What has basically disintegrated into an oversized median in Southeast D.C.’s Anacostia neighborhood is getting revived as officials broke ground on Old Market House Square Thursday afternoon.
The square, on 14th Street Southeast between U and V streets was originally built as the central square and gathering space of the neighborhood, according to the blog Anacostia Now.
The District Department of Transportation, in conjunction with the TKF Foundation of Maryland, is transforming the square into a neighborhood amenity with new lighting, benches, paths, plants and trees.
The restoration of Old Market House Square was spearheaded by a small group of church patrons, historians, community advocates, business district leaders, and long-time and new residents, the news release announcing the groundbreaking said.
“This project represents a community with no boundaries and a group of people with like hearts,” said Marie Zackrie-Hall, a community leader of the effort to restore the park.
The park was renamed John A. Logan Park in 1908, but the community has requested that it once again be known by its historic name, Old Market House Square. The $560,000 restoration is scheduled to be completed in late September, according to DDOT.
