Theodore Roosevelt Island: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Theodore Roosevelt Island, National Park Service

Moss, Saylor

Theodore Roosevelt Island National Memorial is an island that is situated in the Potomac River between Georgetown in Washington, D.C. and Rosslyn, VA. The Potomac River flows to either side of the island in two channels. The island is an outcropping of micaceous schist which has served as a base for the steady accumulation of sedimentary soils; the island's size is about 90 acres. Roosevelt Island's location at the fall line - the furthest reach of tidal ocean waters in the river, where falls and rapids impede navigation - has given it great ecological diversity. The island encompasses a large number of ecological zones and is home to a wide variety of animals. Archeological evidence shows that the island was in use by Native American tribes from prehistory until the early 18th century. In 1717, Revolutionary Patriot George Mason IV, author of the Virginia Bill of Rights, acquired the island and established an 1848 ferry there. His son, John Mason, developed the island as a plantation estate and built a causeway connecting with the Virginia coast and a large Classical Revival-style mansion, named Analostan. Later, during the Civil War, Union forces occupied Theodore Roosevelt Island, and in the summer of 1863 it quartered the 1st United States Colored Troops, an African American regiment composed of free blacks and escaped slaves. From May 1864 to June 1865, a freedmen’s refugee camp occupied much of the island, including the Mason mansion. Following a long period of transient ownership, short-term tenancy, and disuse, the Roosevelt Memorial Association (RMA) purchased the island in 1931 as a national memorial to the former president. The following year the RMA gave the island to the federal government, but maintained planting and development rights. From 1932-47, the RMA retained renowned landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. to replant the island as a planned wilderness to be preserved as nearly as possible as in its natural state. The planting plan, carried out by CCC workers, represents one of the most complete expressions of Olmsted’s ideals on scenic preservation, through his attempt to recreate the island’s presumed former appearance. Finally, Eric Gugler’s plaza and Paul Manship’s Theodore Roosevelt sculpture represent a distinct step in the development of presidential memorials within Washington, D.C. According to the existing National Register Nomination, The periods of significance for Theodore Roosevelt Island are 1749-1833, 1861-1865 and 1931-present. It is significant in the areas of art and architecture, conservation, entertainment and recreation, military, city planning, politics and government, social history and transportation. According to the National Register, Theodore Roosevelt Island qualifies for significance under National Register Criterion A, C and D, and Criteria Consideration F. Existing features date primarily to the 1931-1967 period of significance and generally retain integrity in all seven aspects recognized by the National Register. Overall, Theodore Roosevelt Island is in fair condition. It retains integrity for the periods of significance 1748-1833, 1861-1865 and 1931-1967. A 2010 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) project is planned for the site, which focuses on repair of the infrastructure, the moat, piping, motor and water level sensors in the fountains, stonework repair, and repointing the memorial plaza. The result will be part of the process in upgrading the site condition from fair to good.

Theodore Roosevelt Island: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Theodore Roosevelt Island, National Park Service

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