Meridian Hill Park: Cultural Landscape Report, Rock Creek Park, National Park Service

architrave p.c. architects

Volume I, presents in detail the recommended primary treatment, preservation, selected for the park on the basis of its status as a National Historic Landmark, "...the breadth of its ambition, its remarkable integrity, and the masterful sureness of its design and construction..."4 Under the umbrella of this primary treatment, contributing features will be repaired or, if warranted, replaced in kind. Preservation as the primary treatment of the park will enhance the quality of visitor experience and ensure the continued use and enjoyment of the park by future generations. Preservation was selected because of the remarkable degree of integrity of the park, making extensive restoration unnecessary. Further, Restoration of all park planting is impractical because of safety, maintenance, and environmental concerns. Volume II of the Meridian Hill Park Cultural Landscape Report, describes the alternatives possible for treatment of Meridian Hill Park. Only preservation and restoration, as defined in The Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties with Guidelines for the Treatment of Cultural Landscapes are appropriate for this site. Preservation would stabilize the site at its current high level of integrity, doing what is necessary to halt deterioration and repair or replace and maintain historic materials, features and plantings. Restoration would re-establish the historic appearance of the park as of 1936, the end of its period of significance. The other two possible treatment alternatives, rehabilitation and reconstruction are not applicable at this site.Rehabilitation is appropriate when contemporary uses of a site are very different from the historic ones and would allow the addition of new elements to accommodate those uses. Passive recreation, for which Meridian Hill Park was designed, is a contemporary use that has not changed since the construction of the park. Reconstruction is an approach appropriate if substantial portions of a resource are missing. Such is not the case at Meridian Hill Park. For further clarification of these treatment alternatives, refer to Appendix 5. The recommended treatment of the site is organized by treatment units including spatial organization and land use; circulation and universal access; views and vistas; vegetation; structures, furnishings, and objects; mechanical, electrical, plumbing and drainage systems; and sculpture. Priorities for treatment in each unit are established as critical, important, and desirable.

Meridian Hill Park: Cultural Landscape Report, Rock Creek Park, National Park Service

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