The Watergate complex was designed to be a city within a city
In short: During the 1960s, the Watergate was envisioned as a self-contained urban oasis. This high-tech marvel of its era offered residents every necessity, from room service and a health club to a shopping mall and pharmacy. It was designed to be a complete city within a city.
The Watergate complex in Washington, D.C., was designed by Rome-based Società Generale Immobiliare (SGI) and chief architect Luigi Moretti. Intended as a "city within a city", it provided residents with amenities including a 24-hour receptionist, room service, a health club, restaurants, a shopping mall, medical and dental offices, a grocery, a pharmacy, a post office, and a liquor store.
As the District of Columbia's initial mixed-use project, it pioneered urban planning and was one of the first major U.S. construction projects to use computers significantly in design. The complex's curved structures emulated the proposed Inner Loop Expressway and the then-planning Kennedy Center, while providing views of the Potomac River.
Construction faced bureaucratic hurdles and public controversy. The project navigated a five-stage approval process involving three planning bodies. SGI faced opposition regarding building heights feared to overshadow the Lincoln Memorial. To secure approval, SGI lobbied to scale back the height from 16 stories to 13 or 14 and reduce the total square footage from 1.911 million to 1.73 million. The project also faced a national letter-writing campaign alleging that the Vatican's role as an investor influenced the zoning waivers.
theme-case-study mood-awe difficulty-2 topics-["urban-planning", "architecture", "washington-dc"]
This site represented the District of Columbia's inaugural mixed-use project. Computers significantly influenced the design of this complex, making it a primary American construction project of its era.", "The total size was reduced from 1.911 million square feet to 1.73 million square feet."] canvas-type-timeline
canvas-timeline-["date: February 1960, label: SGI purchases 10 acres of land for $10 million from the defunct Chesapeake and Ohio Canal", "date: October 21, 1960, label: The Watergate project is officially announced", "date: December 1961, label: The NCPC voices concerns about the buildings overshadowing the Lincoln Memorial", "date: May 1962, label: The NCPC approves the Watergate plan after revisions", "date: May 1963, label: The Watergate complex receives its construction permits", "date: August 1963, label: Construction begins on the Watergate East apartment building", "date: 1972, label: The Watergate office building becomes the site of the scandal leading to Richard Nixon's resignation"]
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Watergate complex
- Also: Art Institute of Chicago — New Tokyo City Hall: Design Drawings. Tokyo, Japan. · CC0 (data); description CC BY 4.0
- Also: Art Institute of Chicago — View from Room 603, Watergate, Washington, D.C. · CC0 (data); description CC BY 4.0
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