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GregChism ago

Anyone who has been to Dupont circle subway is a suspect

septimasexta ago

Agreed! Since "secret tunnels" have become the hallmark of Pizzagate, the one's under DuPont Circle might be significant. I wonder if the video store is over a tunnel?

https://dc.curbed.com/2014/8/12/10061584/here-now-the-basic-facts-about-the-dupont-underground What You Need to Know About Dupont Circle's Secret Tunnels By Valerie Paschall Aug 12, 2014

https://dc.curbed.com/2013/1/18/10284952/a-spooky-tour-of-dupont-undergrounds-secret-tunnel A Spooky Tour Of Dupont Underground's Secret Tunnel By Amy Rose Dobson Jan 18, 2013

Art Galleries have been linked to Pizzagate.... D.C.’s hidden tunnels to become underground art space Jan. 23, 2016 https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/destinations/2016/01/23/dupont-circle-underground-tunnels-exhibits/79185264/ "Julian Hunt was not one of those people. When the Barcelona-trained architect returned to Dupont Circle from Spain in the late 1990s, he was shocked at the city's unimaginative use of public space compared to other global cities.

"You have this famous and beautiful circle in the heart of the District that was underperforming. Coming from abroad, I knew that it could be so much more," says Hunt. "Then I noticed these nine boarded-up entryways. I asked around and everyone thought they were old ventilation shafts. Whatever they were, I wanted to wake them up and bring them back into the public realm."

After years of trying, Hunt finally convinced the city to let him explore the sealed-off entryways with the police. In spite of its neglect, he was immediately struck by the space's unique potential — so much so that he continued studying the site for a year afterward, exploring the passageways with flashlights.

"D.C. has always been skipped over for international shows because there simply isn't the space," Hunt says. "We have great resources in the Smithsonian and smaller galleries, but there's a missing niche."

To help fill that niche, Hunt formed the Dupont Underground and has spent the past several years negotiating terms with the city and submitting proposals to breathe new life into the abandoned space. After successfully securing a five-year lease in late 2014, the nonprofit has spent much of the last year pursuing private grants and the necessary fundraising needed bring the full tunnel system up to code.

To date, Dupont Underground has only raised a portion of the estimated $4 million needed to open up the full 75,000-square-foot space, so the group decided to open the tunnels in phases. Hunt hopes that as the first section of the underground sees the light of day and city embraces it, this unique site can become one of the premier cultural destinations in the District.

"A project like this has the potential to transform the District," Hunt says. "When people from Tokyo or Paris visit, I want them to know that there's something under Dupont Circle.""

septimasexta ago

Light in the Tunnel: Inside Dupont Underground March 4, 2017 https://ontaponline.com/2017/03/04/inside-dupont-underground/ "I was standing with the nonprofit’s managing director, David Ross, and board member Philippa Hughes of Pink Line Project, staring down the length of a pitch-black tunnel that was suddenly illuminated by bright, kaleidoscopic projections that seemed to pulsate to the beat of the music filling every inch of the immense space. I was completely mesmerized."

“The space is so large, you kind of have to be in it,” Ross says. “75,000 square feet is a lot. I spent a lot of time between 1 and 6 a.m. down there trying to figure out how things worked.”

"Ross says everything changed when he got his own key and could explore after hours; that, and the constant questions from passersby in Dupont Circle peeking down the steps, asking what the space was and when it was opening."

"Dupont Underground reopened on January 6, with nearly every wave of tours selling out. Ross still records live music in the space, and hosts intimate events like Sofar Sound shows and Literaoke (writers + karaoke) nights. But he sees the space becoming home to so much more, “a place that continues to do cutting-edge, inclusive work, and to help create and really shape an artistic movement within the city.” Hughes, who lauds Ross for being a doer and not just a talker, shares his vision. In her mind, the possibilities are endless for using the space as a vehicle for community-driven art and engagement experiences.

“It’s such a weird space that it’s asking for experimentation,” she says. “It is literally this raw space. We can literally do anything in it.”"