Thursday, August 22, 2019

Blue light special: New Chase Bank LEDs have neighborhood awash

Bethesda bank's new lights
tinting all buildings around it

The new Chase Bank branch at 7901 Wisconsin Avenue lit up a new set of LED accent lights last night in downtown Bethesda. Their trademark color left all neighboring buildings around it aglow. It could be described as "over the top."

With the collapse of nightlife in downtown Bethesda after the Montgomery County Council's disastrous "Nighttime Economy Task Force" initiative, and the rise of poorly-lit new buildings, I actually support where businesses are adding light and color to the shadowy blackness of our often-deserted streets. I know pedestrians walking alone at night are likely to welcome it. But one has to wonder what future residents of 7900 Wisconsin Avenue across the street may have to say about this blue blasting into their windows, and creeping around their drapes.
Chase Bank (at left) casts a blue
tint down and across Wisconsin
Avenue, as high as the top of the
new 7900 Wisconsin Avenue building



7900 Wisconsin is entirely lit up
by the Chase Bank lights





15 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm blue da ba dee da ba daa
Da ba dee da ba daa, da ba dee da ba daa, da ba dee da ba daa
Da ba dee da ba daa, da ba dee da ba daa, da ba dee da ba daa
I'm blue da ba dee da ba daa
Da ba dee da ba daa, da ba dee da ba daa, da ba dee da ba daa
Da ba dee da ba daa, da ba dee da ba daa, da ba dee da ba daa

Anonymous said...

Wow, that blue light is intense! The small amount of blue light emanating from the Chase Bank ATM lobby on Bethesda Avenue is a bright accent, but this is Las Vegas style, over the top BLUE! I would have much preferred if they would have just chemically cleaned and power washed the facade and removed nasty stains on the white marble to create a pristine white surface. The design of the building isn’t great, but a clean marble cube would help pull it together, and give it a more fresh appearance.

I wonder if this intense blue light will impact the street trees. This type of light spill is clearly a form of light pollution. I wonder if the county has an ordinance the will require this to be removed, or at least reduced.

Anonymous said...

And just one perfunctory, hastily copied-and-pasted article on the pedestrian incident on Wisconsin Avenue.

Anonymous said...

"one has to wonder what future residents of 7900 Wisconsin Avenue across the street may have to say about this blue blasting into their windows, and creeping around their drapes."

Given that your photos 1, 2, and 5 of 8 show the Fairmont Plaza being drowned in these blue blue blazes, maybe you could ask residents there how they feel about the light "blasting in to their windows, and creeping around their drapes." (Eeek!)

Anonymous said...

7:09 AM Maybe slide a post card under every apartment door when 7900 opens for business?

Anonymous said...

@6:51 The cyclist made a tragic mistake and fell off his bike into traffic, directly into the path of an oncoming car. It was not the driver's fault, which is why no charges were filed. What should Dyer report about?

Anonymous said...

"It was not the driver's fault"

That's the only thing that matters to you?

Not the obstruction in the sidewalk that led directly to the tragedy?

Or even a tribute to the young man's life?

Anonymous said...

@7:05 am and 8:55 am: You have chosen to use this tragedy as a way to attack Robert Dyer.
You and your ilk attack Dyer for reporting too much or too little, for posting too many photos, for taking photos in the daytime or after dark, for expressing views you happen to disagree with. You attack anyone who defends him.
Your comments are useless. Dyer provides a public service; you are a waste of space.
And now you seize on a tragic death to launch another unjustified attack. You don’t even have elementary human empathy.
At last, at long last, have you no shame?

Anonymous said...

Beckoning all with Crigler-Najjar syndrome

Anonymous said...

10:29AM Why do you care what others think of Robert Dyer? Don't like the comments? Then don't read them. Take responsibility for your own choices instead of blaming others. Shame on you. Act like an adult.

Anonymous said...

Most of us only comment when we disagree with Robert's opinions, have suggestions on how this blog could be better or more useful, or to correct any factual errors. Robert seems to think these comments are attacks on his credibility and often counters with very deragatory replies, that many of us believe are undeserved.

Of course some just like to poke fun at Robert, and sometime this often degrades into poor taste and vulgarity. Robert often encourages these comments by name calling and worse.

I for one, enjoy the dialog about MoCo and Bethesda in particular, and welome discussions with lots of differing points of view. Sometimes Robert seems to have a very thin skin toward any comments that don't mirror his opinion. I encorage everyone to keep things civilized, and just sometimes we just need to agree to disagree.

Anonymous said...

12:14 PM Agreed! Debate is good, personal insults have no place.

Dyer is doing a good job covering many communities in our county that would be news deserts otherwise.

Anonymous said...

1:50 PM That first set is all the news that can be published from a Frederick home office re-purposing press releases. Nothing wrong with that, but let's hold off giving local Edward R Murrow awards for it.

Anonymous said...

I so agree. Robert NEVER resorts to personal insults! He is the best journalist in Bethesda, Montgomery County, county or maybe even the world!!!!!!!

Anyone who disagrees can go punch themselves and body slam each other trough tables.

Anonymous said...

This just in: The neighors are now awash in red faced anger at the horrid nighttime lights, forcing the bank to turn them off at night. This scooop has been brought to you by the Beat.