One interesting characteristic about Washington is the lack of outdoor advertising. Sure, there may be a smattering of bus and metrorail ads, but for the most part, it is rare to find large advertisements in the central sections of the city. (New York Avenue in Northeast is another story …) We assume it has to do with not diluting the image of democracy through the power of neoclassical architecture.
But here is a large clothing ad on H Street NW and New Jersey Avenue, near Massachusetts Avenue. Tucked behind the Union Labor Life Building is a tall concrete ventilation shaft for the I-395/ Center Leg/Third Street tunnel. One the western face is a stylized mural of the Capitol dome, and on its eastern face, DCist got a photo of this ad. But while you can see that the sweaters start at $14.90, there’s no way of knowing who’s selling them. The lower right corner, where presumably the GAP/Banana Republic/etc. logo would go has been torn off, either by forces of the wind, neighborhood pranksters or perhaps anti-capitalist/anti-retail terrorists.
Can anyone identify which retail ad campaign this belongs to? Three blocks up Massachusetts Avenue is a Banana Republic ad on the side of the National Public Radio building. Also, do you think all the billboards around town for CNN’s “Inside Politics” and “Crossfire” draw new viewers?
