One Possible Option For The MLK Library

I actually dig the idea that MLK Library become a department store. The WBJ article mentions that was a past consideration. I don’t remember those conversations so it must have predated my residency. Having a second department store steps from Macy’s would be a boon. What was the downfall when that idea fizzled out? I’d lean towards the city giving a long lease on the land rather than sell it…

As for what to do about the library itself? With the internet and digital media libraries are becoming less relevant. Considering any downtown DC library will simply become a homeless magnet I’d let it relocate outside our community. To me the cons outweight the pros for us. Perhaps down by the ballpark which is in need of more amenities…

Yes! Let private money pay for the (sorely needed) rehab. A long lease would be ideal. Moving the library is better than letting the building totally go to seed. DC has much more urgent things that it needs to spend our tax dollars on.

i’d love to see it become an arts center.
sorta like this one in san francisco:
http://www.ybca.org/bigideas/

a site focused on the cultural resources of our city and region.

or, a home to our areas larger studio collectives, washington glass school, dc glass works, landsculpture studios, union printmakers, etc…

the tourist draw would be large, certainly. but there would also be the added benefit of ties to the design and development industries keeping tax dollars inside the city.

plus a concentrated location to see and feel pride in the strong artistic and creative talents of our city.

@FourthandEye: There were rumors a couple years ago that a certain NY dept store chain (rhymes with “Grooming Nails”) was looking for something in the downtown area before they decided to locate just across the border in Chevy Chase MD. They opened a downtown furniture store in Chicago around that time, but have apparently decided since then to locate in the Georgetown Park Mall with the same concept as their SoHo (NYC) location.

@sean: The Torpedo Factory in Old Town has exactly what you describe, and they are currently re-evaluating due to a long-term decline in tourist and community interest. Not saying it won’t work here, but it hasn’t there, which isn’t very auspicious.

jpq,
i offered a different model than the torpedo factory. both with the group studio model, and the comparison the yerba buena. i should have mentioned the design center too. bringing that model into the equation is a more profitable and contemporary route. on top of the local traffic, and business traffic, i think tourists are seeking more to do in dc than old town these days.

but i know what you’re saying. problems with keeping arts institutions afloat are numerous. i’m just dreamin. ; )

I would love for the National Trust for Historic Preservation to get that building. Every time that a photo of that squat monstrosity ended up in the news next to NTHP’s name, it would say more than any words could about how indiscriminate and tone-deaf they are towards architectural merit and the needs of the communities that they are supposed to be serving.

I would love to see a Neiman Marcus or Nordstrom’s come to the neighborhood. I hate having to go to MD or VA every time I want to do some nice shopping. A department store could be great for the economy – people who live and work in PQ can certainly afford to shop at stores like these and I would think it would also draw tourists who don’t have those stores in their hometowns. I mean, seriously, Ecco Shoes can survive on 7th and we can’t get a nice department store?

In response to FourthandEye about what to do about the library:

I am a member of the digital generation who relies on the internet/digital mediums but it is nothing compared to perusing the shelves downtown on a Saturday afternoon. I currently have two audiobooks, one nonfiction, and two how-to guides out of library. None of those I could get online or for free. And it only takes me a few minutes to walk down 9th to get them.

The library will be a “homeless magnet” no matter where we stick it. But the library is a traditional part of the city and should stay downtown and centralized so those of all socioeconomic classes can enjoy it easily.

@9thAndO – I’m sticking to my guns on my library comment. I worked in a library in college and used to use one on a weekly before the internet. But I’ve seen how much less relevant libraries have become in the last 15 years. When I’m daydreaming land uses for downtown I consider what the community needs not just now but what it will continue to demand 25+ years from now. I think libraries will further decrease in relevancy. I wouldn’t endorse the district paying premium downtown real estate prices to erect a new library. Integrating a new library into the Ballpark district, Poplar Point or SW Waterfront seems to be a better value proposition.

Besides at 9th & O won’t you be far closer to the Watha T Daniel Library when it reopens than MLK?

I’m with 9thandO; Libraries are a central part of any city. Online is grea and it has changed the way libraries operate (or should). Some libraries (and communities) hav been slow to accept that, but it doesnt make them obsolete. We’re big fans of the library, if not at this location then we hope another equally prominant one downtown.