Housing Middle Finger Salute

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/is-this-the-ugliest-addition-to-a-row-house-in-dc-and-should-that-matter/2013/08

Hello Everyone:

1013 V Street NW
washingtonpost.com

How's everyone's week going so far?  Mine is going alright.  You know the same old, same old.  Today's topic is about a recent addition to a Washington D.C. row house that has been described, for lack of any other description, as a "big middle finger."  It kind of sticks out like a big sore thumb doesn't it?  Sorry, since we're on a finger metaphor thing I thought I might add my two cents.  What do you think?  Personally, I think it does stand out from the rest of the neighborhood.  It's not particularly attractive.  Washington Post columnist Petula Dvorak, in her article "Addition to D.C. rowhouse on V Street NW is ugly but should matter," as unquestionably ugly and asks the question, should that matter?

The "middle finger" under construction
popville.com

What is it?  It is a three-story pop-up addition on top of an otherwise nondescript rowhouse on V Street, that despite it's haters, isn't illegal.  Credit the weblog DCist (http://www.dcist.com) for coming up with the descriptive moniker "big middle finger."  In a blog post on March 29, 2013, Martin Austermuhle writes that the house was sold to a Leesburg, Virginia-based LLC on September 2011 for a mere $386,000.  In May 2012, the LLC was given permission to convert the two-story 1,072 square-foot house into a five-story sore thumb (there's that finger metaphor again) which will contain three condominiums.  Mr. Austermuhle was not exactly shy about describing the addition as "monstrosity."  Some much for being objective.  Meanwhile, the blog Prince of Petworth (http://www.popville.com) has been following the progress of the Virginia developer's efforts to convert a modest single family rowhouse into three separate condominium units.  With every entry, there's talk about density, growth, new money, demographic, and gentrification, and are the new residents of D.C. going to live.

Demographic Trend by Age
cirsearch.com

The demographic trends of the nation's capital indicate that the population is getting younger and whiter.  Their growing numbers have outpaced the growth of African American residents.  The city also gained 6,500 non-Hispanic whites in 2012, which make up 35.5 percent of the areas 632,000 residents. (Morello, Washington Post, 6-12-13).  Further, like a number of metropolitan areas, the district is gentrifying.  In particular, the gentrification activities are currently focused on on a one mile area of 14th Street NW.  All the usual talismans of the gentrification are going up at a rapid pace and there's concern it'll seep into V Street.  Where are these new residents going to live and who are they?

Since the spring of 2010, the district has gained 16,000 new residents, growing at a rapid pace not seen in previous years.  This number has since grown in the preceding three years.  When the 2010 U.S. Census were released in the spring of 2011, it was estimated that the city's population was 618,000 in July of that year, up 2.7 percent from the

Housing Demographic 2010
multihousingnews.com

2010 Census figure.  At this rate, D.C. is projected to continue growing as it continues to attract more new residents.  This growth is the result of successful maneuvering a turnaround in the city's fortunes and image.  The city has gone from being a crime-ridden corrupt place to being one of the coolest places to live.  However,  three out of the four young new residents aren't interested in suburban living. ( Morello, Washington Post, 12-21-11) Thus, the greater need for multifamily, multi-unit housing.

Demographics and other issues aside, the first question, according to Petula Dvorak, is thing legal?  According to Helder

V Street Super Pop-Up
popville.com

Gil, the spokesman for the D.C. Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, the answer is yes, it is perfectly legal.  However, due to the numerous complaints and questions from furious neighbors, department representatives have gone out to check the structural integrity of the addition, height, permits, zoning, and code issues.  No other building has created this much chaos and drama.  When Ms. Dvorak tried to reach the developer to inquire about he thinks about the criticism and how much he intends to charge for each unit, the developers was "unavailable."

Truthfully, ugly is not illegal.  When it comes to health, human occupation, and safety, building codes don't give a hoot about aesthetics.  Can you image some of the great buildings of the past trying to get past building and safety departments today?  Me neither.  Staying in the Washington D.C. area for a moment, if you go out to historic neighborhoods such as Georgetown, you have homeowner associations an historic preservation overlay zone boards weighing in on every single minute addition.  It's enough to drive a person up a tree.  Everyone has an opinion about everything.  I think the problem people are having with this pop-up is that it doesn't blend into the building and surrounding neighborhood at all.

In the short-run, it's an eyesore, an oddity at best.  In the long-run it might blend in with all the other pop-ups.  Personally speaking, compared to the WTFs I've seen elsewhere, this pop-up is pretty tame.  Although I'm not crazy about the exterior paint, but that's just me.

I'm hoping to have fresh images up on Pinterest (http://www.pinterest.com/glamtroy) over the weekend.  If not, then definitely by Monday.  In the meantime:
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