
Yesterday, I noticed some trees and shrubs were starting to get planted in a large planter box at the corner of 7th & D Street in front of
Constitution Center. While the interior courtyard landscaping has been in place for months now (see August photos
here), this is the first indication of what kind of green space will be visible to passersby on D Street. (Above is a photo of the D Street frontage of Constitution Center looking west from the L'Enfant Plaza Metro entrance.) Planter boxes will be located on all four sides of the building. It also appears from my quick drive-by that the façade of the 7th Street entrance to the office complex is nearly complete. In addition, a new work of art commissioned for the project, a light painting called
Transformation by artist Stephen Knapp, is now partially visible as you leave the L’Enfant Plaza Metro station entrance on D Street. The official unveiling of the light painting and the
Legacy sculpture in the interior courtyard will be on September 30th.

Here is a photo of the trees recently planted at the corner of 7th & D Street.
3 comments:
Once again I ask, where is the new Metro elevator entrace on D Street that was suppose to be built by the developers as a concession when Constitution Center got permission to reduce atrium public access for security reasons?
Did Metro just drop the ball or did it settle for some other concessions (like a "nifty" piece of public art) instead of better handicap access?
Bob: I did some digging and found the following PDF on WMATA's website: http://www.wmata.com/pdfs/planning/Demand_Passenger%20Facilities.pdf
On the last page, it states that a back-up elevator will be installed at the L'Enfant Plaza Metro in 2012. Whether or not this is a result of concessions made by the developer, I don't know.
Thank you so much for looking into this. I still think at least some of the cost was suppose to be an obligation of the developer (I believe I read about it in the Washington Post when the planned renovation was first announced or when zoning, CFA, NCPC or other approvals were given). I just want to make sure that a well-connected developer doesn't get out of paying their fair share.
Post a Comment