The Weekly Feed: Experimentation Edition
Former Blade Staffers Launch 'DC Agenda'
D.C. Insurance Dept. Denies Birth Control Coverage Meddling
Controversy Over Rhee Now to Include Sex, Congress
Report: CCDC Split From UDC Is "Critical To Success"
Marc Fisher has the big news that the years-long fight between historic preservationists and the congregation of the Third Church of Christ, Scientist at 16th and I Streets NW appears to have been resolved by the District.
D.C. planning director Harriet Tregoning has ruled that historic preservation zealots trying to force the church to keep its concrete bunker of a building on 16th Street NW near the White House were wrong and that the city must grant the church a permit to demolish its faceless, spiritually deadening 1971 building so that the church's members can afford to build a new downtown church more suited to expressing and celebrating their religious faith.Fisher's long written about the church battle from the point of view of his bias against the Brutalist architectural style of the building. Historic preservationists argue that the whole point of preservation is to avoid destroying things that may have gone out of fashion today, but might once again be cherished in the future. With her decision, Tregoning has come down on the side of the congregation, who have long argued that they could not afford a new church anywhere downtown unless they are allowed to tear down the existing structure and put up a revenue-raising office building in its place. By framing her reasoning in terms of the health of the downtown neighborhood and the economic hardship on the church, though, Tregoning managed to steer clear of most of the controversial aspects of this fight. It's not about whether the building is ugly or historically significant, it's about making sure we don't end up with a giant, abandoned building right near the White House."The Mayor's Agent finds that the denial of the [demolition] permit would result in the inevitable demise of the Third Church as a downtown congregation, and therefore concludes that the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs may consider the demolition permit application cleared for historic preservation purposes," Tregoning wrote in her long-awaited decision on the church's appeal of a pro-landmark ruling by the city's historic preservation board.
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I'm usually one for preservation, but I won't miss this building at all.
Jeeze. What kind of wussy god would want to live in a blocky dump like this? Give me a god that's ten stories tall, shaped like a goddamned robot, with flamethrowers in his mouth and ass, and canons that shoot sharks out of his eyeballs. Also, his penis is a flaming catherine wheel. That's the kind of deity I can get behind. One that scares the crap out of kids and destroys whole neighborhoods with his atomic farts. Scew this "peace and love" crap. I want a god that fights like Mechagodzilla.
Sounds like that episode of Futurama when Bender - as pharaoh - had the Egyptians build a huge, fire-belching statute of himself.
Statue, rather
maybe they can demo/rebuild the fbi building while they're at it. eyesore!
Hear! Hear!
You should see inside if you think the outside is bad. The East German Stasi would feel right at home.
Yes, I'm also usually a big supporter of historic preservation, but this one wasn't worth fighting for. As Fisher pointed out, we have many other examples of Brutalism in DC, and only one or two really need to be preserved. Sadly, what should have been preserved were the fine pre-WWII buildings on the site that were demolished to build the church in the first place.
According to your logic, we still have many fine pre-WWII buildings, and only a few of those need to be preserved.
Historical significance arguments aside, how does a church with such a miniscule congregation have the right to maintain a downtown presence? As far as I can tell, it's not like that location is somehow historically significant to their congregation.
So... Christ was a scientist?
Batman's a scientist.
So then where's our Third Church of Batman, Scientist?
So then where's our Third Church of Batman, Scientist?
It's panhandling outside Metro Center.
But when the sun goes down, it stands on newspaper boxes in Underoos with its fists on its hips, whispering, "I'm Batman."
I see. I thought I felt safer around the Metro Center area lately.
The First Church of the Green Hornet and Kato might just have what it takes to get me to go to Sunday mass again. Maybe!
When this post mentioned "a giant, abandoned building right near the White House" I was reminded of the National Bank of Washington. That's a building I wish someone would try to salvage.
