Historic Preservation Office snubs proposed Dupont Circle mixed-use project

In Dupont Circle, New York-based Marx Realty plans to redevelop a landmarked gas station for residential and retail space. Unfortunately for the developer, it looks like some modifications will have to be made to the proposal.

The proposal for the site at 2200 P Street NW that houses the 1936-built Embassy Gulf Service Station was for a nine-story building with 34 residential units and approximately 3,000 square feet of retail. UrbanTurf reported that the service station would be transformed into a roughly 1,900-square-foot retail space.

Rendering via Marx Realty

As first reported by the Washington City Paper, the D.C. Historic Preservation Office (HPO) described the proposal as "incompatible." While acknowledging that the building is “in need of rehabilitation,” a filed HPO report states that "the disparity in height between the nine-story new construction and the one-story landmark is stark, discordant, and incompatible, and would result in the gas station being left in shadow."

Because of these statements, the developer has postponed its meeting with the D.C. Historic Preservation Review Board.

• Developer Postpones Mixed-Use Project at Historic Dupont Circle Site [Washington City Paper]

• 34-Unit Mixed-Use Project Planned For Historic Dupont Circle Gas Station [UrbanTurf]