Lincoln Park: Cultural Landscape Inventory, National Capital Parks-East-Capitol Hill Parks

Ryberg, Stephanie; Fanning, Kay

Lincoln Park is a 7 acre park located in Washington, D.C., 1 mile east of the U.S. Capitol building. The park is bounded on the north and south by E. Capitol St., on the east by 11th St. N.E. and S.E., and on the west by 13th St. N.E. and S.E. The park has a history as both a neighborhood park and a memorial landscape, whose focus is the 1974 Emancipation Monument and the 1974 memorial to Mary McLeod Bethune. The site is important as a component of the L’Enfant Plan for Washington, as a prominent African American cultural site, and as a neighborhood park that functions as a community gathering place. As it exists today, the park is mostly the result of NPS work conducted in 1934 and 1969-1971. The park’s major features are its two memorials, both illustrating themes of African American freedom and progress. The plaza was sunk about 2 feet below grade so that the large figure of Bethune would not overshadow the smaller statue of Lincoln. Vegetation consists primarily of open lawn areas planted with mature deciduous trees. Most were planted informally as individual specimens or in small groups or in lines. While some of the park’s small-scale features still date from the 1970s redesign by architect Hilyard Robinson, many of them have been replaced since 2003. By far the most important vista from the park is the view along its E-W axis, from E. Capitol St. to the U.S. Capitol. Placement of the Emancipation Monument near the west end of the park emphasized this view. Lincoln Park has two Periods of Significance: the year 1791, when the land was included on the L’Enfant Plan; and 1867-1934, extending from the date of the initial design to its reconstruction by the NPS. It is eligible under Criteria A and C for its contribution to the L’Enfant plan, its landscape design, and Emancipation Monument design. The park is additionally significant under Criteria A as a prominent site relating to African American history in the city. The dedication of the Emancipation Monument in 1876, the use of the park for 1960s Civil Rights rallies, and the dedication of the Mary McLeod Bethune memorial in 1974, reflect Lincoln Park as an important site for black Washingtonians. However, not included within the periods of significance is the 1969-1971 reconstruction by the African American architect, Hilyard Robinson, the installation of the Bethune Memorial in 1974, or changes that followed Robinson’s design. These fall outside the 50-year benchmark used by the National Register to determine significance. Analysis of the site according to five of the National Register integrity characteristics reveals that Lincoln Park retains only partial integrity to its second period of significance. Integrity of location and setting have altered little. The park’s design is determined primarily by its circulation system and its vegetation. The circulation retains some features that were integral to the 1934 NPS redesign, which focused on the location of the Emancipation Monument facing the U.S. Capitol. The main feature determining spatial organization is the east-west axis through the center of the park, which also forms a dominant view. Robinson’s design, with the addition of the large, open, sunken plaza, altered this organization somewhat but did not fundamentally change it. The feeling conveyed to park visitors – the experience of Lincoln Park as a serene neighborhood park – was changed by the 1970s redesign from a picturesque landscape for sitting and resting to a formal park. The associative qualities of Lincoln Park remain intact, and have even been strengthened by recent changes. However, the park’s dual uses as memorial site and as neighborhood park were altered by the 1970s reconstruction.

Lincoln Park: Cultural Landscape Inventory, National Capital Parks-East-Capitol Hill Parks

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