Nationals Stadium Taking Shape in Southeast

Today I visited the Southeast DC neighborhood where the Nationals new baseball stadium is under construction. As you can see from this photo the form of the roughly $600 million stadium is taking shape. Fans can follow the project on this website created by the construction companies that features two webcams and a daily archive all the way back to last June, which also happens to be the last time I visited. JD’s Near Southeast website has a number of renderings of the stadium’s design and information about the rapid changes in the neighborhood.

JD land estimates that since 1999 in “near southeast” DC (southeast west of the Anacostia) there has been 1.2 million square feet of new office space and 500 apartment and condos constructed. Another 1.7 million square feet of office and 1,000 residential units are currently under construction in the area. The massive wave of investment has many causes, many predating the stadium decision: increased staffing at the Navy Yard, Navy contractors expanding offices in the area, construction of a huge new U.S. DOT office building, demolition and replacement of public housing under the HOPE VI program, the Navy Yard Metro station, and the area’s proximity to the Capital. Check out JD’s site for more details.

On Building a Neighborhood ‘From Scratch’

The Washington Business Journal recently published this interesting article about the baseball stadium district in Southeast, asking “How do you create character where there is none, without replicating Disney-esque environments found at suburban town centers?”

In the article they talk to quite a few planners and developers and it’s clear the district will be resoundingly pedestrian and urban, although it’s less clear if it’s possible to avoid an artificial feel with a neighborhood where everything will be so new. In the words of DC Director of Planning Ellen McCarthy, “It’s very hard to point to a great neighborhood that was created from scratch.” (The building pictured, like most in the neighborhood, is slated for demolition.)

One of things the new neighborhood has going for it is that there’s not just one big rich developer, but many big rich developers with properties down there, which will inevitably lead to at least a bit more variety than a suburban lifestyle center. Another potential upside? Thanks to the lack of existing structures and a modern glass-and-steel stadium, the city hopes the neighborhood could be a showcase of some creative “contemporary design.” I think whether or not this will come true is an open question: some developers they talked to mentioned the nearby 19th century structures at the Navy Yard as inspiration, and historical kitsch is almost always a safer investment than the avant-garde.

This brings me to a larger question about DC architecture: what will be the architectural legacy of today’s modern buildings? It seems there’s not much being written about all the glass and steel going up around town that I know of, and if there is I’d be interested to hear about it. Whether or not we like it, the sheer number of new buildings alone means we’ll be living with the contemporary styles for years to come.

> WBJ: “Erase the past, see the future“

Baseball Stadium Construction

Today I took a walk down around where the city is building a new baseball stadium. See the full set on Flickr here. If you are at all curious about the development going on in this neighborhood, JDLand’s Near Southeast Development page is a fantastic resource.

See my panorama of the construction site.

Just a few blocks west of busy South Capitol Street are several streets of rowhomes. I imagine once all the development goes in these will quickly increase in value. See this area on Google Maps.

This old pumping station on the Anacostia River is used by an environmental organization. JDLand has more information.

A “Modern” Stadium for D.C.

The Post reported today on what the new stadium the city is constructing for the Nationals will look like. Here’s part of the description:

The stadium, which will be along the Anacostia River in near Southeast, features an exterior wall largely made of glass and broken up by limestone portals, according to city sources who have seen the drawings. Aspects of the design create a translucent quality, offering fans inside views of the surrounding neighborhood and teasing those outside with glimpses of game activities.

People who have seen the working version say the ballpark will open to the northeast and afford views of the Capitol — but only from a limited number of upper-deck seats and the press box.

Councilmember Jack Evans is still trying to argue for a “traditional” brick stadium, but I think a minimalist contemporary design could work. The design described in the article — angular, with lots of glass — sounds a bit like the building Mike wrote about on DCist in February now under construction at 22nd Street and M Streets Northwest the developer is now calling 22 West. (See a variety of renderings here.)