1718 Connecticut Avenue is an office building in Washington DC’s historic Dupont Circle neighborhood. Constructed in 1982, the major architectural challenge was to place the full allowable floor area on the site in a manner that would be sympathetic with, and contribute to, the character of the neighborhood.
Part of the ultimate solution was the recession of the upper two stories behind a roof that rose to a height equal to that of the neighboring buildings, effectively hiding much of the building’s mass from pedestrian view. The east facade, which faces on to Connecticut Avenue, was designed in a spirit of freely adaptive eclecticism similar to the 19th century historicism that established character of the neighborhood. Projecting bays on the same façade help maintain the rhythm and scale of the flanking historic townhouses, despite its being three times the width.
The street facade is designed to relate to the adjacent preserved buildings. The limestone from the building to the south is brought together with the brick from the building on the north. The arched opening and round windows occur in both neighboring buildings. The gabled dormers are adapted from the building to the north.
1718 Connecticut Avenue was approved by the Joint Committee on Landmarks (Historic Preservation Review Board predecessor) on its first presentation – a first at the time for any project to have gone before the committee.
