September 2010 - Parks & Recreation - 43

The transformation of

Marvin Gaye Park

d T
ty

one year later

he park appears serene and welcoming, even in the ex-

Photography by Sam Kittner

treme heat. On the playground, a handful of children are
pushing each other on swings-in the age-old challenge to
see who can go the highest. Scattered trees offer shade to the young
and old who have congregated on the grass and on random park
benches. Just beyond the playground, a stream runs peacefully.

But this is no ordinary day at the park.
It is July 23, and the " East of the River " community of Ward Seven in Washington, D.C., has gathered in Marvin
Gaye Park for a special celebration of
the relationships of its residents with
the park and the surrounding neighborhoods. The centerpiece of the lateafternoon ceremony is a photography
exhibit, Our Eyes East. Throughout
the park, photos a nd essays ador n
the trees. In one photo, a woman and
a young girl are eating together on a
blanket. " This picture is great, because
two people, a mom and a daughter, are
coming back to the park and picnicking
like it used to be, " writes its photographer 10-year old Erin Bryant. " There
were many changes that day, because
someone was brave enough to have a
picnic in the park. "
How much difference even a year
can make in the life of a community. Just
over a year ago, the National Recreation
and Park Association launched Parks
Build Community, a national initiative to
draw attention to the core functions that
parks play in revitalizing America's underserved urban areas. NRPA collaborated with Washington Parks & People,

George Mason University, and the Washington, D.C., Department of Parks and
Recreation to build a playground in Marvin Gaye Park in a pioneering effort to
improve the health and wellness of the
local youth population.
Prior to Parks Build Community, WPP
and residents of northeast Washington
had mobilized to successfully implement a 10-year-plus revitalization effort
that included a massive, five-year cleanup, restoration of a trail, construction of
an amphitheatre, and establishment of
community programs and job--training
opportunities for young people and
adults. On this hot summer day in July,
one year after the playground rebuild
and a decade after the revitalization, the
community has gathered to celebrate the
revitalization of a park and a community.

Looking Back to Look Forward
Watts Branch Park began with good intentions, much care, and plenty of use.
Created in the 1870s during the subdivision of this northeast section of Washington, D.C. the park includes Watts
Branch, a stream flowing into the nearby Anacostia River and then into the Potomac. A broad community of distinct

www . N R P A . O R G

SEPTEMBER 2010

Right and above:
For more than
30 years, there
has been no
playground within
a mile of this
Washington, D.C.
neighborhood of
600 families. That
changed with the
creation of the
Playground at
Marvin Gaye Park.

Parks & Recreation

September 2010 - Parks & Recreation

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