagine Grand Central Station in New York.  “The only difference here is that while you are at this mezzanine level you are not only appreciating the ground floor, you will also be able to look up to the north and see the clock tower, which is one of the most beautiful features of this building,” Hassan said.

Hassan said that, for him, the restoration was a dream project to be approached with humility. He said the project entails a great responsibility to preserve and enhance the building “and the synergy and energy that it will bring to Federal Triangle and connecting the National Mall and the monumental core to the downtown.”

Hassan said the glass annex that was added to the building in the 20th century would house banquet rooms, conference rooms, and public event spaces. The upper levels will house guest rooms that will preserve the building’s original room layout. The larger, postmaster general’s office on the fifth floor, for example, might become a suite, Hassan said.  Some windows might be added on the ninth floor to “give incredible views of the city.”

In Hassan’s eyes, “the building has these incredible bones and all you have to do is work with it and respect it.” The Trump team – with Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump heading the DC project – has set a timeline for breaking ground in 2014 with delivery of a 250-room hotel in 2016.

The building, dating back to 1892, was almost torn down in 1926 when construction on the neo-classical Federal Triangle began and the building went out of style.  Demolition permits were again issued in the 1970s, but a small group of protestors formed the “Don’t Tear it Down” movement to save the building.  That group later turned into the DC Preservation League.

This Event Is Sold Out!
Contact Valerie Hague at valerie@dcpreservation.org to be placed on the waiting list.

DC Preservation League Annual Membership Meeting
Presentation of Proposed Redevelopment by the Trump Organization and Design Team

November 29, 2012 | 6:30pm Program | Reception to Follow
Old Post Office Building | 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

*Clock Tower will be open for tours*

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