Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1961-09-10

Pictures on Poee DIS
standing architects-adhered
to the Redevelopment Land
Agency'S original instruc-
tons on how the agency
appeared to want the tract
developed.
They were the losers.
The background and cir
cumstanceS of how Keyes,
Lethbridge & Condor won
are worth looking into for
the light they throw on the
problems besetting Wash
ington and other cities try
ing to make themselves over.
The outcome also illus
trates, once again, that good
design can be a powerful
argument-aS we'll as a work
of art-and can play neat
tricks with millions of dol
lars involved.
Let's look at the back
ground briefly, and then try
to see what happened.
THE REDEVELOPMENT
Land Agency is the indie
pendent District office that
for almost 10 years has been
taking over slums, tearing
them down, and disposing
of big chunks of land to be
built up again.
Partly to meet some criti-
ciSm of the private negotia-
ton route through which
arrangements have been
made to dispose of most of
the land, the agency decided,
early this year, to try a new
scheme of disposition for
the last few rem aiming
Southwest parcels
Builders were to be asked
to submit architectural pro-
posalS comparatively. The
submissions would be judged
by a jury of architects. The
builders submitting the win
ming design then would be
given the opportunity to
take over the land at a pre-
viously fixed price.
IN MAKING an announce
ment in April of the compe-
tition for the first tract
"a acres bounded by M, N
and Fourth streets and the
Maine avenue WATERFRONT
RIA emphasized that pro-
poSals had to conform to
previously adopted plan.
The rules specified that
all high rise apartment
buildings were to be built
on the Potomac River side
of the tract, and that town
houses were to be placed
farthest away from the river
side.
On May Is, however, RIA
sent out what it called an
important notice"
Referring to the require
ments as to placing of the
buildings, it now called this
IAN approved solution" and
added that any proposal
conforming thereto is guar
anteed consideration" Then
it added that ANY alterna-
tive arrangement of Struc-
lures must be accompanied
by a clear demonstration
that it meets all the objec-
tiveS of the urban renewal
plan" and must be otherwise
justified.
- -
THE 10 LOSING architec-
tural firms played it safe.
Their designs and models
placed the high-rise apart
ment buildings on the origi-
nally prescribed Potomac
River side of the tract.
Keyes, Lethbridge & Con-
don, on the other hand,
gambled on a conviction
that they could convince a
jury an "intermixing" of
apartments and town houses
was preferable.
Ten Su b missions were
more -or-less look alikes in
their arrangement of build
ings in compliance with the
neighborhood plan. The 18th
stood out as the only one in
terspersing apartments and
town houses.
The Tiber Island develop
ment of the winning archi-
tectural firm is a highly
sophisticated composition. 1t
has an elegant balance the
10 losers could not achieve
because they placed large.
buildings on one side and
small buildings on the other,
abiding by preset rules de-
signed to shape a neighbor-
hood.
BY its very great merit,
Tiber Island argued irref-
utably in its own behalf,
whatever its effect on the
plan for the neighborhood.
1t was bold and brilliant
and it paid off. The judges
moro loft with Nh o+bor