Some places are defined by specific buildings. For more than 20 years, my neighborhood of Friendship Heights was defined by its large, gleaming and glamorous shopping centers—once the “Grande Dames” of retail therapy for the upper-class suburban ladies of Chevy Chase. Yet, another seminal structure defined this era, standing quietly in the shadows like a steadfast modernist monument to the “old” Chevy Chase: the GEICO Building.
Watching the sudden dismantling and gutting of the storied GEICO building from my condo across the street—itself another mid-century architectural gem—is deeply heart-wrenching. It is difficult to understand why the county chose not to spare this historic site. While it may be too late to save the GEICO building, its destruction should serve as a wake-up call.
When the GEICO complex was completed in 1959, the area was undergoing a massive shift. A post-World War II boom was transforming a quiet bedroom community into a commercialized hub. Major corporations were relocating from downtown cores to decentralized suburbs, a trend known as “pastoral capitalism.” For the worker, the benefits were clear: easy parking, beautiful green spaces to relax and an easier commute…