Kinda Like a Miniature Kennedy Center, Right?

70°

Clear

by Prince Of Petworth March 22, 2012 at 4:30 pm 15 Comments

I took the photo above near Howard University Law Center in Van Ness. I couldn’t get over how much it reminded me off the Kennedy Center. Anyone know which was built first?

Photo of the Kennedy Center by PoPville flickr user caroline.angelo

classic_six

I’m going to guess that the Howard University Law School was built first. Mostly because of the brick underbelly, which the Kennedy Ctr had the good eye not to replicate. Anyway, as with fiction (stretch to the visual creative of architecture), some would argue that there are 7 story plots, from which all fiction writes around. Perhaps the same is true for architecture.
emmaleigh504

I like that building, very cool.
samosa

its the old law library…now condemned but still standing because of the school administration.
Meese is a pig!

Great eye on the striking similarities between the two buildings pictured!

If you can find one, check out a photo of the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, India. My understanding is that it is the design upon which Mrs. Kennedy based her vision for the performing arts center honoring our slain president. I’ve seen it in person. Magnificent! Wonder how many other buildings this design may have inspired….
- yz
  
  http://media.wnyc.org/media/photologue/photos/cache/1___________________________________________storyslide_image.jpg
- Anon202
  
  The connection between the Kennedy Center and the US Embassy in New Delhi is more than inspirational – they’re both designed by the same architect, Edward Durrell Stone. However, he was apparently chosen as the architect in 1959, so it’s unlikely that Jacqueline Kennedy had anything to do with his selection. Other local Stone designs include the part of the National Geographic bulidng that fronts on 17th St.
mlevitt

Actually, I don’t understand the entire Howard U. Law School complex. Apparently, it was a Catholic school of some sort at one time as there are several large, brich/stone academic gothic style buildings, at least one with a large cross — and then there is the builiding that is pictured. It seems as if it was a fairly large campus. Was it a a school with dorms? . . . When did Howard take it over? Anyone out there know the history?
andy2

The Former Soviet Union and the rest of the Eastern Bloc are dotted with many ‘mini Kennedy Centers’.
I like to think of it as DC’s Palace of Culture or Дворец культуры if you will.
Anonymous

The Kennedy center is the box the Watergate came in.
pabloraw

The National Theater of Nicaragua was designed to look like the Kennedy Center. Google “Teatro Nacional Ruben Dario” and you’ll see!
smilla

Can I just say how much I love the collective knowledge of the PoP commentariat? Sure, you have to take some comments with a grain of salt, but I learn more about this city — and other matters — simply by reading this blog!
- b4life
  
  +1, plus your use of commentariat is uber cool!!
rachelmargaret

I think the HUSL campus was the Dunbarton College of the Holy Cross.
- Andy
  
  That’s right. Howard bought the campus in the late 70’s/early 80’s from Holy Cross, when they moved up to the Md suburbs. It had dorms, which are now student organization offices. This old building is totally vacant and run down, and there’s a new law library next to it. I don’t think there’s any plans to renovate this building, there’s too much other work that needs to be done to update Howard Law’s campus.
  - SerenityNow
    
    @PoP, horse’s ass award?

Subscribe to our mailing list