That finger building and other "fingers"

I had a couple blog entries a couple weeks ago on "the finger building" being constructed on the 1000 block of V Street NW. 

-- Civic aloofness and civic f*ck you in architecture
-- The use value vs. the exchange value of place: density, height, and urban design and aesthetics

I think most of the arguments elsewhere--in particular the spirited defense of the building on GGW miss the point that it isn't the height per se that is the issue, but the inadequate mass of that particular height on that particular block.

"She got the ring, I got the finger" a Country Music song, this version by the Ridge Riders  -- in this case, "she" is the builder, who gets the maximum ROI, but the community gets the finger... 

The thread also discussed the design aspects of the building, again, in the context of the existing building stock.  One of the comments on my blog made the point that s/he is withholding judgement on the design until the finished product is revealed.  I made the point that the likelihood of the building being decent is remote, given the various similar execresences constructed elsewhere in the city.

I noticed this one yesterday, up the street from the Safeway on Wisconsin Avenue in Glover Park.  It's a wee bit wider but still significantly taller with different massing, compared to the extant rowhouse buildings on either side.

Then again, it is on a major arterial, in an area likely zoned commercial.

I think it's pretty likely that the building on the 1000 block of V Street NW will end up looking very similar.  This stretch of Wisconsin Avenue isn't in a historic district so there is no design review.

These are the kinds of examples that make me strongly support historic preservation rules and regulations, despite the occasional faults of the proponents.


Note that the very nice entryway sign for Glover Park doesn't highlight ersatz architecture.