Dupont Underground

Dupont Circle is one of the most happening neighborhoods in Washington, DC, so most of the available land is in use for stores, restaurants, etc. But there is one space that is just sitting vacant, the old underground streetcar station. Abandoned since 1963, the station has 75,000 square feet of usable space just waiting for clever people to figure out what to do with it.

Now a coalition calling itself Dupont Underground has just signed a five-year lease with the city to turn the station into performance spaces and retail stores. The rendering above seems to represent their long-term vision; right now they are focusing on opening up the underground space for performances by hip artists, to get people used to going into the old station.

What an awesome idea.