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Alban Towers is an apartment building on Massachusetts Avenue in Northwest Washington, D.C. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, and is considered to be one of the best examples of Gothic Revival architecture in Washington.〔Eva Barsoum, 1994, (NRHP Nomination form )〕 It is located at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue (Embassy Row) and Wisconsin Avenue and occupies the 221,000 square foot (21,000 m²) block between those two avenues and Garfield Street, Cathedral Avenue, and 38th Street. Diagonally across the Massachusetts-Wisconsin intersection is the St. Albans School, which occupies the southwestern corner of the grounds of the Washington National Cathedral. Built atop Mount Saint Alban, it is located on the highest point in Washington. ==Overview== The land Alban Towers is situated on was purchased by its developer from the Washington National Cathedral in the early 1920s. It opened in 1929 as the largest apartment building in Washington, D.C. By today's standards, however, it is modest in size at six stories tall. Its prominent architect/developer team, Robert O. Scholz, designer, David A. Baer, builder, designed the building in the Gothic Revival with tan-colored brick and limestone employed to simulate the monochrome composition of Gothic style architecture; popular in the 1920s and because it would complement the Washington National Cathedral. (Together Scholz & Baer were responsible for the construction of at least eight apartment buildings between the years 1922 and 1931. As a result, they earned a reputation as one of the more important apartment house architect/developer teams of the post-World War I decade. Representing the product of the collaboration, both whom specialized in 1920s apartment building construction, Alban Towers reflects the work of notable planners and architects who influenced the evolution of apartment construction in Washington, D.C.) The lobbies and hallways, with their richly ornamented Gothic/Art Deco elements, were integral to the exterior scheme. Paved in quarry tiles of brown, orange, and ocher laid in a geometric pattern, the lobby is topped by plaster crown molding composed of rope and infilled with alternating roses, acorns, and thistles. These symbols of Great Britain serve to reinforce the English Gothic tenor of the building. The walls of the upper-floor hallways are covered in rough-finished stucco, lending a “sumptuous texture that is rarely found in apartment buildings.” The building represents an exceptionally fine example of superior design, construction, and craftsmanship characterizing luxury apartment buildings erected in Washington during the 1920s. Alban Towers’ highly decorative interior complements and reinforces the architectural style of the exterior. Offering several amenities first introduced to Washington apartment buildings in the 1920s, Alban Towers is a testament to the changes in apartment design and construction after World War I. Billed as an apartment hotel, Alban Towers offered its residents 24-hour maid service and a public dining room. Indeed, on the ground floor of the building were housed a beauty shop, a travel agency, a grocery store, and a lunch counter. Each of the upper floors contained a maid’s lounge and a bathroom facility. Constructed during the decade in which apartment construction exceeded that of single-family houses, Alban Towers attempted to compensate for smaller family space by furnishing its tenants with luxurious amenities and public areas. The relative modesty of individual apartments is offset by the grandeur of the public spaces. Originally, the building featured 132 units, mostly of lavish one-bedroom apartment homes, as well as a number of hotel suites. In 1930, responding to the large demand for apartment in the building, the number of units was increased by 84 with the construction of an additional two wings on the south side of the building in 1930. In the 1960s, neglect of the owners to afford proper care and maintenance to the building led to its decline in status. In 1973 it was sold to Georgetown University for use as housing for some 450 students. In the 1980s and 1990s the building lay vacant, and fell into a state of serious disrepair. During this time it continually changed ownership. In 1994, amidst plans to demolish the building, area residents successfully lobbied for its recognition as a historic place to spare the destruction of a building of such grand architecture and historic past. Finally, in 1999, it was purchased by Charles E. Smith Co. Residential Realty, which undertook a costly restoration effort. Particular attention was paid to the preservation of the building's original architectural elements. The restoration included restoration architects and artisans to ensure that the original character of the building was retained. The exterior, lobby and hallways were restored, while the actual apartments — which had been demolished by previous owners — were completely rebuilt to serve modern demands. The total cost of the restoration was $63 million. The building was reopened in 2001. Today, the building provides residence to many diplomats and government officials, as well as to a lesser number of American University students, known to some as The AParty.〔http://eagle1.american.edu/~ad8172a/〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Alban Towers」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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