Park View Church and Museum of the Bible Clear Big Hurdle

• July 24, 2014

by Lark Turner

Plans for two historic buildings were given approval by the Historic Preservation Review Board on Thursday. Properties that are designated historically significant in the District require the approval, and receiving it is often the biggest challenge of developing a historic property. Here’s a rundown of the two projects we’ve previously covered, which were both approved unanimously:

The Museum of the Bible

A former industrial refrigeration building at 300 D Street SW (map) was granted a historic designation on Thursday. Shortly afterward, plans to turn the building into the Museum of the Bible were also approved by HPRB. The building generated some controversy because the Museum of the Bible is owned by the same family as Hobby Lobby, an arts-and-crafts chain that’s come under fire for successfully challenging forms of women’s contraception in the Supreme Court. As we reported in June, the ANC supported the project because it would revitalize the area with a use local residents are comfortable with. A representative of the museum has said it won’t have a political affiliation.

Rendering by Arcadia Design.

A Church Conversion in Park View

This church in Park View at 625 Park Road NW (map), about four blocks from the Petworth Metro, was designated historic after a developer bought the property and made plans to raze the building. After it was designated, the developer, Mubashir Khan, changed his plans in order to preserve windows on the side of the church. Khan will construct about 40 units total on the site. About 12 of those units will be in the church building. Members of the board asked Khan and his architect, Arcadia Design, to look into what types of windows it will use in the project and whether the church’s stained glass windows can be preserved.

This article originally published at http://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/historic_preservation_approves_plans_for_park_view_church_and_southwests_mu/8779