Apple Flagship Store in Washington D.C.’s Historic Carnegie Library
It seems that Apple will be having its second store in Washington D.C. inside the historic building of Carnegie Library at Mount Vernon Square in Washington DC. Apple’s Flagship store will occupy an area of 63,000-square-foot, rented from Events D.C., the convention and sports authority for the District of Columbia.It will be designed by Foster and Partners, who have, previously, designed several Apple Stores.
Wikimedia user Bobak Ha’Eri licensed under CC BY 3.0
The Carnegie Library was built in 1903. It was designed by Ackerman & Ross, and it was funded by the American Industrialist, Andrew Carnegie. In 1999, it was rented to the Historical Society for 99 years, and it was used as a history museum, hosting the society’s exhibits and public programs. It has also been a home for the Kip-linger Research Library since 2003.
Wikimedia user Mark Schierbecker licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
The area surrounding the Carnegie Library has been experiencing notable growth with the developments in housing and the opening of new shops, restaurants, as well as the Marriott Marquis Washington. Hence, there was a need for the library itself to keep pace with the evolving setting. In 2014, the Carnegie library was considered as a new home for the International Spy Museum, which had outgrown its current location at 800 F. Street N. W. However, the proposed plans by the museum’s architects, MGA Partners, to build extensions to the library, were rejected by Historic Preservations.
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The new Apple Store, which shall co-exist with the Historical Society, is supposed to link the valuable historical site to the modern growing world around it. Max Brown, chairman of the board of Events D.C. says about that: “Amid rapid change in our city, we are confident that the space can become a true blend of the square’s past and future.” Now, with the Events D.C.’s backup, Apple are awaiting the consent of the National Capital Planning Commission and Washington’s Historic Preservation Review Board, in order to start the construction of the project.
