Thanks Abe.

Back in 1875, this building was erected on F Street in northwest DC. The LeDroit Building was a prominent office address, well known for its high ceilings, large windows, and stately presence.

Based on this picture, this area of downtown DC was relatively vibrant, in the '60's and '70's, based on the styles in this photo. Soon after it became seedy, and hanging around that area anytime after 6PM was not a good idea.

In the mid '90's, when I was humping any sidejob I could to earn some extra cash, I did some sidework for an old school crazy architect who had space in the LeDroit Building. The short walk from the Gallery Place Metro station to his studio was always risky, especially at 10 or 11 PM when I would head home. The space was as vintage as his methodology--he didn't own a computer, he drew everything pencil on vellum, beautiful stuff. The craft of drawing was as important as the instructions his drawings provided, and I learned a ton in the short time I worked with him. I am certain that his cranky style bred his isolation and he paid me as much for helping him produce about 3% of his drawings as for just listening to his rants. My favorite quote from him originated from a call he received from an ex-colleague, who wanted to hire him for a short but complex contract job up in Pittsburgh. "But what about all of your hotshot young kids who could do the job on CAD?" he asked. The response: "Do it on CAD? There's not enough TIME to do this job on the computer." I will digress for a moment, as I was discussing with my staff at work today that the craft of drawing, conveying, and understanding the graphic narrative of making an instruction set for buildings is buried under layers of technical noise brought on by CAD, an incredible tool that, when used poorly, reduces the act of visual communication to relentless data input and management.

Back to the LeDroit building. It was renovated in the late '90's, and it is now the Spy Museum. While it's still a good idea to be wary of one's surroundings, the threat of imminent physical harm in these parts has certainly lessened in the past decade. It would not have enjoyed its current renaissance had it not been for the vision of a man who dumped millions of dollars of his own money into not one but two arenas in the DC area, the Capital Centre and the Verizon Center. Chinatown and its environs are a much better place for the city now thanks to the generosity of Abe Pollin, who was also instrumental in bringing the NBA and the NHL to DC. Much will be written about his passing in the local papers tomorrow morning, and I just wanted to remember him briefly for his largesse, as he did much to make the city a better place. Rest in peace, Mr. Pollin.