Unbuilt Washington

IMAGE: Proposed Washington Channel Bridge by Chloethiel Woodard Smith & Associated Architects, 1966 Chloethiel Woodard Smith (1910-92) co-developed an unexecuted master plan for the Southwest DC "urban renewal" district, and designed two of the area's major housing complexes. Her most innovative proposal, however, was the Washington Channel Bridge, spanning from the Southwest waterfront to the proposed site of the National Fisheries Center and Aquarium in East Potomac Park. Lined with shops and restaurants, the bridge carried pedestrians and shuttle buses only. The design was nicknamed the "Ponte Vecchio" after the famous bridge in Florence, Italy. CREDIT: National Building Museum, Gift of the American Architectural Foundation, 2009