The New Deal Around DC: East Potomac Park

(Also see my blog post on West Potomac Park here.)

Above: An entry sign to East Potomac Park, Washington, DC. Check out the Living New Deal's web page, "East Potomac Park - Washington, DC." Photo by Brent McKee, August 2018.

Above: Just inside East Potomac Park is the headquarters of the National Park Service's National Mall and Memorial Parks office. Photo by Brent McKee, August 2018.

Above: According to the National Park Service, the Civilian Conservation Corps built most of the tennis courts inside East Potomac Park, between 1938 and 1942 - specifically, the two large court areas by the main parking lot ("Civilian Conservation Corps Activities in the National Capital Region of the National Park," Historic American Buildings Survey DC-858, National Capital Parks - Central, Washington, District of Columbia, pp. 95-96). Photo by Brent McKee, August 2018.

Above: One of the CCC-built courts today (probably after numerous maintenance operations, like resurfacing). Photo by Brent McKee, August 2018.

Above: According to the HABS report (see two photo captions above), some of the fence surrounding the tennis courts--"Ones bearing decorative finals"--might be original to the CCC work. This might refer to the ornamentation on top of some of the fence posts, seen here. Photo by Brent McKee, August 2018.

Above: Could these pebblestone concrete benches by the tennis courts also date to the 1930s CCC work? It seems to me that this type of concrete was more popular in the ol' days than it is today, but I could be wrong. Photo by Brent McKee, August 2018.

Above: The golf course at East Potomac Park. According to the HABS survey, the CCC "upgraded" this golf course, including, "Four thousand feet of tile lines for surface drainage" (see pp. 86 and 95). Photo by Brent McKee, August 2018.

Above: A miniature golf course in East Potomac Park, built just prior to the New Deal. Photo by Brent McKee, August 2018.

Above: According to Washington, DC's Inventory of Historic Sites (2009), the swimming pool in East Potomac Park was built by WPA workers in 1936. Photo by Brent McKee, August 2018.

Above: Unfortunately, the WPA pool was demolished this year. In talking to some people at the golf club & refreshments area, it seems that a new pool is going to be built in time for next summer (2019). It's sad to see a historic pool demolished, but it's also important for infrastructure to be repaired or replaced when necessary. Photo by Brent McKee, August 2018.