RSS FeedThe Most Underused Park In DC?
Is there a park in DC as centrally located yet criminally neglected as Pershing Park (roughly 15th and Pennsylvania Ave NW)? Across the street from the Willard Hotel, the Treasury Building (and sort of the White House), and City Hall (well catty-corner anyway), how is it that this space isn’t used as an arts or farmers market each weekend?
Researching this post we found that the City Paper wrote an article on this very topic last summer, noting that the ice rink hasn’t worked in years and that it all comes down to a fight (surprise) over money. Which is a shame, because imagine the crowds a weekend market could achieve at a location like Pershing Park. Sure the park is small, but you wouldn’t need to offer much initially. How about the extremely popular donut vendor from the holiday market? Add a few local artists, a handful of food vendors (and food trucks parked around the perimeter) and you have all you need to see if the idea would succeed.
If success was proven, just across the street is Freedom Plaza, where you could expand the weekend market offerings. We suspect the dynamics between the Feds, DC, and vendors makes this harder than in other cities. But as it stands how, Pershing Park is a disgrace in the heart of the city.
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The Pa. Ave. Development Corporation built this park and not only installed the skating rink and zamboni, but redid the entire rink and replaced the zamboni before the National Park Service (NPS)would manage the space. There was also a kiosk for a restaurant, but NPS’s vendor did not see it as profitable (the food was to be kind, unremarkable).
A few years ago they did try an outdoor market but they could not attract enough good vendors to then be able to attract people to purchase the crafts and other items being sold. They even bought very nice tents and did not charge the crafts folks for setting up there. Most people nearby work — well, except for tourists and the hotels at end of The Avenue attract more business people than tourists. Also the lack of nearby tourist attractions (do tourists really know about the National Aquarium)and the berm that makes the pool and area around it invisible to those east of the park, keeps it from being as popular as PADC staff thought it would be. Ironic that in summer you still see people eating lunch on Freedom Plaza without offering any shade, though just across 14th Street there are trees and water that help to cool off the air.