A Couple Quick Items

- Actress Meryl Streep does her part to get the Senate to pass legislation to allow the purchase of federal property to build the National Women's History Museum at 12th Street and Independence Avenue by attending a fundraiser last week at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, according to WTOP. The House of Representatives passed the bill last October. Streep is an honorary board member for the group working to build the museum and serves as its national spokeswoman.

- Also from WTOP, the Army Corps of Engineers awarded a $4.6 million contract to Hirani Engineering and Land Surveying to start construction on a levee system next month on 17th Street, NW on the National Mall. A new floodplain map was recently done that shows parts of Southwest and downtown now fall under the flood plain, which prompted the city to get the levee built. Here is a map that shows which areas of the city now fall under the flood plain. Properties that fall in the new flood plain are required to get flood insurance, but this insurance will be temporary, since the levee will cause the flood plain map to change once the construction project is complete in 2011.

Museum Momentum

A representative from the National Women's History Museum tells Southwest...TLQTC that on October 14th, the House of Representatives passed bill HR 1700, which will allow the GSA to sell a parcel at 12th Street & Independence Avenue to the musuem's organizers. The vacant parcel can accommodate up to 300,000 square feet of space. Now, the bill goes to the Senate. The bill was passed thanks to the efforts of the Right Here. Right Now. campaign that organizers have implemented to get the public engaged in the quest to get legislation approved. Once Congress allows the sale to occur, the museum will need to raise $250 - $300 million in order to build the complex. Above is a map of the location of the proposed museum, from the National Women's History Museum website.

A Couple WBJ News Items

- In last week's Breaking Ground Blog from the Washington Business Journal, it was reported that the National Capital Planning Commission has put out a contract to study the transportation overhaul of 10th Street, which goes from the Smithsonian Castle to Banneker Overlook. This is one of the first steps needed before any redevelopment can occur on the corridor, as described in the recently approved Monumental Core Framework Plan. Back in April, Southwest...TLQTC described the plans for the Southwest Rectangle portion of the plan, which includes the 10th Street corridor. (The above rendering is a south view of the redeveloped 10th Street, looking towards Banneker Overlook, from the Monumental Core Framework Plan.)

- In today's Breaking Ground Blog, the WBJ reports that organizers of the National Women's History Museum sent a letter to Congress urging approval of the National Women’s History Museum Act of 2009, which will permit the General Services Administration (the real estate arm of the federal government) to sell a site at 12th Street & Independence Avenue to the organization so the museum can be built. The letter to Congress is part of the Right Here, Right Now campaign that organizers have implemented to get the public engaged in the quest to get legislation approved. Last August, Southwest...TLQTC wrote a post on the status of the museum, but since then much hasn't changed. (Above is a map of the location of the proposed museum, from the National Women's History Museum website.)

Women's Museum Coming to Mall?

Not quite, but according to this week's Washington Business Journal (available to paid subscribers only), a vacant site at 12th Street and Independence Avenue next to the National Mall is being considered for the site of the National Women's History Museum. The vacant site could accommodate up to 300,000 SF of space. Currently, the site is owned by the GSA and bills are pending in Congress which would allow the GSA to sell the parcel to the museum. From the article: “'We will look to see whether we can move quickly to get the House or the Senate bill passed and then move to the other chamber,' said museum President Joan Wages, who is pushing the museum’s members to urge Congress to act. 'It will hopefully help us get the legislation passed before Congress leaves, targeting the last week of September.'” The National Women's History Museum currently isn't part of the Smithsonian, but once they secure a site, then they can petition the Smithsonian for an affiliation. Once Congress allows the sale to occur, the museum will need to raise $250 - $300 million in order to build the complex, so don't look to add this museum to the tour circuit any time soon...