Hill Rag

Geography of Somewhere

How Unique Signage Makes H-Street Worth Patronizing

by: Drew Roneberg

In James Kunstler's scathing critique of suburbia, he eloquently mourns our country's loss of its sense of place. Kunstler's point is that in modern America, nearly everywhere is just like everywhere else. After all, most communities in the US have a Wal-Mart surrounded by a vast parking lot, a Taco Bell with an attached drive-in and countless nondescript Gas Pumping Super-Plazas which makes our country's modern car-dependent lifestyle possible.

Capitol Hill is one of the dwindling number of communities in America that still has a sense of place—there is no other neighborhood that looks or feels quite like it. And for many of us, that is precisely why we live here.

But unfortunately, the blandness of modernity, that creator of the Unplace, is slowly encroaching on the Hill. Station Place, the Darth Vader-like black glass box that sits next to Daniel Burnham's beautiful Union Station now towers over 2nd St NE.. While no other community has a building like Union Station, Crystal City, Houston, and Phoenix all have many glass boxes that bear a striking resemblance to Station Place.

So, how can our community maintain its sense of place? For the revitalizing H-Street commercial corridor, part of the answer is in creating storefront signage that is both interesting and unique. Fortunately, this goal has been partially achieved by Derrick Woody’s initial idea for storefront signage, grants from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities and the efforts of several local artists.

Derrick Woody of the city's Office of Planning told me that he wanted to enlist local artists to help H Street’s revitalization effort and thought that unique signage would make H Street stand out from other commercial districts. He submitted a proposal to the DC Commission on the Arts which decided to fund 14 signs for $92,000 as part of its “Expressive Signs” project. The signs on these pages are the result of the winning artists’ efforts.

Parran Collery, a ceramic artist, fabricated the sign that hangs on Park's Hardware storefront. She developed initial designs and worked with Grace Park and DCRA to make the sign as prominent as possible (one of Ms. Park's main concerns), without violating DC regulations. Ms. Collery said the piece, which was made of ceramic tile on cement board, was the largest she had ever created. The project took nearly a year to complete, with the sign finally being installed in September 2004.

The response to the new storefront signs has been extremely enthusiastic. Ms. Park said she gets many comments from customers about how much they like the sign and that she is very happy with Ms. Collery's work. Leon Robbins of Stan's Men's Discount Clothing and Furnishings also said that his customers loved his store's new sign.

In creating a sense of place in commercial districts, details matters. Hopefully, design standards that promote quality signage will be part of the new H Street Zoning Overlay. (For more information on the proposed signage design standards, see Richard Layman’s blog: http://urbanplacesandspaces.blogspot.com/2005/03/signs-signs.html) In the meantime, I encourage everyone to go and see these beautiful signs and venture inside the storefronts on which they hang.

Signs Pictured:

Park’s Hardware: 920 H St NE
New Horizon Child Care Center: 1016 H St NE
Luna Laundromat: 410 H St NE
Smokey’s Barbershop: 1338 H St NE
Hillman and Sons Barbershop: 1106 H St NE
Philadelphia Water Ice: 1208 H St NE
Stan’s Discount Clothing: 822 H St NE
H Street Playhouse: 1365 H St NE

Not Shown:

R&B Coffee: 1357 H St NE
Salon 1307: 1307 H St NE
J Outlaw and Associates: 412 H St NE

Drew Ronneberg, is a energy consultant and a three year resident of Capitol Hill. He can be contacted at drew_ronneberg@yahoo.com.


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Geography of Somewhere
How Unique Signage Makes H-Street Worth Patronizing
by: Drew Roneberg
In James Kunstler's scathing critique of suburbia, he eloquently mourns our country's loss of its sense of place. Kunstler's point is that in modern America, nearly everywhere is just like everywhere else. After all, most communities in the US have a Wal-Mart surrounded by a vast parking lot, a Taco Bell with an attached drive-in and countless nondescript Gas Pumping Super-Plazas which makes our country's modern car-dependent lifestyle possible. Capitol Hill is one of the dwindling number of communities in America that still has a sense of place—there is no other neighborhood that looks or feels quite like it. And for many of us, that is precisely why we live here. But unfortunately, the blandness of modernity, that creator of the Unplace, is slowly encroaching on the Hill. Station Place, the Darth Vader-like black glass box that sits next to Daniel Burnham's beautiful Union Station now towers over 2nd St NE.. While no other community has a building like Union Station, Crystal City, Houston, and Phoenix all have many glass boxes that bear a striking resemblance to Station Place. So, how can our community maintain its sense of place? For the revitalizing H-Street commercial corridor, part of the answer is in creating storefront signage that is both interesting and unique. Fortunately, this goal has been partially achieved by Derrick Woody’s initial idea for storefront signage, grants from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities and the efforts of several local artists. Derrick Woody of the city's Office of Planning told me that he wanted to enlist local artists to help H Street’s revitalization effort and thought that unique signage would make H Street stand out from other commercial districts. He submitted a proposal to the DC Commission on the Arts which decided to fund 14 signs for $92,000 as part of its “Expressive Signs” project. The signs on these pages are the result of the winning artists’ efforts. Parran Collery, a ceramic artist, fabricated the sign that hangs on Park's Hardware storefront. She developed initial designs and worked with Grace Park and DCRA to make the sign as prominent as possible (one of Ms. Park's main concerns), without violating DC regulations. Ms. Collery said the piece, which was made of ceramic tile on cement board, was the largest she had ever created. The project took nearly a year to complete, with the sign finally being installed in September 2004. The response to the new storefront signs has been extremely enthusiastic. Ms. Park said she gets many comments from customers about how much they like the sign and that she is very happy with Ms. Collery's work. Leon Robbins of Stan's Men's Discount Clothing and Furnishings also said that his customers loved his store's new sign. In creating a sense of place in commercial districts, details matters. Hopefully, design standards that promote quality signage will be part of the new H Street Zoning Overlay. (For more information on the proposed signage design standards, see Richard Layman’s blog: http://urbanplacesandspaces.blogspot.com/2005/03/signs-signs.html) In the meantime, I encourage everyone to go and see these beautiful signs and venture inside the storefronts on which they hang. Signs Pictured: Park’s Hardware: 920 H St NE New Horizon Child Care Center: 1016 H St NE Luna Laundromat: 410 H St NE Smokey’s Barbershop: 1338 H St NE Hillman and Sons Barbershop: 1106 H St NE Philadelphia Water Ice: 1208 H St NE Stan’s Discount Clothing: 822 H St NE H Street Playhouse: 1365 H St NE Not Shown: R&B Coffee: 1357 H St NE Salon 1307: 1307 H St NE J Outlaw and Associates: 412 H St NE Drew Ronneberg, is a energy consultant and a three year resident of Capitol Hill. He can be contacted at drew_ronneberg@yahoo.com.