Last updated: February 14, 2021
Place
Information Panel: Design Challenges
NPS Photo/ R. Maher
Quick Facts
Location:
Meridian Hill Park
Amenities
1 listed
Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits
Design Challenges
Limited funds and the dramatic change in elevation at the Meridian Hill Park site--falling 75 feet from north to south--challenged the Commission of Fine Arts and their designers. The 16th Street edge required massive retaining walls to transition from the upper park to the sidewalk at street level.
Budget constraints meant the designers could not specify natural stone for the desired Renaissance forms. To find a solution, the park's architect in charge, Horace Peaslee, turned to the Earley Studio in Arlington, Virginia, renowned for its artistry and craftsmanship
"For John Earley, Meridian Hill Park was the beginning of an involvement with concrete that was to last nearly thirty years. Eventually, he became the world's foremost expert on the practical aspects of concrete making, and under his direction the Earley Studio executed works of such unusual complexity and beauty that they have never been equalled."--Frederick Cron, historian
Limited funds and the dramatic change in elevation at the Meridian Hill Park site--falling 75 feet from north to south--challenged the Commission of Fine Arts and their designers. The 16th Street edge required massive retaining walls to transition from the upper park to the sidewalk at street level.
Budget constraints meant the designers could not specify natural stone for the desired Renaissance forms. To find a solution, the park's architect in charge, Horace Peaslee, turned to the Earley Studio in Arlington, Virginia, renowned for its artistry and craftsmanship
"For John Earley, Meridian Hill Park was the beginning of an involvement with concrete that was to last nearly thirty years. Eventually, he became the world's foremost expert on the practical aspects of concrete making, and under his direction the Earley Studio executed works of such unusual complexity and beauty that they have never been equalled."--Frederick Cron, historian