Kingman Park
[4][6][9] The material dredged from the river would be used to build up the flats and turn them into dry land, eliminating the public health dangers they caused.[6] In 1901, the McMillan Commission (a body established by the United States Senate to advise the Congress and District of Columbia on ways to improve the parks, monuments, memorials, and infrastructure of the city as well as plan for urban renewal, economic growth, and expansion of the federal government) concluded that commercial land was not needed and proposed turning the reclaimed flats into parkland.[10][11] The D.C. government agreed in 1905,[12] the United States Commission of Fine Arts (a federal advisory agency with review authority over the design and aesthetics of projects within Washington, D.C.) and the Army Corps of Engineers concurred in 1914, and the National Capital Park and Planning Commission signed on (belatedly) to the park plan in 1928.[17] Noted D.C. real estate developer Charles Sager began constructing homes on the vacant land that is now Kingman Park in 1927.[2][3] Sager found that white homebuyers were not interested in living in the area, so he focused on selling homes to African Americans.[25] Young Elementary School opened on October 1, 1931, (delayed a month due to construction backlogs), and graduated its first class in January 1932.[20] Constructed adjacent to Young Elementary School, the new junior high was named for Hugh M. Browne, a Howard University professor and prominent educator.[34] The Kingman Park Civic Association sued, claiming the city's action violated the federal Voting Rights Act.[39][40][41] But protests from Kingman Park and other residents of Capitol Hill forced the District of Columbia to reduce the number of lanes on the Barney Circle Freeway to two from four.[46][47] The groups claimed that federal and city officials had covered up how much hazardous waste lay under the construction sites; that the roads and bridge would add pollution, traffic, and noise to existing neighborhoods; that construction and runoff from the roadway would pollute the Anacostia River; that the road would destroy much-needed city parkland; and that the freeway would only benefit out-of-state commuters and affluent Capitol Hill residents while harming the poorer, African American neighborhoods in Anacostia.[32][49] Residents were angered that their concerns over existing parking and traffic problems at the stadium had not been addressed, and they began lobbying city and federal officials, picketing, and protesting at public meetings.[51] In part because of the opposition of Kingman Park residents (who flooded Congress with visits and lobbying efforts), the Redskins organization was unable to obtain federal approval for the plan and moved to Maryland.[54] In Kingman Park Civic Association v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 84 F.Supp.2d 1 (D. D.C. 1999), the EPA agreed to a timetable under which all communities adjacent to the river would be forced to treat their sewage or suffer significant fines and penalties.The dispute began in 2002, when D.C. officials approved a proposal to utilize RFK Stadium's parking lots for an American Le Mans Series racing event to be held that year.Kingman Park residents were upset about the noise, smoke, and debris the fireworks would cause, as well as the possibility of fire in their neighborhood.
Neighborhood of Washington, D.C.United StatesWashington, D.C.Vincent C. GrayU.S. National Register of Historic PlacesU.S. Historic districtNortheastAnacostia ParkBrigadier GeneralDan Christie KingmanUnited States Army Corps of EngineersKingman IslandKingman LakeAnacostia RiverMarsh grasspublic healthmalariayellow fevermosquitoesAmerican lotuslily padswild riceUnited States CongressfactorieswarehousesMcMillan CommissionUnited States SenateparklandUnited States Commission of Fine ArtsNational Capital Park and Planning CommissionWhitney Young Memorial BridgeHugh M. BrowneDistrict of Columbia Public SchoolsUnited States ArmyColonelCharles E. YoungWest PointHoward UniversitySpingarn High Schoolmiddle classAfrican AmericanDeep SouthGreat MigrationWard 6 and Ward 7Voting Rights ActUnited States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia CircuitDistrict of Columbia Court of AppealsWashington MetroOrangeStadium–Armory StationInner LoopBarneytraffic circleEast Capitol StreetRobert F. Kennedy Memorial StadiumAnacostia FreewayD.C. MayorSharon Pratt KellySierra Club Legal Defense FundD.C. City CouncilWashington RedskinsfootballMarylandDistrict of Columbia Financial Control BoardUnited States Environmental Protection AgencyAmerican Le Mans SeriesJersey barriersSEED FoundationWashington NationalsbaseballSilver LinesEastern High SchoolWashington Evening StarGary, IndianaWilliam Albert WirtCastaneda, RubenRoll CallWashington TimesLoeb, Vernon.Washington PostNear NortheastLangstonCapitol HillBarney CircleNeighborhoodsAdams MorganColumbia HeightsKalorama TriangleLanier HeightsLeDroit ParkMeridian HillMount PleasantPark ViewPleasant PlainsU Street Corridor (Cardozo/Shaw)Woodley ParkBurleithChinatownDowntownDupont CircleFoggy BottomGeorgetownSheridan-KaloramaLogan CircleMount Vernon SquarePenn QuarterSouthwest Federal CenterWest EndAmerican University ParkBerkleyCathedral HeightsChevy ChaseCleveland ParkColony HillForest HillsFoxhallFriendship HeightsGlover ParkMassachusetts HeightsMcLean GardensNorth Cleveland ParkObservatory CircleThe PalisadesPotomac HeightsSpring ValleyTenleytown