GM reported yesterday that Eastbanc was going back to the OGB to renew their application to replace the Key Bridge Exxon with a condo building. Well the folks over at Urban Turf did GM one better and got some illustrations of the proposal.
Here’s another:
GM’s immediate response to these designs is mostly surprise. It’s an awfully dark and stark design. And it’s a dramatic departure from the earlier disavowed plans:
But the more GM thought about it, the more sense this design makes. It’s basically neutral. And why that’s important for this location is that on one side it’s got the beautiful and Beaux Arts car barn, and it’s got the fussy neo-neo-classical Arthur Cotton Moore building on the left. It would be just about impossible for a building to “go” with either one of those buildings without looking horrible next to the other. A black box makes the building visually sink back into the hill. And hey, maybe that’s why Eastbanc is calling the project “Georgetown Hillside” now.
Here’s GM’s attempt to show how this design will fit with its neighbors:
This is hardly a perfect rendering, but it gives you the idea of the challenge the designers have. We’ll see whether the architects at the Old Georgetown Board agree.
Start the popcorn now – this should be entertaining!
To whit, apparently the viewshed from Rosslyn is now a key concern:
“Somebody driving into, or looking into, Georgetown from the Potomac side looks into this area, and there is major concern that this would be one of the major things people would be staring at as the gateway to Georgetown,” Starrels tells WTOP.
Starrels adds that even though the plan has been modified, existing residents are worried about its impact.
“Compromise is always welcome, but it’s still a very large building,” he adds.
The rape of Georgetown by EastBanc continues.
Rape, eh? Methinks Mr. Roffman might be *just* a bit hyperbolic there.
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