April 6, 2010
Dear Coalition Friends:
The National Capital Planning Commission gave final approval to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool rehabilitation project at its monthly meeting last Thursday. The Commission also offered support for the Hirshhorn inflatable pavilion. See the two articles below.
As UPDATE readers are aware, the National Coalition to Save Our Mall has worked to communicate our concerns to the federal and District review agencies that decisions to use only hard paving throughout the existing and new walkways around the Lincoln Reflecting Pool, and to add the water filtration building to the collection of temporary stables and maintenance buildings south of the Pool, could seriously alter the open and green landscape character of this part of the National Mall.
We are concerned that in the rush to finalize the project to meet funding deadlines, other viable alternatives were too easily dismissed in the review process. In our testimony before NCPC, we stated our fear that in the push to secure federal and District final approval, NPS "has put its practical interests and needs above the historic plans and character." Innovative long-term and sustainable solutions, which would have better preserved the Mall's character and made this project a model of forward-looking sustainable planning, were not seriously studied. Sadly, NPS's security and maintenance needs were given priority.
WASHINGTON EXAMINER
By Alana Goodman
April 2, 2010
The area surrounding the famed Reflecting Pool on the National Mall will be closed to the public for up to two years as the pool undergoes construction, National Park Service officials said.
The National Capital Planning Commission approved the park service's preliminary building plans for the Reflecting Pool on Thursday, and construction is expected to last 18 to 24 months. During this period, the pool will be drained and fenced off from the public.
"Construction should begin in this calendar year," said National Park Service spokesman Bill Line, estimating that it would most likely begin in the fall -- after the summer tourist season.
The National Capital Planning Commission said the construction is needed because the Reflecting Pool is leaking water and settling unevenly, and the pathways surrounding it have been worn away by pedestrians.
The building plans include the addition of a paved, 13-foot-wide walking path along the perimeter of the pool in order to prevent further erosion to the turf around it. Proposals also include changes to the pool's water system.
Currently, water is pumped into the body from a municipal drinking water source. Under the new plan, water will be drawn from the nearby Tidal Basin, which the National Capital Planning Commission said will end the pool's dependence on the District's water supply. Before being piped into the pool, the Potomac River water will be filtered and treated with ozone to eliminate debris and give it a clear appearance.
"Once in the Reflecting Pool, the water will be re-circulated so that the quality and appearance of the water will be much improved from the current condition of stagnant, algae-ridden water," said the National Capital Planning Commission's staff recommendation report.
The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is a popular tourist attraction on the National Mall, which draws approximately 24 million visitors each year.
The Reflection Pool construction project is being paid for with federal stimulus funds, though a total cost estimate has yet to be given. The National Park Service said it will likely begin seeking contract bids from construction companies within the next month.
ART KNOWLEDGE NEWS
By Homer Sanderson
April 3, 2010
WASHINGTON, DC.- The Smithsonian's Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden received supportive comments from the National Capital Planning Commission for a proposed seasonal inflatable pavilion to the museum's plaza. Architectural firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro's design for the structure was reviewed at the concept stage. The NCPC voted to approve executive director Marcel C. Acosta's recommendation of the project. To date, the Hirshhorn Museum has received encouragement to proceed with the development of this project by both the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts and the NCPC.
In a written recommendation, Acosta states, "...the semi-annual transformation of the museum's central courtyard will create an exciting and unanticipated attraction along the National Mall..." The Commission recommends that the Hirshhorn continue to develop designs for two versions of the inflatable pavilion prior to making a determination on a final design.
The NCPC is the federal government's planning agency for the National Capital Region, with a 12-member Commission that meets monthly to adopt, approve, or provide advice on plans and projects that impact the nation's capital and surrounding areas.
On Feb. 18, 2010, the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, a panel overseeing architecture in the nation's capital, reviewed the initial design concept and approved it with enthusiasm. The commission praised the concept as "exciting" and raised no objections. Earl A. Powell, chairman of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, said the museum should "go forth and inflate."
The temporary inflatable pavilion will be a site for new educational initiatives, as well as a place for collaborations between the Hirshhorn and other national, regional, and local institutions. With an expanded auditorium, the temporary pavilion will serve as the hub for a new series of conferences exploring important cross-disciplinary issues in media, technology and contemporary culture. Standing nearly 122 feet tall, the inflatable structure will sit in the Hirshhorn's courtyard, ballooning through the top of the building. It will be appropriately visible from all sides of the museum and at points along the Mall. Extending from the lobby and featuring the auditorium, meeting places and a caf, the pavilion will transform the Plaza into a vibrant public space.
"The pavilion and the activities it will house affirm the Museum's commitment to enhancing public understanding and appreciation of contemporary art and culture. Locally, nationally and globally the Hirshhorn will function as a meeting place where people can gather for the exchange of critical issues and ideas." said Richard Koshalek, Executive Director of the Hirshhorn.
New York City-based architecture firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro was contracted in September 2009 to start working on the concept of the temporary inflatable pavilion. Initial construction of the pavilion has been estimated at $5 million, with an additional endowment of $2.5- $5 million for continuing installation, storage, and programmatic research costs. DSR's recent projects include the redesign of Alice Tully Hall at New York's Lincoln Center, Boston's Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA), and New York's High Line.
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