Yesterday we told you about FLUX, the umbrella group of arts organizations proposing to turn Cook Elementary into a multi-use art space. During our discussion with Warehouse’s Paul Ruppert, we also got some more information about a separate push to convert the unused space underneath Dupont Circle. Ruppert, along with Adam Griffiths from the Washington Project for the Arts, and Julian Hunt, an architect with Hunt Laudi Studio, have formed an “ad hoc committee” as part of the new Artist Coalition for Dupont Underground.

ACDU’s mission is to fill a hole they feel is missing for art spaces in the city.

“It’s a central location and a large space that fits a lot of converging interests,” Hunt explains.

The venue would be used for experimental artists and curators to hold shows they may not otherwise find space for, for “mid-size” traveling exhibitions that can’t find a home in a big museum or our tiny fine art galleries, as well as a variety of other creative endeavors: fashion shows, video screenings, architectural events, and more.

This underground space was originally built for the streetcar initiative, which ended in 1962. The area is made of two tunnels that run parallel to each other, with a platform in the middle. ACDU is trying to acquire the west tunnel, which runs approximately north to R Street and south to N Street, along with the platform space, and amounts to 15,000 square feet. Boarded up entrances to the tunnels run all around Dupont Circle, near the CVS, PNC bank, and the Krispy Kreme, to name a few. ACDU’s first order of business would be to spruce up these entrances to entice visitors.

Image of artists rendering of Dupont Underground, courtesy the ACDU