Photo by Kenya Allmond

At a congressional hearing yesterday on whether or not to loosen D.C.’s longstanding height limits on buildings—conclusion: maybe, but not anytime soon—D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton mused on the state of architecture in the city.

“If you want to know what disturbs me about this city, I have never seen such pedestrian architecture in my life,” she said, speaking specifically of the boxy buildings lining K Street. “It seems not to have drawn the most creative instincts for architecture.”

That has long been a complaint of those that oppose the 130-foot height limits on D.C. buildings: it forces architects to design buildings that are functional, but not much else than that. Norton can feel better, though, knowing that new buildings—from the city’s libraries to the soon-to-be redeveloped Southwest Waterfront—have drawn praise for their innovative design.