St. Elizabeths East Gateway Pavilion

Washington, DC, USA

Photo © Eric Taylor, EricTaylorPhoto.com

Architects: Davis Brody Bond

Location: Washington, DC, USA
Year: 2013

Saint Elizabeths East Gateway Pavilion is a 16,300 square foot open air structure providing a venue for casual dining, a farmers’ market and other community, cultural and arts events. It is located at the center of the District of Columbia’s Congress Heights neighborhood in Ward 8. The newly developed pavilion is the first step of the implementation of the city’s master plan vision to transform the 180-acre Saint Elizabeths East campus into a mixed-use development.

St. Elizabeths East Gateway Pavilion, spread over a two-acre plot of the campus, creates an instantly iconic, visible and welcoming view into the site, particularly from the vantage points that reflect the existing and anticipated movements of people from different areas of the neighborhood. Forming a dramatic backdrop to the plaza, the main area of the pavilion is a 24-foot high space filled with modular booths convenient to where food trucks access the site.

Selected in a highly publicized design competition, the pavilion focuses on the seamless integration of the structure and the land. This “of the land” approach takes its cues from the architectural program which is centered on the provision of fresh produce, locally made crafts and a variety of food truck vendors to serve the local population.