Arena Stage has provided new renderings of the construction. The one above on the left represents the view along Maine Avenue, while the one on the right, the view up 6th Street from the corner of 6th and M.
Last night at the ANC6D meeting, Guy Bergquist presented a plan for the public space around Arena Stage, including sidewalks, curbs, grass, trees, benches, stairs, ramps, crosswalks, paving, gutters, knee walls, and light poles. The mature tress lost to the construction will be replaced, but with smaller varieties, and some extra trees will be planted, at the request of the ANC, on a motion by Commissioner Jane Jorgensen. The ANC voted to recommend the proposal to the Zoning Commission.
A trip down Maine Avenue reveals the giant wooden columns being installed to support the new roof, topped off by steel work. The columns will be visible through the glass curtain which will encase the theatres. The photos above, courtesy of Arena Stage, show the installation process.
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8 comments:
What a beautiful theatre! Can't wait to see its completion.
I really like the building so far and appreciate you posting these new renders. However, does anyone know the reasoning behing enclosing the old theater inside that gorgeous glass atrium? I thought the point of rebuilding was to actually replace the old building, not just put it on display.
Brad S
Brad, I will check it out to be sure, but I think it is because both of the old theaters were landmarked under the Historic Preservation Law of DC.
It seems a little odd to wrap a new, modern theater, around a 60's era, boxy building, historic preservation or not! I hope they can do something to offset the old theater's inherent blandness!
Do you know how tall it will be? As tall as Waterside Towers? I'm trying to figure out how much view I'm going to lose.
I am on the 7th Floor of Waterside, and I have lost quite a bit of river view. I am estimating that it will be only a couple of feet higher than the steel structure now in place over the columns.
Brad, two issues. First, it's my understanding that Arena Stage didn't want a bigger theater. The old main theater, the Fichandler Stage, is 650 seats. As you probably noticed if you ever went to a play there, the real problems with that stage were the noise intruding from the street and the lack of lobby space. The new building will resolve these.
Second, AS didn't want to face the possibility of resistance to tearing down a structure that was added to DC's inventory of historic buildings in 1980.
The old buildings are considered historic? Eeesh, maybe whatever architecture they replaced, but not those concrete bunkers. I would have preferred they razed them, and built a more traditional theater from scratch, restoring the urban proportions of sidewalk and building, and doing whatever they could to restore the old street grid that was altered in the 1960s urban renewal.
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