The Most Striking Development Pitched in DC in 2019

• December 17, 2019

by Nena Perry-Brown

It's that time of year again when UrbanTurf reflects on some of DC’s most interesting real estate topics from the last 12 months. This week, we refresh your memory on some of the best, most intriguing and most peculiar things we came across throughout 2019. Enjoy.

In a city often lambasted for being architecturally unimaginative, a new project pitched this year as creating a "gateway" to Union Market will definitely stand out.

EDENS recently filed plans for a 130 foot-tall, "chevron-shaped" building which would straddle 4th Street at New York Avenue NE (map), delivering office, retail and PDR/makerspace, as well as 366 apartments. The design includes a four-story bridge spanning 4th Street, creating a publicly-accessible rooftop park with an amphitheater and a quarter-mile walking and jogging path. Elevators to the roof are transparent and surrounded by plantings described as a "vertical garden". 

The design provoked a variety of reactions from our readers when it was revealed. The development application for the project went into detail to explain the concept: 

"The Project foreshadows much grander development possibly to come to New York Avenue, NE. Massing features such as chamfered corners at key locations maximize views from New York Avenue NE into the neighborhood by carving the corners of the building, creating a characteristic corbelling affect to expose, among other areas, the public entry to the rooftop on 4th Street, NE through the “vertical garden”, creating continuous and generous access from the street to the Rooftop. The Applicant believes that the Project, with its signature Rooftop, unique bridge over 4th Street, NE, and impressive architectural design and detailing, achieves the desired objectives." 

To achieve this "signature" style, design heavyweights were enlisted, with WDG Architecture as the architect of record, SHoP Architects as the project designer, and James Corner Field Operations, best-known for the High Line in New York and the C&O Canal renovation, helming the landscape design.

The project still has a long way to go before it can become a reality, in large part due to it requiring approval to develop the airspace above a public right of way. It will be interesting to see how, or whether, the design evolves, particularly if the development team is forced to nix the bridge aspect of the development.

Other 2019 Year in Review Articles:

• The Craziest Place to Spend the Night in 2019 
• The 5 Priciest Home Sales in the DC Area in 2019
• The Best Listing of the Year (For the Mere Mortal)
• Most Prevalent New Neighborhood Amenity in 2019
• The Best Listing of the Year (For the Well-Paid Lobbyist)
• The Most Impactful Regulation in DC in 2019 That Can't Get Finalized
• The Best Apartment Views in DC in 2019
• The DC University With the Most Development Plans on the Horizon
• The Best Apartment of 2019 For the Aspiring Muckraker

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/most-striking-design-pitched-in-dc-this-year/16230