Cultural Landscape Report: Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway, Rock Creek Park, Part 1

Redding, Stephanie Austin; Ricketson, Kate; Mitchell, S. Michael; Kennedy, Adjoa

This document contains the Part 1 Cultural Landscape Report (CLR) for the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway study area, managed as a part of Rock Creek Park. The CLR documents the site history, existing conditions recorded in January–March, 2023, and the analysis and evaluation of the cultural landscape relative to National Register criteria. The CLR builds upon previous planning documents, including the 2005 National Register Nomination for the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway Historic District and Historic American Building Survey (HABS) DC-697 documentation, and provides park professionals with the background information necessary to preserve significant landscape features while considering contemporary needs and uses. The Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway connects the core of downtown Washington, DC, to Rock Creek Park through Rock Creek Valley, a geologic feature that has provided both a sylvan retreat and a transportation challenge throughout the District’s history. Early users of the valley included Indigenous tribes and nations who visited the fertile waters of Rock Creek and the Potomac River for fishing. They were followed by European and European American settlers who were drawn to the port access at Georgetown and the flowing waters of Rock Creek, which could be harnessed to power industry. Beginning in 1889, proposals circulated for the development of the Rock Creek Valley as a parkway connecting the monumental core of Washington, DC, with the newly established Rock Creek Park. After lengthy debate that included the consideration of open and closed (filled) valley proposals, Congress approved the creation of the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway in 1913, commencing the design and land acquisition processes. The three decades between congressional approval and final design encompassed the rise of automobiles for transportation and recreation, and the parkway’s design therefore integrated vehicular routes, equestrian routes, and pedestrian trails with the valley’s natural topography. The parkway opened fully in 1936 and almost instantly became a popular route for commuters as well as recreational visitors. It remains so today. The cultural landscape of the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway requires care and management to protect significant cultural resources and provide a safe visitor experience for motorists and pedestrians alike. Future management of the cultural landscape will require thoughtful consideration and a framework that balances historic, ecological, interpretive, and recreational values. To support future treatment recommendations, this report includes a summary of the 2023 condition of the parkway as well as a landscape analysis identifying those features that contribute to the historic character of the landscape. Historic landscape conditions are compared with existing conditions, and an analysis of these differences forms the basis for the summary of integrity for the cultural landscape.

Cultural Landscape Report: Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway, Rock Creek Park, Part 1

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