Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Lydia wants to hear your pop-up stories !


Pop-up! Pop-ups! Who wants to talk about pop-ups!

See this post from Washington City Paper Housing Complex reporter Lydia DePillis.

Please contact her if you are passionate about pop-ups -- or even if you`re not!

Tell Me Your Pop-Up Stories
Posted by Lydia DePillis on Jan. 10, 2012 at 9:14 am
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/housingcomplex/2012/01/10/tell-me-your-pop-up-stories/

A pop-up on New Jersey Avenue NW.

One thing I`ve noticed after a couple years of watching neighborhood blogs and listservs: Few architectural features generate more ire than ``pop-ups,`` as the additions of one floor atop a rowhouse are colloquially known. They`re a great way to maximize space in constrained circumstances, capitalizing on natural light and perhaps allowing a homeowner to stick around rather than light out for the suburbs in search of a third bedroom.

But they sure can get ugly, when siding doesn`t match the original house, or when the addition
interrupts a harmonious block. At the moment, the District`s zoning code doesn`t address pop-ups, and in at least one neighborhood—Barney Circle, east of Capitol Hill—residents tried to pass an historic district in large part to fill the gap.

I`d like to more fully explore the phenomenon of pop-ups and the discussions that happen around them. If you`ve got one you`re proud of, or can`t stand a neighbor`s, or have any other observations to share, please get in touch.

3 comments:

Jenifer said...

we have one tasteful popup and one sore thumb mess popup on our street (Adams NW) but an equally problem is the increasing density as buildings that were one family homes become two or three full units --> less parking spaces, more demand on water, sewage, other utilities, more anonymity behaviors ("not saying hello") and generally less neighborliness....

Jenifer said...

"equally pressing problem"

beckdog said...

There are obvious, horrible eyesores of popups, the worst I know of is on the 100 block of P Street, NE and it is incredibly ugly. But I have also seen some tasteful ones that respect the architectural heritage of the neighborhood or are simply subtle. Capitol Hill seems to be the home of many subtle and pleasing popups, but the best one I can think of is still under construction on North Capitol Street, NW, just north of Quincy Place