2nd/3rd Mass. and H Street, NW
OR that’s what they want you to believe…
“Dear PoPville,
This structure has perplexed me for 30 years.
Just off Mass Ave at 2nd and H NW I believe.
Probably a utility structure. I could Google but there’s probably some better hive knowledge out there.”
We used to get asked this question every year like clockwork but it’s been a minute. Happy to see it’s still confounding some folks. Fear not, it’s just a ventilation shaft for the 395 highway tunnel below.
We last broached the subject back in March 2021.
We’ve previously learned that this is a ventilation shaft for the 395 highway tunnel below. The artist responsible for the original trompe l’oeil mural, Val E. Lewton, passed away in 2015. The “new” mural was painted in 2022 “by @lulagoce for @StreetArtMankind and @worldfoodprogramme to raise awareness about food injustice.”
Others have commented that: “It’s been known unofficially for years as the Nixon Memorial.”