How did the opening of Nationals Park in April change the neighborhood?
First and foremost, it made most of the D.C. area aware that this neighborhood a mile from the U.S. Capitol, along the waterfront, actually existed. But the tremendous land rush that followed the decision to put the ballpark there is the obvious change -- more than 150 buildings that were standing when I started taking photos have been demolished. It's mostly unrecognizable. - Jacqueline Dupree, Three Minute Interview, Washington Examiner
It looks like another tough season for the Washington Nationals, both on and off the field. It won't be easy, but let's see if we can find some bright spots.
Blogger Nats320 found a nice little blue ribbon given to Nationals Park. Yahoo! Travel lists the Nat House as number two on its Top 10 List of Sustainable Design. (One little nitpick, they said the stadium is one and a half mile from the Capitol but it is about a mile).
And for those who want to go green to the ballpark, Nats320 also has an update on the water taxi service from Old Town and National Harbor. The Potomac Riverboat Company has been raring to go with their two new boats that chug back and forth to National Harbor and older ones to and fro Georgetown. But given the state of the economy, building the taxi piers is low on the totem pole for D.C. Jeff concludes that it's wait till next year for the river route.
On the other hand J.D. provided the following info the other day:
Also from the BID, news that the Earth Conservation Corps has scheduled a dedication ceremony for Diamond Teague Park on April 28. I've been told that if all goes "as planned," the construction of the in-water structures (the docks and the construction of the in-water structures (the docks and the piers) should be completed by Opening Day, though the plantings and other work on the dry-land portion of the park would be completed by the beginning of July.
Color me confused on this one.
Dupree continues to do a stellar job with updates on the re-development at Capitol Riverfront. The number of big yellow cranes has dwindled to just a handful due to the recession, but there is some on-going progress and hope that certain high-vis projects will get going.
South of the ballpark lies the aging Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge, or as it is otherwise known, the South Capitol Bridge. The city planners chose an "arched bascule design." Work is schedule to start in 2011.
Located three blocks to the east of the Ballpark is The Yards. This 42 acre spot, located on the historic Navy Yard property, will eventually contain 1.8 million sq ft office space, 2,800 residential units, 160,000-350,000 sq ft retail, and a 5.87-acre riverfront park. JD has updates on The Foundry Lofts, Waterfront Park, and redevelopment of The Boilermaker Shop (retail) and the Old Lumber Storage Shed (restaurant pavilion).
This won't do a lot for the average game-goer who uses Metro to the ballpark, but I'm looking forward to taking the ferry over, having a drink and dinner at The Yards, walk over to the game, and then take the ferry back. This won't be the fastest option but will avoid the Metro crush and should be visually pleasing and marry up well with baseball's leisurely pace.
JD also provides the satellite photo showing the completed ballpark, as well as an overhead from 1949. Be sure and check out her pairing of the two.
And finally, it seems to me the best thing to happen to the Nats is something they haven't done. At the NatsFest, President Stan Kasten said the team is still searching for a naming rights deal for the stadium. Seems to me that given the state of such things, they should hold on to "Nationals Park" for a while.
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