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Side view of the pavilion Photo © Eric Taylor and rejuvenating a collection of underutilized government-
owned buildings, and, it was hoped, spurring broader
The dynamically shaped St. Elizabeths East Gateway economic development in the area,” said G. Martin
Pavilion is an initial step in implementing a city master Moeller, Jr., Assoc. AIA, editor of this magazine and a
plan for turning the 180-acre East Campus into a mixed- member of the jury that selected David Brody Bond as
use development. Located on a two-acre, park-like site the architect for the project. Other members of the jury
inside the campus, the pavilion, designed by Davis included design professionals, area residents, and other
Brody Bond—an architecture and planning firm with citizens. The jury was organized by the DC Office of the
offices in Washington, New York, and São Paulo— is a Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development,
multipurpose facility that can be used for a farmers’ which is also the client for the project.
market, informal dining, and neighborhood events. The
project serves as a community-building device for an area “The city’s goals included erecting a landmark
that has been at the margin of the city’s development structure to serve as a symbol for the redevelopment
boom over the last decade. initiative, creating a public amenity for surrounding
neighborhoods, and providing a commercial, cultural, and
“The genesis of the project was the DC government’s recreational node for the growing numbers of workers in
desire to redevelop the East Campus as a center for the area, including those working in the Department of
innovative businesses, thus simultaneously repurposing Homeland Security facilities on the West Campus.”
Moeller said. “The pavilion was to be temporary, but
everyone involved recognized that it was likely to stand
for a number of years, and therefore needed to be sturdy
and durable.”
The ground level of the 400-foot-long, 16,500-square-
foot structure includes an open-air market space with
modular booths for vendors, open-air dining spaces, and
5,200 square feet of enclosed space, including a community
room, a recycling and storage room, restrooms, and a
space for a future café or kitchen.
The structure’s signature design element is its sloping
roof—a ramp that rises gradually from the ground level
at one end of the structure to a height of 24 feet at the
View of the Photo © Davis Brody Bond
pavilion’s ramp
THRESHOLD OF CHANGE 13
