Meridian Hill / Malcolm X Park closed on Monday for several months for renovations, and lots of people came on the final weekend. Here’s some of what we saw:
Brief history of the park
The Federal government acquired the land in 1910 and began to turn it into a park. The design is based on an Italianate landscape, with statuary, stone walls, and an immense cascading fountain. The construction finished in the 1930’s, and the park was transferred to the National Park Service.
It’s been a vibrant park since then, with large crowds on sunny weekends. The Malcolm X Drum Circle has continuously gathered there on Sundays since the 1965 assassination of Malcolm X. In addition to people picnicking, sunbathing, and playing lawn games, there are often groups of jugglers, gymnasts, sword twirlers, and other activities.
The fountains
The park is several blocks in length, divided between an upper plaza and a lower area, following the hilly terrain along 16th Street. The cascading fountain of the lower area has been working only occasionally in recent memory, and we hope that the restoration brings it back to its former glory.
Fountain working in 2009
Fountain not working in 2008
We’ve previously written about the Drum Circle at the park – see articles from 2021 and 2025