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Reception area. Photo © Ron Ngiam

Exterior of 1789 Massachusetts Avenue, NW.

Photo © Michael Moran Photography
required. Deteriorated metal windows were replaced with new
insulated ones with matching dimensions and profiles. The seashell-
shaped wrought-iron and glass canopy marking the main entrance
was restored: the iron was stripped and repainted, damaged glazing
was replaced in kind, and structural metal supports were recast in
new metal with profiles to match the original.
To provide handicapped access, an alternate entrance was added
to the north façade on P Street. An existing street-level window was
removed, the sill was lowered to floor height, and an exterior landing,
stair, and lift were added. The construction is not structurally tied to
the building, so it can be reversed in the future if deemed appropriate.
Inside, a new sub-basement was added by underpinning the
existing foundations and exterior walls and excavating to 14 feet
below the existing basement level. An existing elevator shaft
occupying the center of the monumental stair was removed, and
new passenger and service elevators were added. A new rooftop
penthouse structure, set back 20 feet from the façade and detailed
in a simplified yet compatible style, consolidates mechanical
equipment and provides access to the roof terrace.
The design team retained and restored historic details throughout
the building, including marble and white oak flooring, raised-panel
wood doors, stone mantels, and decorative plaster wall and ceiling
motifs. Workstations were designed to “float” within the restored
perimeter offices, with no partitions or light fixtures interrupting
the ceiling plane.
With a surgeon’s precision and an artist’s touch, the design,
construction, and conservation team has breathed new life into
this century-old treasure.

Photo © Anice Hoachlander/Hoachlander
Davis Photography