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Southwest Duck Pond's History
Cow Alley looking northeast, site of today's Southwest Duck Pond and Westminster Church, in late 1950's. Photo Credit: Redevelopment Land Agency. Source: "Southwest Guide 1965-1966" by the Southwest Neighborhood Assembly
The three-block long Town Center Park taking shape at Sixth and I Streets, S.W., with the western section's water feature still subject of discussion. To the north, the Charles Goodman-designed Hawthorne School/Southeastern University. Photo credit: The Hawthorne School 1967 Yearbook via www.thehawthorneschool.org.
1968: The landscape scheme starts to take shape. Image courtesy of park's design firm Wallace Roberts & Todd www.wrtdesign.com
The nearly-complete Town Center West Park (to be renamed Southwest Duck Pond in 2011) in 1972 with the new Arena Stage in the center background, looking southwest. Courtesy of Wallace Roberts & Todd.
1972: The new park is completed, including custom-crafted wooden benches following the curve of the perimeter walls and modernist lighting fixtrues consistent with the Southwest urban renewal design ethic. Looking southwest, with The View on the left and Waterside Towers on the right.
What author James M. Goode called “the most important urban renewal project in the country,” Washington, D.C.'s Southwest renewal sought to enhance the existing recreational space in Southwest, as well as add to it. The most significant additions were the Randall Recreation Center, Town Center Parks, and Waterside Parks. In keeping with the community center nature of Town Center, the three Town Center Parks were located behind Waterfront Mall (demolished 2007). They were completed in 1972. The westernmost and largest one contains benches, trees, walkways, and a large pond with four fountains.
In park designer William Roberts’ own words: "The project was initially won in the early sixties by Wallace McHarg Associates for the Redevelopment Authority. McHarg was partner in charge and had tried to convince the Design Review Board to accept a very architectural concept which could not possibly be done for the budget. McHarg handed the full responsibility for the project to me as a young landscape architect and new partner in the firm. All three Town Center Parks as they became known were redesigned under my direction and taken through detail design, documents and construction. I decided to allocate the greatest effort and expense to the largest of the parks because of its proximity to a school and decided it should have reference to the nearby river and estuary by having a free form water feature with generous plantings and a cobble shoreline. My primary inspiration was the Potomac. Every resident and visitor is very much aware of this great natural feature, its historic significance in the settlement of the city and its varied landscapes, from its source as a modest stream to its great estuary leading to the Atlantic and to the world. Water would be the primary, unifying feature. Fountains would evoke the pleasure of listening to streams, rivers, and falls, reflections of the sky and tree tops would give a sense of the greater outdoors, rocks at the waters edge would show splendid colors and bring memories of exploring the junction between land and water. An abundance of trees were planted to create an oasis from the dense urban setting which had very little vegetation at the time. The park was intended to offer lots of opportunities for discovery of delightful natural experiences from many vantage points, unified by a circulating walkway and distinctive brick walls. Small islands and alcoves were created to offer intimate areas for sitting and viewing, furnished with play equipment and naval artifacts (ship’s wheel and an anchor, now relocated to the Waterside park). The project received lots of praise and has stood the test of time fairly well although it is now in serious need of refurbishment. It gives me great pleasure to witness the success of this park over the past 40 years. Inevitably the trees have become crowded, plants have died, paving has deteriorated and furnishings have been replaced or removed. Its greatest merit is that the basic idea of celebrating the regional indigenous natural landscape has proven to be a success and a pleasure to all users. It is important to preserve and enhance the park for future generations." Decline and DisuseTown Center Park was built and maintained by the National Park Service from 1972-2007 in conjunction with the National Mall and Potomac Park. During the ensuing decades, the park's Modernist lamp globes and custom-crafted benches were replaced with more traditional reproductions to match the other parks. Nonetheless, the park was generally well-maintained.
The reopening of Fourth Street, S.W., in 2007 required the demolition of the Waterfront Mall and the removal of the center section of Town Center Park, which adjoined it. The small eastern and western sections, at Third and Sixth Streets, S.W., respectively, were left intact and became known informally as the "Library Park" and "Duck Pond." At this point the land's ownership and the responsibility for the parks moved to the District of Columbia Department of Parks and Recreation.
