🎭 D.C. want’s to build a theater district

What's CITY Talking About?

DC Plans National Theatre Investment

The city plans to buy the National Theatre for $11 million, as part of the larger initiative to reinvigorate downtown. The theater would be renovated and eventually be a staple of a prospective D.C. theater district, similar to London’s West End. [City Cast DC 🎧]

New Blueprints for RFK

A Los Angeles architecture firm is creating blueprints for a potential new RFK stadium. The city is still waiting on Congress to pass the RFK bill before they can move forward with a “state-of-the-art” stadium redesign. [Axios]

Caps on Metro Worker Hours

WMATA’s new union contract states Metro workers must take at least 10-hour breaks between shifts. The change comes in the wake of concerns about worker exhaustion and recent safety issues. [Washington Post 🔒]

Tunneling Thief

A thief stole $100,000 worth of jewelry from an Adams Morgan store after digging a tunnel into the property. The burglar broke through the brick wall of the abandoned property adjacent to the business. [NBC4]

DC Insider Trivia

First, Let’s Answer Last Week’s Question:

What famous D.C. structure was laughingly called “the largest doughnut in the world” and “an illuminated babka” by architecture critics of the time?

1. The Pentagon
2. The Hirshhorn Museum ⭐
3. The Capitol Building
4. The World War II Memorial

Yep, when it was first built the Hirshhorn Museum was not a big hit. In 1966, after scoring a massive art donation from Joseph Hirshhorn – valued at over $460M today – Congress appropriated $15 million to construct the museum. Hirshhorn chose the architect himself — Gordon Bunshaft.

It was chaotic before the opening. The designer of the first exhibition died before completing his project. There was a bribery scandal, and some paintings were even stolen from the Hirshhorn estate.

Then, when it finally opened in 1974, architecture critics had a hoot, calling it “the largest doughnut in the world,” “an illuminated babka,” and “a gesture of urbanistic arrogance.”

Now, it’s seen as a prime example of brutalist architecture and set a trend in D.C., which has become a hub for the controversial architectural style.

🏅 Nice work, Lexi B., Maia J. and Barbara S. for guessing correctly first!

Now, For This Week’s Question:

D.C. is home to the oldest continuously operating …

• Open-air fish market in the United States
• Mini-golf course in the United States
• Ultramarathon race in the United States
• All of the above

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