I had to go over to L'Enfant Plaza today over lunch. For those of you unfamiliar with the area, L'Enfant has some of the ugliest collection of brutalist buildings in DC. The inside of the L'Enfant Plaza shopping center is perhaps even worse than the architecture. As someone said, it might be the only mall in the US where the anchor shops include the Post Office, Dress Barn, and a Radio Shack. This is changing, however. JBG, which owns the property, is in the process of a major renovation. Currently, the ceilings of the shopping area is are about 7 feet tall, there is no natural light at all, and it feels like you're in a heat lamp. JBG is installed floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the HUD headquarters (another brutalist disaster), raised the ceilings by approximately another two feet, and is adding color to what was drab walkways and walls. Short of completely razing the building, these changes were impressive and it actually looks attractive. The food-by-the-pound restaurants are also being replaced by a Moe's Southwest Grill and a 5 Guys.
Renovations Underway at L'Enfant Plaza's Retail Promenade
http://southwestquadrant.blogspot.co...nt-plazas.html
Here are two photos I took. I was trying to get a photo of the windows overlooking HUD but the security guard told me I wasn't allowed to take photos (which is not true).
