The National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) invited five talented design firms to develop concepts to beautify the security components and improve the visitor experience at President’s Park South. This popular destination is located between the White House Grounds and Constitution Avenue, NW.
On Tuesday, June 28 NCPC hosted a public showcase where representatives from the five design firms presented their concepts for President’s Park South to NCPC’s Interagency Security Task Force and members of the public. The showcase in its entirety can be watched below.
At the July 7 Commission Meeting, Rogers Marvel Architects was announced the winner of the President's Park South Design Competition.
The public is invited to view the designs online and at the White House Visitor Center through July 8, 2011 (except for July 2 – 4, 2011). The public is also invited to share opinions about the five designs through July 8, 2011. These opinions will be shared with the National Park Service and the U.S. Secret Service and will become part of NCPC’s record for the design competition process. For more information on this, please see the Frequently Asked Questions.
The firms invited to develop proposals were:
- Hood Design Studio, Oakland, CA
- Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Brooklyn, NY
- Reed Hilderbrand Associates, Watertown, MA
- Rogers Marvel Architects, New York, NY (Winner)
- SASAKI, Watertown, MA
President’s Park South is one of the most visited locations in the nation’s capital, and represents a unique design challenge that requires sensitive integration of security requirements into a landscape of extraordinary cultural and historic significance. The area includes Sherman Park, the First Division Monument, the Ellipse and its side panels, as well as the associated roadways in the area, including E Street, NW, which has been closed to unauthorized vehicular traffic for the past decade.
The National Park Service-led interagency Comprehensive Design Plan for the White House and President’s Park (2000) set the vision for this important historic public space. The results of the NCPC-sponsored design competition will inform the development of alternatives for President’s Park South that will be undertaken by the National Park Service and the United States Secret Service. These alternatives will be examined through a federal and local review and approval process, including a NEPA Environmental Assessment, over the course of the next year.