The Yards (Washington, D.C.)

The Yards
Logo
LocationWashington, D.C.
Address355 Water St SE, Washington, DC 20003
Coordinates38°52′25″N 77°00′04″W / 38.873531°N 77.001099°W / 38.873531; -77.001099
StatusUnder construction
Groundbreaking2007
Estimated completion2014
Opening2010
WebsiteDCYards.com
Companies
DeveloperForest City
Technical details
Size42 acres (17 ha)

The Yards is a 42-acre (17 ha) development on the Anacostia River waterfront in Washington, D.C. The area is at the center of the Capitol Riverfront Business Improvement District and was originally an annex of the Washington Navy Yard. The development is part of the larger Navy Yard neighborhood. In 2004, the U.S. General Services Administration awarded the property to Forest City Washington, Inc. for redevelopment into an area with 2,800 new residential units and 2,200,000 sq ft (200,000 m2) of office and retail space. The development is situated in the Navy Yard neighborhood, located just west of the historic Washington Navy Yard and east of Nationals Park. It is served by the Navy Yard – Ballpark station on the Green Line of the Washington Metro.

The Yards Park, Washington DC

The Navy Yard neighborhood was Washington's earliest industrial neighborhood, situated at the natural deepwater port along the Anacostia River. One of the earliest buildings was the Sugar House, built in Square 744 at the foot of New Jersey Avenue SE as a sugar refinery in 1797-98. In 1805, it became the Washington Brewery, which produced beer until it closed in 1836. The brewery site was just west of the Washington City Canal in what was, until recently, Parking Lot H/I in the block between Nationals Park and the historic DC Water pumping station. That plot now hosts an apartment building named Vela and another development under construction.[1]

The centerpiece of the development is the Yards Park, which forms a portion of the Anacostia Riverwalk. It is a waterfront recreation area, boardwalk, and outdoor performance space at the center of The Yards development. It was built as a public-private partnership between the District government, the General Services Administration, and Forest City Washington development company. The park is operated by the Capitol Riverfront BID and has won several design and urban planning awards since it opened in 2010.[2][3] Yards Park was designed by landscape architect M. Paul Friedberg.[4]

Yards Park
  • Bridge at Yards Park
    Bridge at Yards Park
  • The bridge at Yards park
    The bridge at Yards park
  • Part of the grounds and bridge at Yards park
    Part of the grounds and bridge at Yards park
  • The Yards park in August 2017
    The Yards park in August 2017
  • A decorative monolith standing along the riverwalk
    A decorative monolith standing along the riverwalk
  1. ^ Peck, Garrett (2014). Capital Beer: A Heady History of Brewing in Washington, D.C. Charleston, SC: The History Press. ISBN 978-1626194410.
  2. ^ "About the Park". The Yards Park. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
  3. ^ "History". The Yards. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
  4. ^ The Landscape Architect’s Guide to WASHINGTON, D.C. "The Yards Park". The Yards. Retrieved 14 January 2016.