After its fourth design for a Georgetown store was accepted by the Advisory Neighborhood Committee on Tuesday, Apple Inc. was sent back to the drawing board on the following Thursday when the Old Georgetown Board told the tech giant to try again.
Tom Luebke, secretary of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts and spokesperson for the Old Georgetown Board, said the board is interested in a design from Apple that will better fit in with the scale of the other historic buildings in Georgetown.
The ANC and OGB rejected three of Apple’s previous plans to renovate the retail space at 1229 Wisconsin Ave., once occupied by French Connection UK, on grounds of aesthetics. The computer company submitted its original design, which featured a large glass front on the bottom floor with five windows on the second floor, to both boards in September 2007. The OGB said the windows were too large compared to those of neighboring businesses.
The next design, submitted in July 2008, was made almost entirely of glass and was also rejected, after being compared to an ice cube stuck between shoe stores, according to The Washington Post.
The third design, submitted in December, was an ultramodern plan consisting of a two-story, plain, flat wall with an Apple logo cutout, which was deemed too big. There were concerns that the storefront would destroy the fabric of Georgetown’s 18th-century architecture.
The ANC and the OGB have taken a hard line against the designs, refusing to approve anything that will not blend into the historic look of the area, while Apple has repeatedly submitted ultramodern designs.
“It is very typical for an applicant to take multiple reviews to come to an approved concept,” Luebke said. “The media has used a lot of negative words such as `reject’ and `deny,’ but [the Board] has never taken official action, just requested adjustments to the design.”
Apple’s most recent proposal was nearly identical to its first design plan, with the exception of having four windows on the top floor, rather than five.
In the interim, Apple has had to pay taxes on the $13.4 million building, although it has remained empty.
The ANC-approved plans consist of a two-story front, a roofline that matches the surrounding buildings, dentil moldings that imitate the street’s architecture and millwork above and below the row of windows. These are all aspects that reflect the ANC’s previous suggestions. The 35-foot expansive glass wall at street level reflects compromise between neighborhood preservationists and the tech giant’s aesthetic.
“The issue is not of style but of scale,” Luebke said. “The Board has always asked for and encouraged a modern design.”
Ed Solomon, ANC chairman, also noted the glass wall as a problem but said that the plans are finally “getting close to acceptability by the community.”
Some are concerned that Apple will leave Georgetown for greener pastures. According to the D.C. Examiner, District officials may already be courting the computer company to other parts of the city.
“We want them,” Councilman Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) told the Examiner. “We can put them on U Street, or Adams Morgan or Columbia Heights. We have Metro access. We’ve got locations where they can truly prosper.”
Despite mounting media attention, both Luebke and Solomon anticipate reaching an amicable resolution.
“Everyone’s working together to make this thing happen: to make Apple a part of our business community,” Solomon said. “The [ANC] is unanimous that we want an Apple store.”
A new revision of the designs will appear on the ANC’s March agenda and, if successful, it would then continue on to the Old Georgetown Board.
Even once the plans receive all stamps of approval, they are not final and are subject to change.
Despite the current controversy, Solomon said the eventual existence of an Apple store would “be a plus for everyone, especially university [students].”
Check Outside the Gates for continued coverage.
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