New York Avenue Sculpture Project Headlines Downtown BID’s Placemaking Efforts

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Mon. April 26, 2010

WASHINGTON, DC – The New York Avenue Sculpture Project is “an outstanding example of high-quality public space that will help move Downtown Washington into the pantheon of remarkable urban places,” according to Richard H. Bradley, executive director of the Downtown DC Business Improvement District (BID).

The Downtown BID partnered with the National Museum of Women in the Arts and the DC Office of Planning to create the sculpture project, the first phase of which features six giant sculptures by the late French-American artist Niki de Saint-Phalle in the median of New York Avenue between 12th and 13th Streets NW.  The sculptures will be exhibited temporarily during spring, summer and fall of 2010 and 2011.  A dedication ceremony will be held Wednesday, April 28.

Bradley complimented the museum, especially its director, Susan Fisher Sterling; curator, Kathryn Wat; and advisory board member, Sunny Scully, for their vision and persistence in making the project happen, as well as the Office of Planning’s Chris Shaheen and Patricia Zingsheim; and the Downtown BID’s Streetscape Manager, Lito Tongson. “The Museum has reached out beyond its four walls to make a significant contribution to Downtown and the District of Columbia’s environment,” he said.  “That is what great community institutions do.”

The Downtown BID’s role in the project partnership was threefold, according to Tongson:  “We managed the preliminary design and engineering to make sure the project could work.  We shepherded the project through the approval processes of seven agencies.  And we took the lead in managing the construction project, including lighting, landscaping and signage.”

Tongson noted that the US Commission of Fine Arts and the DC Office of Planning strongly urged the Museum and the Downtown BID to “think big” by planning for future sculptures along the four blocks of New York Avenue that link Mount Vernon Square (9th Street) with Herald Square (13th Street).  Future sculptures are dependent upon funding and the museum will set up a national advisory committee for approvals.

Since Pennsylvania Avenue was closed in front of The White House, New York Avenue carries a much lower volume of cars, trucks and buses than it did in previous years.

“The sculpture project goes a long way toward making New York Avenue more pedestrian friendly,” Tongson noted.  “With more than a million square feet of residential, retail and office space being constructed along New York Avenue between 8th and 10th streets, the four-block sculpture project will help brand the corridor as a signature American street.” More information on the Sculpture Project is available at www.nmwa.org.

Since beginning operations in 1997, the Downtown BID has championed a series of projects that improve Downtown’s physical environment. A partnership with the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) produced Downtown’s award-winning wayfinding signage, which helps millions of tourists per year get around.

The Downtown BID played a significant role in facilitating permits for outdoor sidewalk cafes. Twelve years ago, there were none; today, there are 91 sidewalk cafes, totaling 2,100 seats.

During the holiday season, the Downtown BID transforms the 700 and 800 blocks of F Street–in front of the Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery–into the Downtown Holiday Market, with more than 100 local artisans and craftspeople.

Most importantly, Downtown BID Safety, Hospitality and Maintenance employees (known as SAMs and totaling 105) also contribute to making Downtown remarkable by picking up litter, removing graffiti, giving directions and enhancing public safety.

Bradley said the Downtown BID will expand and accelerate its placemaking projects and programs in the years to come.  “In particular, we look forward to working with other partners, such as the DDOT to improve K Street, and working with the National Park Service to improve Downtown parks and Pennsylvania Avenue.”