Alerts & Announcements

In response to an outpouring of thousands of concerned community residents and organizations, mobilized by the Keep Malcolm X Park Open Coalition, the National Park Service announced at a meeting last week at Parks & People's Josephine Butler Parks Center that the Park will remain accessible to the public throughout the planned $15 million of restoration work on the Park's fountains, landscape, benches, concrete work, lighting, and statues.

NPS had previously announced that the grassy area in the upper part of the park would be closed for grass restoration from March through September. This announcement was not posted in the park or through any social media channels, and in response to community concern, NPS updated the timeline to open the grass areas of the park by mid-June.

Parks & People is continuing to request updates from the Park Service, which we will publicize via this website and the bulletin board in front of the Josephine Butler Parks Center at 2437 15th NW. Here's what we know right now:

Part of the northern lawn section is currently fenced off for restoration work and the large grass panels on the Upper Level will be blocked off for 10 weeks starting in the next few days to overhaul the turf including aerating the subsoil and replacing some of it with new topsoil. NPS has committed to keeping all paved areas of the park’s upper section open to the public, including the area near the Joan of Arc statue which is home to the drum circle.

On April 9, the Park sadly lost two large heritage White Oak trees that were planted a century ago as the Park was being built. Arborists with the Park Service and others said that the trees were dying of dry roots/ soil compaction, fungus, and (in one case) a lightning strike. Compaction from vehicles is a major problem in the Park that the community is seeking to stop.

The east walk of the Lower Gardens, the southern base of the park, and the sloping lawns between 15th St and the Cascade waterfall also remain open to the public, though all other areas of the Lower Gardens will remain inaccessible until June while repairs are completed.

Here are key areas of planned restoration work that we know about, all set to be completed by July 3 at the very latest:

• Restore the Cascade, Reflecting Pool, and Stairway niche fountains (including new pump, plumbing, and sealants to stop leaks in the Reflecting Pool);
• Install new fescue grass sod and topsoil on the Upper Level's entire two large lawn panels (possibly including new topsoil, grading, and revived irrigation);
• Remove two large dying trees, planted on the Upper Level a century ago, and one smaller one from the Lower Garden;
• Prune trees, shrubs, and hedges throughout the entire park;
• Restore all cypress benches;
• Remove graffiti;
• Restore lighting throughout;
• Clean and repair historic concrete walls and walks;
• Clean and restore Dante and Buchanan sculptures.

The community is helping the park restoration in many ways. Please join us next Saturday, April 18, from 11-3pm for a special Earth Week Community Work Day in the Park!

For more information or to join the campaign to help the park be open to all for generations to come, write to info@washingtonparks.net or keepmxplawnopen@gmail.com.