the best thing the city could do to keep neighborhoods vibrant and architecturally diverse? allow developers no more than 1/3 of a block at any given time.

refreshing to see such bold architecture leap off the page

Now Florida Ave. becomes K Street.
Yuck. Ugly in its own context, no bow whatsoever to any historical context. Much like a lot of other devlopments. Doomed to repeat.

ETA that will be going up on 14th not Florida but my comments stand.

Boring glass crap made with cheap materials. It will look like a ghetto dwelling in ten years like most of the new buildings going up today.

Looks like the twenties will be the new seventies.

In fifty years this building will have been sold at least once, torn down and rebuilt. It’s always easier to complain about what someone else is doing, rather than doing anything yourself…

Whatever the architectural style, they better be sure to work with WMATA and improve 14th street bus service. With all these apartments going up, overcrowding could turn into a nightmare.

quebecois,
never?
heres one example:
http://paulfolson.com/wp-content/uploads/Tribune.jpg
heres a local one:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3077/3363887252_da983debf1.jpg
victorian isnt the only historical option.

besides, with a blank slate on an entire empty block, it can be anything. its not like its visually competing with any good architecture thats close by.
its doesnt need to have any historical reference at all.
but it should be good, no?

Jeez people. Lighten up. If your standards are so high there’s nothing stopping you from building the Taj Mahal. I’m quite happy with this design. It ain’t the Dakota but for my entire life, that spot has been a vacant lot and then the Nehemiah Center. North of downtown much of 14th St. was block after block of vacant lots left from the riots until very recently. Crowds of heroin addicts used to clog the corner of Florida and 14th St. Fourteenth street was the butt of jokes as in “I saw your mama on 14th street.” I know your response. “But it doesn’t have to be so ugly. With the same money, you could make it hella-lovely.” Well, whatever. I’d like to see you try.

It’s not that bad. I just don’t know how they think they can fill all that ground floor retail. Would be better to have apartments that open to private courtyards like the Whitman building near the convention center.

Given that this is vacant space, development will of course improve the neighborhood. That being said – this building is a thoroughly banal example of everything that is wrong with architecture today. Many have noted how “boring” this building looks. I agree in concept, but my greater criticism is not that it is merely bland, but the design has NOTHING to do with this neighborhood. The architect has not responded to any of the existing context with this design as this building could be placed anywhere. Just one more embarrassment for our profession and our city. . .

First Commenter,

Agreed and raising the height restriction in DC would incentivize developers to spend more $ on design.

@ Markitect: Amen. Teach it like you preach it!