A Modern Makeover Planned For Bank Building Near White House

• 11:52 AM EDT

by UrbanTurf Staff

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A renovation proposal is taking shape for a prominent historic office building along Pennsylvania Avenue.

Plans will be presented to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts this week for an overhaul of 1445 New York Avenue NW (map) — the National Savings & Trust Company Building, situated within view of the White House and the Treasury Department. Architecture firm Gensler is helming the design for property owner Ponte Gadea.

According to the submission, the project's rationale is that the office buildings currently filling up in DC are those offering high architectural quality alongside amenities like roof terraces, event spaces, fitness centers, and abundant natural light. The goal is to bring 1445 New York up to that standard while letting the older, more ornate portions of the building "shine."

The most visible change would be a full replacement of the tower's brick facade with a floor-to-ceiling glass curtainwall featuring deep mullions, projecting vertical fins, and a cornice-like band intended to echo the proportions of the historic facades next door rather than read as a stark "glass box." The building's mechanical penthouse would be converted into an event space with a glass wall opening onto a new observation deck facing the White House, while a small rooftop deck one level down would be replaced by a larger, park-like terrace paired with a new interior atrium and skylight.

The submission frames the overall design approach as "compatible but differentiated," pointing to Foster + Partners' work at the National Portrait Gallery and Shalom Baranes' Milken Center as local precedents for blending contemporary glass additions with historic masonry.

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/a_modern_makeover_planned_for_bank_building_near_white_house/24731.