SKYSCRAPING PUBLIC ART PIECE COULD BE COMING TO 4848 CORDELL AVENUE IN BETHESDA (PHOTOS)

You may remember when I broke the story on December 2 about the proposed revamp of the homeless shelter at 4848 Cordell Avenue into a retail/restaurant space. The men's shelter is moving to White Flint. Those initial renderings have just been updated by Andrew Bzdega of the architectural firm of Steven J. Karr, AIA, Inc. They include an intriguing new element, a two-story exterior wall transformed into a mural. It certainly would turn heads. Karr's firm is also responsible for the "windows on Woodmont Triangle" design of the new Norfolk-Cordell II building, which I am hearing highly-favorable feedback on so far.

I wonder if the painting shown is a stand-in for a final design, or the actual work planned. The design shown includes the Statue of Liberty, which is fine, but that is obviously not located in Bethesda. Do you think that - assuming the art theme remains a city skyline - it should feature Bethesda/Montgomery County/DC landmarks, or do elements from other cities make it more interesting, in your opinion?

All images courtesy of Steven J. Karr, AIA, Inc. All Rights Reserved.