As part of the redevelopment plans, the owner of an apartment complex adjacent to the Duck Pond requested zoning approval for a new tower directly across K Street, S.W., from the park, and agreed to fund a restoration of the aging infrastructure - brickwork, pumping systems, drainage, and landscaping. Permission was granted and the park was not added to the District maintenance schedule pending restoration.
The "Great Recession" of 2008 put the development plans on hold, with the developer eventually declaring bankruptcy, then liquidating. Despite this, the park remained unattended and began to rapidly deteriorate. Broken pumps were not repaired and the stagnant water was responsible for a case of West Nile Virus in 2009. Overgrown landscaping soon provided a refuse for drug dealing and prostitution, blocked drains allowed flooding then mold development and brick rot, and trash bin servicing was reduced from daily to weekly.
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Press ReleasesNovember 29, 2012
ANC Commissioner Craycraft, Jim Flanigan, and Nancy Masterson testimony to DC City Council requesting a filtration system for the duck pond pumping system. July 11, 2012
ANC Commissioner Craycraft statement and Neighbors of Southwest Duck Pond statement to DC City Council on Act to allow DPR to sell concessions in parks December 21, 2011
Southwest Duck Pond Receives Matching Gift from The Graduate School December 9, 2011
Southwest Duck Pond Awarded a "Brickie" ClippingsDecember 20, 2011
"SW Duck Pond News" by Southwest...The LIttle Quadrant That Could December 8, 2011
"Councilmember Tommy Wells recognizes D.C.'s walkability heroes" by John Hendel, @TBDonFoot, TBD Other MediaCommittee of the Whole 11/16/11
- Southwest Duck Park naming bill |
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2010-11: The Restoration Begins
The community effort to restore the park began in the winter of 2010 under the direction of Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Jane Jorgensen. The launch group included Bob Craycraft, Carol Hedgpeth, Larry Impett, Suzanne Johnson, Kelly Malone, Olga Stopher, and Susan Yount. Enthusiasm grew quickly, with other civic groups and local businesses helping with the effort to stabilize the water runoff conditions and improve the park aesthetics. By summer's end, a third of the tree canopy had been removed as dead or diseased, sight lines cleared across the park, and a pond maintenance company hired by DPR to manage the water balance. By the end of 2010, NSWDP had been approved as a Park Partner participant by the Department of Parks and Recreation, and had been recognized by the Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6D as the official community group representing the interest of the park. A significant accomplishment of 2010 was the park being accepted by The Cultural Landscape Foundation into their "What's Out There," guide to significant American landscapes. Special thanks to volunteer Gita Morris for her research and documentation in preparing our submittal.
2011 was a year of rapid advancement, led by a matching grant from Graduate School USA to hire a consultant to bring structure to NSWDP and advance it's mission to maintain and restore the park for community programming. MT Rohan Communications, a Southwest-based small business, successfully led the group through a productive 90-day period that resulted in a more structured leadership process, gaining 501c3 benefits as a subsidiary of the Southwest Neighborhood Assembly, and creating a website and Facebook page. At year's end, NSWDP was recognized with a "Brickie" Award as Ward 6's best community advocacy group. Pictured at left are Volunteer of the Year for 2010 Susan Yount, Melissa Rohan of MT Rohan Communications, and NSWDP President Zen McManus.
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2012: A Community Gathering Place, Rediscovered
With increased levels of support from District agencies in general maintenance and upkeep, the focus of Neighbors of Southwest Duck Pond shifted in 2012 to recreating the park as a place where neighbors would gather and build community connections. The strategy was built around providing a safe and welcoming platform for other civic and local business organizations to have their own events.
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As infrastructure problems continue to worsen...
The brick retaining walls deteriorated notably in 2012 and were finally repaired in November after a local civil engineer expressed concern about their possible collapse. Malfunctioning of an aging auto-fill device resulted in frequent flooding and added to the rotting of the brick on the pond's perimeter. The water quality worsened throughout the summer and by mid-August was dank and foul-smelling. Community and ANC testimony to City Council requesting a filter for the pond's pumping system was not successful.
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2013: An uncertain future
Hope for a complete restoration of the Southwest Duck Pond and a long-term plan for it's operation with community programming emerged in early 2013 with the announcement of a Southwest Business Improvement District (SW BID) headed by Hoffman-Madison Waterfront and including the General Services Administration (GSA), the JBG Companies, and Waterfront Partners, among others.
