dancing with architecture: Washington, D.C.

Coulda swore I've posted on here about Washington, D.C., before, but I'm not finding it. Nevertheless, I've been up twice in the last three weeks for bidness (water-water-water) and found a little time to wander around. For my first trip I was down in the thick of things (15 minute walk to the White House). For my second trip, I was over in Crystal City (I walked 40 minutes from the airport to my hotel). There's quite a mixture of architecture 'round there, including Modern, although my wanderings are just that: random wanderings. This is what I saw...

Glass-box architecture near Chinatown

Original art deco to the right; neo-deco to the left attempting to complement the bus station.

Bar Deco!

A Streamline Moderne office building.

The previous two photos are of the National Building Museum. Sadly, no time to visit. Maybe on a future pleasure trip.

The most interesting building I saw was the Canadian embassy built in 1989 (note that interesting does not necessarily mean good). It's basically a Post-Modern mess of Modernism, Greek Classicism, over-romaticism with a healthy dose of WTF. The building was designed by the Canadian architect Arthur Erickson, who has done some rather good Brutalism durign his career. Based on his oevre, this building suggests "committee" more than "architect". Erickson's biographer described the building as "...mocking the US and all of its imperial pretensions." That seems very un-Canadian to me.

J. Edgar Hoover buidling (hardcore Brutalism, appropriately enough...)

Yummy.

Some contemporary architecture going up near the mall. Overhead several tourists complaining about it ("Why would they build that there?")

neo-Art Nouveau

Settle down now.

Bell tower near Congress.

Train station.

That's nice cantilever.

The previous photos were with my real camera (the SLR). The following were taken in Crystal City with my iPhone.

Good dose of MCM at the Reagon Airport.

Can you see the back helicopter?

A piece of the World Trade Center at the Crystal City fire station.

Even Obama.

Neo-Deco.

Crystal City has a set of murals around town to liven up a rather drab setting; however, the murals are done by insider artists and are, for the most part, rather dull and conservative. But I was pleased to happen upon a little piece of Miami's Wynwood District about the loading area of this office building.  The town needs more of this!

There you are!