Noc Conversion | Robert M. Gurney Architect

In 1944, the Navy constructed a round, three-story brick building with below-grade parking near Dupont Circle in Washington, DC to serve as their Naval Officers Club. After nearly half a century, the club was divided into two condominiums in 1990. Each two thousand square foot condominium occupied half of the circular footprint and incorporated underground parking. Because of the building’s original central staircase and curving geometry, the 1990 reconfiguration resulted in a solution with small, oddly shaped, compartmentalized rooms.  

In this most recent renovation, one of the units was gutted to the masonry bearing walls to provide an open living configuration and to increase the sense of spaciousness. The majority of windows were replaced with larger steel windows and doors. On the main level, these new windows and doors open to the terrace surrounding the unit, enhancing the relationship to the outdoors. A new glass bay contributes to this relationship, accommodating a relocated stair to the living space below the terrace and access to the parking area. A small section of the terrace, aligning with the glass bay, was removed and replaced with glass to provide natural light to the subterranean living area. In its urban context, the terrace space is conceived as an outdoor room, incorporating a cooking area, dining area and seating area. The windowless walls of adjacent buildings and translucent glass panels ensure privacy.

The project is minimally detailed. Dark stained oak flooring is employed as a counterpoint to the crisp white walls that are punctuated by black steel windows and door frames. Throughout the project, glass, millwork and oak paneling define and enrich the spaces. The project is intended to embrace the semi-circular footprint and enable the inhabitants to be aware of its unusual geometry from all vantage points in the unit.