The SW BID has indicated an interest in managing District relationships for maintaining the park, and asked DPR to develop a Service Level Agreement (SLA) on behalf of the community. The BID approval process is expected to be complete by early 2014 and management of the park to commence in mid-2014.
In April 2013, NSWDP and The Little Farm Stand entered into an eight-month advertising contract with Capital Community News to expand the outreach of the Southwest Duck Pond into the Capitol Hill neighborhood with a series of advertisements of park events in The Hill Rag. Ads promote The Little Farm Stand as well as special regular community events in the park. NSWDP would also like to express it's gratitude to Capital Community News and The Hill Rag Managing Editor Andrew Lightman for editorial advocacy of our efforts and promotional support of our events since 2010.
Park infrastructure problems continued to worsen, with malfunctions of the pumping systems resulting in pond overflow and flooding March 26 and April 8. On April 11, a burst underwater return pipe resulted in the pumps being deactivated completely. Repair work commenced April 15. The pond fountains were inactive May 22nd for the fourth time in 2013 with the pond water turning a dark green not seen since the late summer of 2012.
The SW BID has indicated an interest in managing District relationships for maintaining the park, and asked DPR to develop a Service Level Agreement (SLA) on behalf of the community. The BID approval process is expected to be complete by early 2014 and management of the park to commence in mid-2014.
In April 2013, NSWDP and The Little Farm Stand entered into an eight-month advertising contract with Capital Community News to expand the outreach of the Southwest Duck Pond into the Capitol Hill neighborhood with a series of advertisements of park events in The Hill Rag. Ads promote The Little Farm Stand as well as special regular community events in the park. NSWDP would also like to express it's gratitude to Capital Community News and The Hill Rag Managing Editor Andrew Lightman for editorial advocacy of our efforts and promotional support of our events since 2010.
Park infrastructure problems continued to worsen, with malfunctions of the pumping systems resulting in pond overflow and flooding March 26 and April 8. On April 11, a burst underwater return pipe resulted in the pumps being deactivated completely. Repair work commenced April 15. The pond fountains were inactive May 22nd for the fourth time in 2013 with the pond water turning a dark green not seen since the late summer of 2012.
A faulty auto-fill valve regularly causes the pond to overflow. Lacking an overflow drain, the pond spills onto the sidewalks and into perimeter drains. When too full, the pond waters saturate, and eventually rot, the brick perimeter coping. 2'-3' sections have now collapsed into the pond.
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Lacking regular maintenance since 1972, the sole pipe connecting the pump to the four fountains burst April 11, sending water up through 8' of soil to the sidewalks above. Admirably, the District contractor was on-site at 7am the next business day to tackle the project.
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May 22: Fountains again inactive and waters turn a dark green as scum begins to cover water surface.
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May 28: Drains blocked by mud from the November 2012 retaining walls' repair result in the Sixth & I Streets, S.W., entrance becoming unpassable.
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July 10: A hose laid onto a sidewalk instead of a nearby storm sewer during a pond cleaning results in pond bottom sludge being pumped onto the sidewalk and puddling in the gutter and curb cut connecting the park with the local elementary school and library.
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2014: A New Plan
With the formation of the Southwest Business Improvement District (SW BID) announced in 2014, many of the programming and fundraising activities of the Planning Team became redundant, and the focus switched to supporting the SW BID in a smooth transition as the park's advocate and primary contact to District agencies. The DPR Park Partner and Southwest Neighborhood Assembly relationships were concluded and NSWDP returned to it's roots as a neighborhood organization.
Improvements and Upgrades
A grant secured by the NSWDP resulted in the addition of an underwater lighting system beneath the pond's four jets, inaugurated May 8, 2014, with a memorial dedication to ANC Commissioner Ron McBee, a tireless advocate for the park and an organizer of the group in 2010.
A memorial fund established by the children of long-time Southwest resident Mary Schmidt, with support provided by Chapel Valley Landscaping Company, underwrote a partial restoration of the park's naturalistic woodland landscape scheme, with installations of wild azaleas, Virginia bluebells, and native Chesapeake-region ferns.
Repairs and Restorations
The District of Columbia Department of General Services undertook a project to replicate the brick trim, or coping, around the pond with molded cement dyed to match the original bricks, pending a more elaborate restoration anticipated for 2017.
