Dupont Circle’s Lauriol Plaza might be a good place to slurp down mojitos and make eyes over tacos, but according to the American Institute of Architecture, its history and design also make it one of D.C.’s more significant buildings.
“It’s hard to appreciate for several reasons,” said Martin Moeller, editor of the AIA’s recent guide to Washington architecture, which just landed in stores. “One, it’s jammed inside. And two, people are drinking a lot of margaritas.” (Apparently drunk crowds obscure architectural significance.)
Generally the AIA keeps restaurants and other interior-focused projects out of the guide, but Moeller made an exception for the margarita mecca. “It was a symbol of what was coming,” Moeller said of 1905 building, which was an early indicator of Dupont’s commercial future. Plus, “it is very sensitively designed.”
Some of that sensitive design has been obscured by the current owners, he added, who “have trashed it up a little bit”—with plastic sheets over outdoor areas and “temporary things” that “cluttered up the building.”
“But that’s not the building’s fault,” added Moeller, “so I decided to leave it.”
