[Note: Photographs accompanying this news story in the print edition can be viewed in the full PDF copy in the Current & Back Issues Archive.]

For those attending the entire day’s proceedings of the HPRB’s May meeting, far brighter notes were sounded by the Board’s approval of several other applications for historic landmark designations than was the case with the National Permanent Building (see this page for accompanying lead story).

Of particular note was the approval of the revised concept design by Esocoff & Associates Architects for a beautiful office building addition to the back of the historic landmarked apartment building known as the Harrison Flats, when first built in the late 1880s at the corner of 3rd and G Streets, NW, and re-named the Canterbury Apartments when remodeled in the early 1940s.

The new office building is proposed for construction by the owner, Douglas Development, and will be integrated with the Canterbury, said by HPO to be the oldest extant “purpose-built” apartment building in the city. The plan call fro retail space on the street level with the former apartment floors to now be offices.HPO staff reviewer Tim Dennée took special note of the newly designed “lighter glass bays in a form evocative of Japanese lanterns.” The Board approved the building’s revised design and adopted the HPO staff report and recommendation by a unanimous vote of eight to zero.

– Anthony L. Harvey