That building will someday house the Armenian Genocide Museum, but from the looks of it, no one has even set foot inside that building in 25 years, much less begun the renovations.
The last I heard about the museum was back in 2007. Do you know if they're still doing that?
I bought shoes in that may-eventually-be-an-Armenian-genocide-museum building's first floor on the last day of Hahn Shoes' going out of business sale in 1992. The doors have been locked ever since. So, appears to be 25 years, was actually 17.
That building would be great for Lazer Tag games.
So would they call the new building the Fourth Church of Christ, Scientist??
Shocker - Marc Fisher's not cool enough to like Brutalism.
This church/building is certainly one of the more palatable examples. As sparemonk wrote above - the FBI building is the one that should go. Immediately.
My fear during all of this is that one tiny little petite example of Brutalism gets demolished, but when FBI's head (or another) is on the chopping block, it will be the one ending up getting preserved.
As Brutalism is a direct descendent of Gothic architecture, created in the tradition of the sublime of Nature's dominion over man. It is much more appropriate for a church building. I do like the FBI building, although it should have been built with the restaurants and stores as intended (thanks J. Edgar!), it is not the best example for sure. I do think that what made the first preservationists heroic is that they were trying to save the recently out of fashion. We need to get smarter with building so that we can approach construction for more of a scalpel instead of bulldozer. Inserting new buildings into the existing fabric. Learning to accept additions and changes to buildings. And let buildings and streets change.
How exactly is Brutalism the 'direct descendent' of the Gothic style? The Gothic revival has been largely defunct for many years when the National Cathedral was designed in the Gothic fashion in the early 20th century. Brutalism did not come along until 50 years after that.
Also, the key features of the two styles are unrelated.
Gothic architecture was notable for allowing lots of light into the structure through large Gothic arches - something that was not possible with Roman arches. Soaring height was another characteristic of the gothic - made possible through engineering developments such as the Gothic arch, vaulted ceilings, and the flying buttress. Buildings in the style stretched towards the heavens and represented the aspirations of the human spirit. Of course there is also the use of ornate masonry and stonework that was so common to the continental Gothic styles.
Brutalism, on the other hand, was born out of necessity, as European designers experimented with concrete, which was a cheap and readily available medium. It did not reflect any elements of the cutting edge (the Romans used poured concrete) but was largely a cost-cutting measure. Furthermore, I've never seen a Brutalist structure that makes use of Gothic elements such as the combination of light and height that was/is typical of the Gothic and neoGothic styles. Furthmore, where is the intricate detail that is so common in Gothic buildings?
Now, of course there are variations between the French, German, and English gothic styles, but none of those come close to Brutalism. I would almost put them at opposite ends of the spectrum.
"Zealots?" "Concrete bunker?" "Faceless, spritually deadening building?" Tell us how you really feel, Mark.
Maybe with this out of the way, we can finally get around to bulldozing/dynamiting/sowing salt Shiloh Baptist Church and all their slum properties.
Oh, yeah. AND PAY YOUR F**KING TAXES, JERKS.
"Zealots?" "Concrete bunker?" "Faceless, spritually deadening building?" Tell us how you really feel, Mark.
Maybe with this out of the way, we can finally get around to bulldozing/dynamiting/sowing salt Shiloh Baptist Church and all their slum properties.
Oh, yeah. AND PAY YOUR F**KING TAXES, JERKS.
Giant Octagon of Concrete, We Shall Miss Thee.
That is definitely one fugly building. I'd like to see a more contemporary building in that space. D.C. doesn't exactly have a wealth of cutting-edge architecture.
There is enough of the "new modernist" crap going up in the city as it is. Just because the facade is not 98% glass, it is no longer relevant architecture?
When will people in this city realize that it does not need to have grand columns or a glass curtain wall in order to be an important piece of architectural history?
Sure the building is not "pretty," but how does it have any less character than the glass boxes going up in the Federal Triangle and east of Chinatown?
