Elizabeth Taylor isn’t just dripping in diamonds; she’s also dripping in about 250 gallons of brightly-hued paint! Of course, we’re talking about Elizabeth Taylor Medical Center (ETMC), located at 1701 14th St. NW, one of Whitman-Walker Health’s four locations in Washington, DC. You may have noticed the large, bold letters spelling out “Work It, Gurl” adorning one side of the building, surrounded by an ocean of pink and blue blocks of color. Soon there will be even more color taking over the more than 30,000 square feet of ETMC, creating the biggest mural on 14th street. However, there’s more to this mural than just a fabulous paint job; it’s an art installation, as well as the backdrop for a summer pop-up event series called ‘The Lot at The Liz’.
In partnership with Fivesquares Development, a DC-based real estate development company, Whitman-Walker worked with DC artist collective and creative agency, No Kings Collective, to give the beloved Liz Taylor building a temporary pop-up art facelift. This project serves as an abstract reflection of the communities in which Whitman-Walker works and serves, and honors several key figures in Whitman-Walker’s history, including Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, Walt Whitman, Max Robinson and Jim Graham, former executive director of the organization who passed away in early June.
With the mural serving as an exercise in visual storytelling, The Lot at the Liz events series is focused on celebrating community and providing a free, fun and inclusive space for everyone!
The Lot at The Liz series will be curated by No Kings Collective, Whitman-Walker and Fivesquares Development. Below are just a few events for the month of July:
July 4th – Splashtown, USA 4th of July Party, presented by Cotton & Reed
July 15th – No Kings Collective 8 Year Anniversary Block Party
July 29th – “The Block is Hot” Party, presented by Broccoli City, Rock Creek Social Club and No Kings Collective
For more information on these events, check out www.LizLot.com.
While The Lot at The Liz will be hosting free community events through September, Whitman-Walker staff will be moving from the building in early August to begin re-development of the Elizabeth Taylor Medical Center.
Whitman-Walker Health, in partnership with Fivesquares Development, will be starting construction on the redevelopment of Elizabeth Taylor Medical Center in fall 2017. The mixed-use redevelopment will retain the historic Elizabeth Taylor Medical Center and Belmont Garage buildings, and include ground floor retail space, office space for Whitman-Walker Health, office space for a tenant to be determined, three floors of apartment units and a cultural space run by Whitman-Walker for community programming. The project is led by architect Anabelle Selldorf with the building set to re-open in 2020.
