(Washington DC) Today, Mayor Anthony A. Williams announced Gustafson, Guthrie Nichol Ltd (GGN) as the winner of a design competition for a new 1.8 acre park in Washington's Near Southeast Neighborhood. Washington Canal Park will be at M and 2nd Streets, SE, on a 3-block site along the route of the historic Washington Canal. The park will become the centerpiece of a high-density, mixed-use development district, which includes the Capper Carrollsburg housing project, the US Department of Transportation (US DOT) Headquarters building and private development.
"Our citizens deserve great open spaces," said Mayor Anthony Williams. "Canal Park will become the heart of the mixed-use, mixed-income neighborhood that is emerging in what was once a forgotten part of our city."
About Washington Canal Park
The winning design celebrates the history of the Washington Canal in a striking contemporary landscape. It features interpretive elements which draw on the original Benjamin Latrobe-designed canal as well as incorporating state-of-the-art sustainable design strategies to control urban storm water runoff, crucial to improving the water quality of the Anacostia River. The park will be the focal point for surrounding retail, housing and office uses and a unique gathering space for the emerging Near Southeast neighborhood.
"The selected design responded to a series of community development objectives while also proposing a dramatic new setting for surrounding buildings," Andrew Altman, director of the Office of Planning, said. "The new park will undoubtedly become a signature element of the Near Southeast neighborhood and will form a new link between Capitol Hill and the Anacostia waterfront."
"We are delighted at the opportunity to contribute and be a part of the exciting work being generated by the Mayor's vision for the Anacostia River," Kathryn Gustafson, principal at Gustafson Guthrie Nichol LTD, said. "For us, this is a unique opportunity to participate in the creation of a neighborhood that is rooted in the historic beginnings of Washington, and is at the same time defining the character of this wonderful city as it enters into the 21st century."
The Jury Weighs In
"The jury brought together a broad range of professional and community expertise, and together we looked closely at all of the four finalists' proposals. We were consistently impressed by the caliber of the designs, and the degree to which the teams had imagined a future for this park and the evolving community around it, Jury Chair Ray Gastil said. Gastil is Manhattan Borough Planning Director in the New York City Planning Department.
