Stead Park
Stead Park is a 1.5-acre (0.61 ha) municipal park located in the Dupont Circle neighborhood of Northwest Washington, D.C. Among its facilities are Stead Recreation Center, located at 1625 P Street NW; a lighted basketball court; an athletic field with a 60-foot (18 m) baseball diamond; and a playground.[1] Public events such as Summer Movie Mania, an outdoor screening sponsored by the city's government, are held at the park.[2][3][4] Stead Park is also used as a practice field by the Washington Renegades RFC, the first rugby union club in the United States to recruit gay men and men of color.[5][6]
The park and its small staff are administered by the city's Department of Parks and Recreation. Stead Park, whose property was valued at $8,659,560 in 2009,[7] is partially funded by a private trust created by Washington architect Robert Stead. The park is named for Stead's wife, Mary Force Stead.[8]
[edit] History
The brick building that houses the recreation center was constructed in 1951–52 by consolidating, expanding, and adding a second story onto three single-story fuel sheds that stood behind row houses once located at 1621–1625 P Street NW. The unsegregated park was formally opened on November 13, 1953, at a cost of $80,000.[9]
In 2003, plans for a four-story, multi-million-dollar gay community center to be built on a small section of the aging park sparked a dispute among Dupont Circle residents and the Washington D.C. Center for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender People. The plans were ultimately abandoned.[10][11]
In 2008, the recreation center and playground were renovated. Work began in April and the park reopened on December 15.[12] During the renovation, archaeological work uncovered several artifacts and two brick foundations: one from a row house at 1613 P Street and one at 1625 P Street. Researchers concluded that the latter supported a house built in 1878 by Henry Hurt, a Confederate Army veteran and president of the Washington and Georgetown Railroad Company.[13]
[edit] References
- ^ "Stead Recreation Center". Government of the District of Columbia. http://app.dpr.dc.gov/DPR/information/rec_center/rec_center.asp?id=47. Retrieved 2008-12-22.[dead link]
- ^ Buckwalter, Ian (2009-05-13). "Screens on Other Greens". DCist.com. http://dcist.com/2009/05/screens_on_other_greens.php. Retrieved 2009-05-24.
- ^ Mathis, Sommer (2009-06-12). "Stead Park's Summer Movie Scheulde". DCist.com. http://dcist.com/2009/06/stead_parks_summer_movie_scheulde.php. Retrieved 2009-06-12.
- ^ "Summer Movie Mania". Washingtonian. http://www.washingtonian.com/events/2955.html. Retrieved 2009-06-12.
- ^ Worsdale, James (2009-02-27). "Sports". Washington Blade. http://www.washblade.com/2009/2-27/calendars/sports/14162.cfm. Retrieved 2009-05-24.[dead link]
- ^ Krisberg, K. (2002-07-25). "Renegades Rugby". Metro Weekly. http://www.metroweekly.com/gauge/?ak=48. Retrieved 2009-05-24.
- ^ "DC Citizen Atlas Real Property Reports". Government of the District of Columbia. http://citizenatlas.dc.gov/atlasapps/propertyhometab.aspx?QString=. Retrieved 2009-05-24.
- ^ "About Us". Friends of Stead Park. http://www.friendsofstead.org/About_Us.html. Retrieved 2009-03-30.
- ^ Williams, Paul Kelsey (September 2004). "Scenes from the Past...". The InTowner. pp. 12. http://74.125.45.132/search?q=cache:NNHhs9uJOOgJ:www.washingtonhistory.com/ScenesPast/images/SP_0904.pdf+September:+Stead+Park,+1600+Block+of+P+Street,+NW+site:www.washingtonhistory.com&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us. Retrieved 2008-12-22.
- ^ Brune, Adrian (2004-07-23). "Neighbors unsure about gay center at Stead Park". Washington Blade. http://www.washblade.com/2004/7-23/news/localnews/neighboor.cfm. Retrieved 2009-05-24.[dead link]
- ^ Chibbaro Jr., Lou (2004-11-19). "D.C. gay community center to open in office building". Washington Blade. http://www.washblade.com/2004/11-19/news/localnews/libs.cfm. Retrieved 2009-05-24.[dead link]
- ^ "Mayor, D.C. Open Stead Park in Northwest". The Washington Post. 2008-12-15. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dc/2008/12/mayor_dc_open_stead_park_in_no.html. Retrieved 2008-12-22.
- ^ "Stead - New Entrance, Central Plaza, and Playgrounds". Government of the District of Columbia. 2008. http://dpr.dc.gov/dpr/cwp/view.asp?A=1239&Q=640251&dprNav=%7C32108%7C. Retrieved 2008-12-22.[dead link]
[edit] External links
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