Photo courtesy of Shalom Baranes Associates
Join us for a Sense of Place Tour Series.
The goal of this series is to help District residents and other interested parties understand the context of the challenges facing the city today through the lens of the built environment.
Seven in-person tours will look at different parts of the city and different building types. Tours will be given by architects involved with the project and, where possible, also the client. Tours will include the history of the site and how that history and context inform the process of renovation and renewal.
11th Street Bridge Park Walking Tour + Discussion
The 11th Street Bridge Park, a partnership between the Ward 8-based nonprofit Building Bridges Across the River and the District Department of Transportation, will be Washington, D.C.’s first elevated public park. Led by Scott Kratz, Building Bridges Across the River Senior Vice President & 11th Street Bridge Park Director.
Anchored by the historic former Fannie Mae headquarters, City Ridge offers nearly 1.8 million square feet of mixed-use development on 10 acres in upper northwest Washington, DC. Led by Ari Blumenthal, AIA and Nicolas Lundstrom of Shalom Baranes Associates.
Tour: Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum Renovation
In 2013, Quinn Evans began planning and design for the comprehensive renovation of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum on the National Mall. Construction began in late 2018 for the six-year construction effort, and Phase 1 of the renovation opened to the public in October 2022. The project includes the complete replacement of the building envelope, building systems, and most of the interior walls. A new vestibule and site modifications will create a more open and inviting entrance from the National Mall. The Museum’s interiors have been redesigned with a new look, while retaining the most character-defining aspects of this iconic building. Exhibits have been completely reimagined, and a variety of new public amenities have been added.
Site Tour: Rubell Museum DC and Gallery 64
Completed in 2022, the Rubell Museum occupies a Georgian Revival public school building that served Southwest DC’s Black community from 1906 until 1982, before serving a variety of other uses and falling into disrepair. Its adaptive reuse brings back to life an important National Register of Historic Places landmark as a public resource. It is adjacent to Gallery 64, a 12-story, 20% affordable residential building that forms a contemporary counterpart to the historic museum building.
Other Planned Tours
St. Elizabeth’s
Phase2 of the Wharf
Peace Corp Building
Southwest Library