What is the Dupont Underground? The nonprofit Arts Coalition for the Dupont Underground (ACDU) — whose members and supporters include artists, designers, community leaders, and businesspeople — is transforming a forgotten 75,000-s.f. space below Washington, D.C.'s famous Dupont Circle into a cultural destination.

Opened as a trolley station in 1949, the subterranean platforms and tunnels were closed in 1963, when the city’s streetcar system shut down. Other than designation as fallout shelter in the late 1960s and hosting a short-lived food court on the west platform in the mid-1990s, the space has remained empty. Until now.

The ACDU's mission: To revitalize the abandoned trolley station beneath Dupont Circle for presenting, producing, and promoting cutting-edge arts, architecture, design, and creative endeavors.

The story so far. D.C. architect and ACDU founder Julian Hunt has been working to reopen the platforms and tunnels for more than a decade, inspired by the years he spent in Barcelona, where architects and artists have played a crucial role in shaping that city’s physical and cultural growth.

"When I discovered the old trolley station," he says, "I realized that I had stumbled onto a compelling, vital place to make something happen right below one of the District’s iconic public spaces.”

Julian's persistence is paying off. In 2010, the ACDU won an RFP from the District to redevelop the space. In 2014, we signed a five-year lease.

What we've done. Since winning the RFP, the ACDU has been studying the platforms and tunnels and building support for the project in the Dupont Circle community and throughout the city. Recently, we were invited to join D.C. Councilmember David Grosso's Arts Action DC coalition, whose mission is "Strengthening our Creative Community by advocating to build a solid foundation for arts funding in Washington, D.C."

Now it is up to us and our supporters to prove that the vision of converting old transit infrastructure into a major cultural destination can work.

What we need to do. The ACDU needs to clean up 23,000 s.f. (one platform plus some tunnel space) and prepare it for events, exhibits, and other activities and programming. We are asking for $50,000 to begin the work needed to open the space for use over then next five years. In addition to raising money, we are also beginning the feasibility study for phase 2 — the permanent build-out of the Dupont Underground.

“The next five years will be a dynamic time of showcasing new artists and designers, new technologies, and the exciting possibilities this space presents,” says Julian. “We see the Dupont Underground providing cultural and economic benefits to Dupont Circle and to the District of Columbia.” 

Your support will make it happen. We hope you will join our effort to transform and revitalize this amazing site. All contributions are tax deductible.

Visit our website, dupontunderground.org, for more information. And don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news.

Thank you!

A big thank you to D.C.'s Balance Gym, which has generously donated $15,000 to our Fundable campaign. Incredible!

East platform (photo: Pat Padua)

Tunnel (photo: Pat Padua)

South end (photo: Pat Padua)

We're proud to offer tastefully branded items designed by ripe for your pledge of support. So pledge often and collect them all. 

T-shirt concept

Tote bag concept

Button pack concept

We're the newest episode in PBS Digital Studios' occasional — and really well produced — series Unusual Spaces. Click on the image to watch the video.

Visit our website to see more media coverage.

Concept: gallery space

The ACDU wants to demonstrate what uses of the platforms and tunnels are best suited for the long-term buildout of the space. Over the next five years we plan on activating the space in many ways:

• Art & design exhibitions
• Public arts performances
• Community events
• Educational events
• Pop-up retail & dining
• Creative economy incubators
• Demonstrations of emerging technologies
• Film shoots & commercial photography
• Rental space for private events

Help us make it happen! Remember: Your donation is tax deductible.

Concept: performance space

Our inspirations? Here are a few: Alvéole 14, in Saint-Nazaire, France; New York's Storefront for Art and Architecture; Düsseldorf's Kunst im Tunnel; and Materials & Applications, out in Los Angeles.

Concept: popup retail space

Concept: Community center, public green space, and Dupont Underground entrance by the Dupont Circle park

Cities worldwide are reclaiming neglected industrial spaces and old infrastructure and transforming them into community assets and attractive destinations. New York's High Line — which turned an abandoned, inaccessible railroad spur into an elevated park that is incredibly popular with locals and tourists — is probably the best-known example of this.

Concept: Dupont Underground entrance across from Q Street Metro escalators

We believe the full build-out of the Dupont Underground beneath and around Dupont Circle will create a signature cultural destination in the District, offer greater amenities to the neighborhood, contribute to Dupont Circle's iconic status as a great public place, and become a world-class example of adaptive reuse and revitalization.

Thank you for your support! Together, we can make the Dupont Underground a reality.

Concept: Dupont Underground site plan