Photo used with permission under a Creative Commons license with rodeomilano

Marc Fisher and David Alpert both get a yuk from the following exchange between U.S. District Court Judge James Robertson and D.C. Assistant Attorney General Leah Taylor, which took place last week during a hearing that all but decided the fate of the controversial Third Church of Christ, Scientist:

“Have you seen the church?” Judge Robertson asked . . . “Yes, your honor,” she replied.

“Been down there? Walked around? Seen the building?” he continued. “Yes, your honor,” she replied.

“Gone inside?” he asked. “No, your honor,” she replied.

“Couldn’t find the door, could you?” he shot back with a gleam in his eye and a wicked smile.

Not exactly funny ha ha to architectural preservationists. It will come as no great surprise, then, that Judge Robertson ruled that if Office of Planning Director Harriet Tregoning does not rule for the Church in the administrative appeal to be allowed to raze the building, Robertson would overrule the Metropolitan Baptist Church vs. D.C. DCRA case that decided that landmarking a church does not place a special burden on religious organizations. Which would be an awful precedent, in terms of future preservation efforts.

I get Robertson’s joke. It’s too bad that he doesn’t get the Third Church of Christ, Scientist, building. To complain that a building with this design isn’t accessible is a bit like complaining that a sailboat doesn’t have a motor.