The Park at LeDroit was built on the site of the Gage-Eckington School. The school, built in the 1970s, was itself built over streets, houses and apartment buildings.

At the time, 3rd Street extended north of Elm Street and dead-ended just before reaching V Street. Oakdale Place extended eastward from its current terminus at the park to dead-end at what is now the eastern boundary of the park.

Two apartment buildings on the site, the Linden and the Harewood were named after local streets. Before the city changed the neighborhood’s street names, 3rd Street was Harewood Avenue and 4th Street was Linden Street.

We found this 1901 description of the apartments. What’s most notable is that the apartments are marketed to black Washingtonians and thus reflects the neighborhood’s turn-of-the-century transition from a white neighborhood to a black neighborhood.

THE LINDEN AND HAREWOOD FLATS
Le Droit Park—Corner of Harewood and Oak Streets.
The Colored American
January 5, 1901

Mr. Banes the the real estate dealer has erected two of the most modern flats in Washington situated in Le Droit Park. The situation of these flats is an ideal one, on Third street, two doors from the Fourt street car line. The finish of the flats is elegant, and they have a preposessing appearance. They are three stories high, and each floor has three flats of four rooms each and bath. The whole flat is heated by steam, thus saving the necessary expense of buying fuel. Each flat has a parlor, dinning [sic] room, bed room, kitchen, and bath room and private hall rooms, and halls are heated by steam. The kitchens have a modern gas range, hot and cold water, cupboards, pantry attachment. These flats are no doubt, the best in the city. Persons having a large family can easily rent two adjoining flats saving the enormous rent of an entire house. They are thoroughly and artistically finished. The walls are papered and frescoed, and glasses of a large size, supported by a modern mantel piece are in each parlor. Le Droit Park has become a pleasant part of Washington in which to reside and these beautiful flats are a happy addition to the residences there. Mr. Banes has spared no pains in making these flats comfortable and inviting and already applications are being made for retals thereof. Colored people with first class reference who desire a beautiful part of the city in which to live, and at the same time occupy comfortable and improved apartments without renting a whole house, and paying high rent, can find a happy medium in these flats. The terms are easy. The buildings are open daily for inspection. For further information call at the office of Mr. Charles E. Banes, corner of 14th and G sts. n. w.

It’s official. At its legislative session on Tuesday, the DC Council officially named our new park the Park at LeDroit.

Here is a short video of the bill’s passage:

While strolling around our new park, you might have noticed this landscaped depression near the mural.

This is a rain garden.  The storm drains within the park empty into this garden so the ground has an opportunity to absorb rainwater.  Obviously there’s a limit to what the ground can absorb in a downpour, so the grate at the bottom of the photo carries the overflow into the sewers.

Under each street in areas of the city built before 1900 is a single pipe that carries both sewage and storm water. The problem with this combined system is that heavy rain storms force the combined system to overflow at 53 discharge points into Rock Creek, the Potomac, and the Anacostia.

Building these rain gardens helps alleviate the pressure on the sewer system during storms and thus helps protect the water quality of our rivers.

Last Friday the fences came down and the new Park at LeDroit finally opened.

DCPS closed Gage-Eckington Elementary School in 2008 and the process began to transform the site into something other than a vacant building. Now, three years later, the park is open.

Though the playground, garden plots, and walking paths are open, please stay off the fenced-off field so the grass can take root.  The dog park is expected to open in the coming days.

Mayor Gray will attend the official dedication on Friday at 12:30.

Though nearing completion, the new Park at LeDroit’s opening has been delayed until late next next week. The city has identified drainage problems that the contractor will have to mitigate before the site is ready to open. The opening of the dog park section will also be delayed until the park opens.

Please remember to keep off the park grounds until the park is open.

The new Park at LeDroit is nearing completion, but the dog park section needs your help.

The District builds dog parks on the condition that community groups maintain and take responsibility for them. For our park, the Friends of Bloomingdale/LeDroit Park Dogs is the neighbor-initiated non-profit steward.

The group is hosting an information session and fundraiser on Sunday, May 8 from 4 pm to 6 pm at Bloomingdale’s Rustik Tavern at the intersection of Rhode Island Ave NW, T St NW, and 1st St NW.

Email bloomingdale.ledroitdoggroup@gmail.com with any questions you may have.

The Park at LeDroit is nearing completion. The tentative opening date is Monday, May 9.

Until then, be sure to keep your little ones out of the park since the equipment, though tempting even for 26-year-old bloggers, may not have been inspected for safety and suitability for public use.

Howard University will present details of its draft campus plan at Tuesday’s meeting of the LeDroit Park Civic Association. The university is required to submit a plan every ten years and the university is currently finishing its draft that it will submit to the Zoning Commission in the coming months. This is your chance to learn about the future of Slowe Hall and Diggs Hall, as well as future dorms on 4th Street and buildings along Georgia Avenue.

Tuesday, April 26 at 7pm in the basement of the Florida Avenue Baptist Church, 623 Florida Ave (enter on U street)

Also on the agenda:

• Park update— it’s nearly finished!
• Vote to support the liquor license application of Shaw’s Tavern
• Nominating committee for the coming civic association elections

All neighbors are encouraged to attend.

Howard University wants to add 1,300 beds on 4th Street, a new restaurant is coming to 6th St and Florida Avenue, the neighborhood watch seeks your input, and the conclusion of park construction are all agenda items at tonight’s Civic Association meeting.

The meeting is open to the public and all neighbors are encouraged to attend.

Tuesday, March 22 at 7 pm
Basement of the Florida Avenue Baptist Church
(enter on U Street)

The civic association will also take open comments from neighbors who wish bring up anything of neighborhood concern.

We reported earlier that the LeDroit Park Civic Association voted to request that the city christen our new park The Park at LeDroit.  In December our councilmember, Jim Graham (D – Ward 1), introduced a bill to make it official.  The bill went nowhere and since the council session ended just a few weeks later, the bill had to be reintroduced per council rules.

The Committee of the Whole will eventually hold a hearing and vote on the naming bill.  Since the name is not controversial we expect it to pass easily, especially since the name has the imprimatur of the LeDroit Park Civic Association.

We hope the bill passes in time for the park opening in April.