My opinion (all be it unimportant) is that the negative space created by the outreaching bell tower is one of the best details I have seen in brutalism architecture.
My apologies. I replied tot he wrong comment. My previous statement was meant for comment [12] by out_on_an_island.
'New Modernist?' I think perhaps you mean Post-modern. I'm not into glass cubes either; I'd like to see something along the lines of 30 St. Mary Axe in London (aka The Gherkin) or the London City Council building. I don't think there is a single staight line or flat piece of glass on either one.
Post modern peaked in the 80s and was largely over a decade ago. The Gherkin/Swiss Re building is part of the blobitecture movement.
"By framing her reasoning in terms of the health of the downtown neighborhood and the economic hardship on the church, though, Tregoning managed to steer clear of most of the controversial aspects of this fight. It's not about whether the building is ugly or historically significant, it's about making sure we don't end up with a giant, abandoned building right near the White House."
Wait, you mean that someone cut to the chase and applied relevant legal standards?
Now that we've got some momentum going here, how about plowing under that hideous DC Central Library? The homeless can then move into their new digs at the Capitol Visitors Center. To paraphrase Robert Duvall's Col. Kilgore in Apocalypse Now, "I love the smell of urine in the morning.... Smells like... victory."
The best option for MLK Library is to gut the interior, fill it with water, and turn it into a huge catch-and-release fishbowl. Like the old saying, "Give a homeless guy a Horace & Dickies fish sandwich, you feed him for a day. Teach him to fish, and he'll die of impetigo and mercury poisoning."
dodgecitydave: i'll admit that i'm not the biggest fan of the MLK library architecturally, but have you been inside? it's actually not that bad of a place, and they've been working on making it a lot better the last couple years.
You are kidding, right? MLK is a modern landmark. Seriously. I love it.
I love it, too! It's great. I enjoy it every time I walk by.
Perhaps this heap could be sold to the Comité Régional du Tourisme de Lorraine and transported to France to enhance Maginot Line tourist attractions.
I still don't understand why the congregation couldn't just heal the building through prayer.
Because they're praying to the wrong god. Duh. There is but One God and His Name is Bruce Wayne.
Blasphemer !!! Adam West is the one and true God!!
Can someone point to me an example of Brutalist architecture -- in the District or elsewhere -- that people enjoy using and fosters some kind of vitality in the surrounding neighborhood?
Park Hill Sheffield appeared in an Arctic Monkeys video.
Sorry. That's all I got.
L'Enfant Plaza Hotel
Upper Cardozo Health Center
FBI Building
US Tax Court
Walter Reed Army Medical Center
Many Metro Stations
FAA Building and it's sister across 7th Street
International Monetary Funds Building
HUD Building
DOT Building
The DOT building was a great example, but they tore it down like a year ago. A LEED certified building is being erected in its place.
Damn I need to get out more. Thanks.
Lauinger Library at Georgetown is also an example of brutalist architecture. Image
List of my favorite buildings in Washington? Thanks!
This is kind of awesome...
Geisel Library, UCSD
Inside you might find Destro and Cobra Commander plotting their next ambush on GI Joe HQ.
Yep, kind of awesome until you find out that the base of the building is roped off because chunks of concrete have been falling off the exterior. :(
Sorry, meant that as a response to [29] Kev29.
A most perfect spot for PIGMAN's NEW FORTRESS OF MORTITUDE!
In accepting the church's "hardship" argument, Tregoning and the District ducked a fight over religious freedom that could have had far-reaching consequences for preservation law everywhere if the case had reached the federal courts. For once, DC and its legal whizzes (Nickles, Fenty and Co.) didn't lean into a punch, ala Heller.
I won't miss this building! It's funny that religious people (in this case) are the non-materlist ones and it's the other people who are getting all sentimental... usually churches are the ones moaning and groaning about a new construction project or someone wanting to change their church or even areas nearby...