More News

Protect Comsat for future generations

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

For more of your opinions, go to www.gazette.net/letters.

Julia O’Malley, Kensington

The writer is chairwoman of the Montgomery County Historic Preservation Commission.

The first weekend in June, I had the opportunity to observe the Comsat charrette noted in the recent letter by my colleague, David Rotenstein.

It should be noted that the Historic Preservation Commission’s Recommendation for Designation states that only the four pods, the grand entrance, and the two glass enclosed catwalks on the building and the visibility from Interstate 270 are of primary importance. Any warehouse or construction facilities can be altered or removed. This opens the door for excellent office space reuse preserving these portions while making other areas available for new construction.

This four-day workshop⁄design charrette was held to study the possibilities for development of the property while saving an architectural icon, the Comsat building, which marks the origin of the Technology Corridor that is I-270.

The building’s original designer, world renowned architect Cesar Pelli (think National Airport) and his associate Victor Agran offered their services. The hugely successful charrette has shown that there can be a win-win solution combining economic viability and preservation through adaptive reuse.

Montgomery Preservation Inc. (MPI) concluded its four-day event with an Awards Ceremony for Historic Preservation and Mr. Pelli’s presentation on the importance of the Comsat building — innovative architecture that is still influencing today’s designs worldwide, and a singular monument to the history of satellite development. The crowd of several hundred guests gave him more than one standing ovation.

Acknowledging the significance of this event, Montgomery College graciously offered its facilities for the four-day charrette and ceremony. In early May local papers carried information about the event and the attendance of internationally famous Master Architect Pelli along with an invitation to all to participate.

Local preservationists, architects, students, civic activists and planners — a vibrant mix of community and spirited volunteers — took on the challenge.

The building’s original architect Pelli maintains that the main core of the Comsat building is a strong candidate for adaptive reuse, especially as modern office space. As a result of the charrette, several design options sketched out possibilities for full development of the site according to the Clarksburg Master Plan, while retaining the significant core of the original Comsat building and maintaining its visibility from I-270.

University of Maryland professors Sies and Gournay’s research leaves no doubt that this building is historically as well as architecturally significant and deserves a place on the Master Plan for Historic Places.

At the end of the day, we’ve reached the turning point where all parties can come together. Comsat is a recognizable landmark that states to our residents and visitors alike that ‘‘Montgomery County is a place of high technology leadership!”

Montgomery County citizens know Comsat as the outstanding landmark on I-270 as they enter our county. I ask our County Council, LCOR (the owner of the property), and the community to recognize and protect this landmark for future generations.