marion park cultural landscape inventory

Washington, DC

Full Text Available: https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/Reference/Profile/2288092

Historical Overview

The Marion Park cultural landscape was first laid out in 1791 as an unassigned open reservation in Pierre L’Enfant’s plan for the city of Washington. Despite its proximity to the Capitol and the Navy Yard, the area around the cultural landscape remained largely undeveloped until the mid-19th century. The period between 1884-1905 marked one of the most substantial periods of development for the Marion Park cultural landscape. Within that period, Marion Park was laid out as a formal public park for the first time, graded, planted, and rehabilitated by the Office of Public Buildings and Grounds (OPBG). In 1884, the OPBG combined two small triangular reservations into one reservation for the first time and declared it “Reservation 18.” The reservation occupied a rectangular footprint that was bifurcated by 5th Street SE; a traffic circle was located at the center of the park. Also in 1884, the initial design of the park was laid out in keeping with 19th-century ideas of the picturesque, with curved walkways and a central focal element. In 1887, Reservation 18 was named after South Carolina military officer Brigadier General Francis Marion, nicknamed “the Swamp Fox.” Considered a hero of the American Revolution to many South Carolinians, the OPBG decided to name the reservation along South Carolina Avenue SE after him. The initial improvement of Reservation 18 was completed in 1887 with the renaming of the park and the installation of a large iron vase at the center of the park within the traffic circle. Marion Park was again rehabilitated in 1905, resulting in new plantings and the installation of a large, central, concrete fountain in place of the vase. From 1925-1933, Marion Park was among the few public spaces where segregated black and white communities overlapped. During this period, white neighbors lodged repeated complaints with park officials with the express intent of excluding black residents from using the park. In particular, white residents complained that black youth were overrunning the park’s fountain. In 1933, officials acceded to these segregationist complaints and removed the central fountain. The condition of the cultural landscape deteriorated after this period, as few changes were made to Marion Park until the 1960s due to a lack of funding. By 1962, conditions in Marion Park had greatly deteriorated, prompting National Park Service officials to reevaluate the state of the park. In 1964, the Marion Park cultural landscape was redesigned based on contemporary principles of modern landscape design. Between 1965-1970, the park underwent additional improvements as part of Lady Bird Johnson’s Beautification program. The cultural landscape retains integrity to the final period of significance (1964-1970) and is in good condition.

SIGNIFICANCE SUMMARY

The Marion Park cultural landscape derives national significance as a component of Pierre L’Enfant’s 1791 Plan of the City of Washington. The cultural landscape was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1997 as a contributing element to the L’Enfant Plan, with significance based on Criteria A, B, and C. The period of significance for that nomination is 1790-1942.

The cultural landscape was also listed in the Capitol Hill Historic District in 1976 (with a boundary increase in 2003). The cultural landscape was listed with significance in the areas of Community Planning, Military, and Other-Local Neighborhood History, with significant periods that included 1700-1799, 1800-1899, and 1900-[1976]. The 2003 boundary increase nomination for the historic district was listed with significance based on Criteria A and C, and a period of significance of 1790-1945. 

This CLI recommends that the Marion Park cultural landscape’s significance be refined and expanded to encompass the following four periods:

  1. 1791-1792, with national significance under Criteria A, B, and C, based on the association with the L’Enfant Plan and Andrew Ellicott’s modified plan;

  2. 1884-1905, with local significance under Criteria A and C, based on the OPBG’s construction and improvement of Marion Park;  

  3. 1925-1933, with local significance under Criterion A, based on the racialized tension and Civil Rights discrimination against black residents that resulted in exclusionary changes to Marion Park’s design; and

  4. 1962-1970, with local significance under Criterion A, based on the mid-century Modernist redesign of Marion Park and the subsequent beautification projects undertaken in the park as part of Lady Bird Johnson’s Beautification program in Washington, D.C.

ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION SUMMARY AND CONDITION

This CLI finds that the Marion Park cultural landscape retains integrity based on the extant conditions that are consistent with its periods of significance (1791-1792; 1884-1905; 1925-1933; 1962-1970). Original landscape characteristics and features from the period of significance remain in place at Marion Park, including its use as a passive and active park, gently sloping topography, gridded composition, views of adjacent historical landmarks, modern planting scheme, turtle play structure, and several small-scale features (including benches and fencing). The landscape displays all seven aspects that determine integrity, as defined by the National Register of Historic Places.

[The Marion Park CLI was written by Jacob Torkelson under the supervision of Molly Lester as part of the Urban Heritage Project, an initiative of PennPraxis and the Graduate Program in Historic Preservation at the University of Pennsylvania. It was completed between 2019-2020 under a cooperative agreement with the National Capital Area, National Park Service]

Full Text Available: https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/Reference/Profile/2288092