A Few Quick Items: MD Ave Comment Period Deadline Approaches, Gehry's Design for Eisenhower Memorial Defended, Stairway Collapse, Arena's RED Gets Rave Reviews

- This is the last week for public comment on the Draft Maryland Avenue SW Plan by the DC Office of Planning. I wrote a summary of the draft plan back in December if you'd prefer to read that instead of the full plan. In addition, there will be a mayoral hearing on February 1st at 6:30pm at 1100 4th Street (2nd floor meeting room) to receive testimony on the plan. 

- The Capital Comment Blog at Washingtonian Magazine interviewed Daniel J. Feil, executive architect of the Eisenhower Memorial Commission, who defended the Gehry design of the planned memorial to President Eisenhower in response to a recent interview by the same blog of Eisenhower's granddaughter (Susan Eisenhower), who was critical of the design.  The proposed memorial will be located across the street from the National Air & Space Museum, bounded by Independence Avenue to the north, 4th Street to the east, the Department of Education headquarters to the south, and 6th Street to the west.  The memorial commission will go before the National Capital Planning Commission on March 1 to get preliminary design approval and hopes to have construction underway by the end of the year.

- NBC4 reports that there was a stairwell collapse this evening at an apartment building on the 4300 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue in Bellevue. According to the news story, a delivery person was carrying a large piece of furniture when the stairway gave way. The delivery person sustained serious injuries and was taken to Howard University hospital.

- Arena Stage's RED receives 3 1/2 out of 4 stars from the After Hours Blog at Washingtonian Magazine.  From the review:

It’s a testament to the skills of director Robert Falls that he achieves the seemingly impossible in, currently playing at Arena Stage—he makes spellbinding theater out of watching paint dry. ...To say that art, and one man’s tricky, impenetrable understanding of it, is at the heart of which is co-presented by Arena Stage and Chicago’s Goodman Theatre and arrives here after a well-received Chicago run is an understatement. John Logan’s Tony-winning 2009 play is a fascinating look at the dogmatic, unyielding vision of Rothko, whose paintings (presumably to his chagrin) adorn the walls of endless college dorm rooms and major art galleries alike...For such a short (100 minutes) and focused play, Red manages to cover a surprising number of bases. Rothko’s relationship with Ken, a fictional character invented by Logan to explore the artist’s character, is initially one-sided, but as the play shifts towards its inevitable, almost Oedipal conclusion, Ken’s character takes on a new grittiness, reflecting his mentor. At the play’s start, Andrews is all two-dimensional Richie Cunningham earnestness and Converse sneakers, but as Ken’s tragic past unfolds, the character takes on a new steeliness, with Andrews resisting the temptation to make Ken just a foil for Rothko’s grim self-absorption.

RED will run at Arena Stage until March 11.

Photo courtesy of Arena Stage (by Liz Lauren)

A Few Quick Items: SW Waterfront Legislation Passes, Volunteers Needed to Fill Vacancies, DC United Resolution, Lockridge Library in Bellevue

- The U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 2297 today, a bill introduced by Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton that clarifies the legal status of the Southwest Waterfront, which will help the developers of The Wharf redevelop the waterfront. A provision in the bill allows the Maine Lobsterman memorial to be moved, but it must remain along the Southwest Waterfront near Maine Avenue with a clear, unimpeded pedestrian pathway between the memorial and the waterfront. The bill now goes to the Senate for approval where, according to a press release from Norton, it does not face any obstacles for passage. Rendering courtesy of Hoffman-Madison Waterfront.

- The Southwest Duck Pond is seeking 501c3 non-profit status, but in order to do so, officers must be elected. Secretary and Treasurer positions are still vacant and need to be filled so the application can be completed. The organization wants the non-profit status so it can do fundraising to restore the park at 6th and I Streets. If you're interested, contact the group by email: swdctowncenterwestpark@gmail.com. 

In addition, the editors of The Southwester recently resigned suddenly, so a volunteer is needed to run the newspaper. If you're interested, contact The Southwester by email: thesouthwester@gmail.com.

- Ward 6 Council member Tommy Wells introduced a resolution today in the DC Council called the "Sense of the Council Support for D.C. United Soccer Remaining in the District of Columbia Resolution of 2011". The resolution doesn't say how the city should go about keeping the team, however. Rendering courtesy of Akridge.

- According to The Washington Post, the DC Council approved legislation today to rename the new Bellevue library under construction on the corner of Atlantic Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue after the late Ward 8 activist and school board member William O. Lockridge. The library will be named the "William O'Neal Lockridge Library at Bellevue" as a compromise since the community wanted the name Bellevue to be in the name of the library because the old Washington Highlands library was mislabeled. Rendering courtesy of DC Public Library.

What Bloggers are Saying About Southwest

- DCMud posts a story on parks that are planned around the District. The post briefly mentions the park space planned at the Southwest Waterfront. The above model shows the public park planned on the south portion of the Southwest Waterfront redevelopment. The building in the middle of the green space is St. Augustine's Episcopal Church, which isn't a part of the redevelopment. The roof of Arena Stage is also visible on the top left corner of the model.

- DCist reports that public meetings will be held over the next couple of weeks to discuss the city's Neighborhood Circulation Study. According to the website, the focus of the study is: " Identify current deficiencies in neighborhood transit connectivity; Improve local bus services to enhance neighborhood circulation as well as connectivity; Identify new neighborhood services which will enhance circulation and connectivity; and, Complement the long-range growth of DC’s transit system." The Bellevue area will have its meeting on Tuesday, December 16th at 6:30pm at The Specialty Hospital of Washington -Hadley located on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue.