Letter
Dear Ms. Hall:
In its public meeting of 19 October conducted by videoconference, the Commission of Fine Arts reviewed an updated concept design submission for the rehabilitation of Parkland, a National Park Service property bounded by Malcolm X Avenue, Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, and Parkland Place, SE, in the Congress Heights neighborhood of Washington, D.C. The Commission approved the concept and provided the following comments for the development of the design.
The Commission members expressed appreciation for the simplified design, which is now organized around a curving central pathway that connects all the program areas. They requested refinement of the design to improve visual and physical connections within and outside the park, particularly on the north from the picnic area to the sidewalk along Malcolm X Avenue, and on the south where the internal path passes close to the park’s edge; they strongly recommended adding a park entrance with a new mid-block crosswalk at Parkland Place. They also suggested including the trail connection on the west side of the park as part of the project scope. For the elements within the park, they questioned the proposed use of metal screens as visual buffers and as a display of public art; while supporting the inclusion of public art in the project, they recommended instead using a planted buffer and considering a wider range of expressions and locations for artwork. Finally, they recommended a more deliberate design to better incorporate the community gardens as an integral and accessible component of the park.
The Commission looks forward to further review of this important project. Please consult with the staff which, as always, is available to assist you.
Sincerely,
/s/Thomas E. Luebke, FAIA
Secretary
Kym A. Hall, Area Director
Region 1 – National Capital Area
National Park Service
1100 Ohio Drive, SW
Washington, DC 20242
cc: Claire Sale, AECOM