When people think of great American downtowns, the ones that usually come to mind are New York and Chicago; maybe San Francisco, certainly not Washington. After all, there are no skyscrapers here. How could there possibly be a downtown to rival other cities? Everyone knows the most important part of DC is the National Mall, right?
Wrong.
Washington has a downtown. In fact, Washington has one of the most successful downtowns in the United States, and certainly one of the most unique. Statistically it’s huge - only New York and Chicago have more office space (and that doesn’t even include government offices such as those in Federal Triangle), and always busting at the seams. The famous (or infamous?) height limit has created a situation where there can never be enough supply to meet the demand. Combine that with the stabilizing force of the Federal Government and Downtown Washington routinely ranks as one of, if not the healthiest markets in the country.
Beyond economics, Downtown is impressive for its physical characteristics. It’s the most European city center in America, designed with grandeur and beauty in mind. The boulevards are monumental and the buildings visually impressive. There are no highways cutting through the city fabric and few parking lots wasting space.
That’s not to say Downtown doesn’t have problems. The same demand for space that keeps vacancy rates low pushes up land values to the point where residential development becomes impractical from a financial standpoint. A land owner Downtown would stand to lose considerable money by building apartments rather than an office building. Thus, Downtown tends to empty out at night. It’s not the 24-hour environment that a great downtown should be.
Shopping is also an issue. Downtown Washington may be home to such entertainment and shopping that many cities look up with envy at our department stores and restaurants, but it’s not enough. Any way you slice it there’s nothing in Downtown Washington that can compare with Madison Avenue or Union Square. The best shopping in the District is in Chevy Chase, and the best in the region is at Tysons Corner.
Ultimately it’s hard to classify Downtown as good or bad, responsible or irresponsible, monumental or forgotten. It’s all of them at the same time, even if out-of-towners still don’t realize it exists.
