Benjamin Banneker Park (10th Street Overlook): Cultural Landscape Inventory, National Mall & Memorial Parks - Miscellaneous Reservations, National Park Service
Schaible D and Herrnstadt C. 2013. Benjamin Banneker Park (10th Street Overlook): Cultural Landscape Inventory, National Mall & Memorial Parks - Miscellaneous Reservations, National Park Service. Cultural Landscapes Inventory Report. 975844. NPS National Capital Regional Office. National Capital Regional Office/CLI Database
Benjamin Banneker Park, originally called the 10th Street Overlook, is an individual landscape located within the National Mall and Memorial Parks (NAMA) administrative unit of the NPS. It is located at the southern terminus of the L’Enfant Promenade (originally called 10th Street Mall), and was a key part of the urban renewal and redevelopment of Southwest D.C. Located only a half mile from the National Mall, the overlook was designed by the influential American landscape architect Dan Kiley and was conceived of as a beacon that would draw sight-seers from the heavily trafficked mall towards the infrequently visited Southwest waterfront. For numerous reasons, this goal was never realized and Banneker Park and the L’Enfant Promenade corridor have received low levels of visitation since they were constructed. The boundary for the Banneker Park cultural landscape is comprised of the entire area that was transferred from the D.C. Redevelopment Land Agency to the National Park Service in 1970. This area is comprised of three discontiguous parcels that account for a combined 4.68 acres. Banneker Park consists of a central, elliptical overlook with a large granite fountain at its center, which is surrounded by an expanse of rolling hills and circulation features that lead to the roadways below. Extant designed features on the property include the central water fountain, granite benches, plant material, retaining walls, and pathways.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Schaible, Daniel; Herrnstadt, Caitlin
- Date of Issue
- 2013-09-09
- Publisher
- NPS National Capital Regional Office
- Units
- NAMA , NCR
- Keywords
- 10th Street Overlook, Benjamin Banneker Overlook, Benjamin Banneker Park, Community Planning and Development, Creating Social Institutions and Movements, Daniel Urban Kiley, Designed, Expressing Cultural Values, Landscape architecture, landscape design, L'Enfant Promenade Corridor, Marker, Modern Landscape Design and Site Planning, monument, National Mall and Memorial Parks (NAMA), overlook, Plaque, Redevelopment, Reservation #719, Southwest D.C., Southwest Waterfront, Tenth Street Overlook, Urban Life, Urban Park, Urban Planning in the Twentieth Century, urban renewal, Urban Revitalization, Ways of Life