NoMa Parks Foundation to Open Swampoodle Park on November 17

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NoMa Parks Foundation to Open Swampoodle Park on November 17

8,000-Square-Foot Space at 3rd and L Streets NE, the Neighborhood’s First New Park, Combines a Dedicated Dog Area, a Play Structure for Children, and Public Seating

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Calling all kids and their canine friends! The NoMa Parks Foundation will celebrate the completion of Swampoodle Park with an inaugural Wallholla climb and dog procession on the morning of Saturday, November 17, at 11:00 a.m. Located at the intersection of 3rd and L streets NE, the 8,000-plus-square-foot park — previously a vacant lot for which condominiums were once planned — offers a play structure for children, a dedicated space for dogs, and public seating, as well as trees and other plantings. Swampoodle Park was designed by District landscape architecture firm Lee and Associates, with substantial input from the NoMa community provided through multiple public meetings and surveys. (more…)

For Immediate Release
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NoMa Parks Foundation Opens Rain Installation in M Street NE Underpass

4,000 LED-powered light rods that evoke the sensation of falling rain will glow 24 hours a day and pulse in response to traffic flow beneath the elevated railway.

OCTOBER 25, 2018 / WASHINGTON, D.C.  — The NoMa Parks Foundation turned on the power today for Rain, a dynamic light installation in the M Street NE railway underpass. Comprising 4,000 LED-powered polycarbonate rods suspended above the underpass sidewalks, the artwork will illuminate the space 24 hours a day and pulse like gentle waves of rainfall in response to the flow of vehicular traffic beneath the elevated tracks. Rain is the first of the NoMa Parks Foundation’s four planned underpass “art parks” to open and was designed by Thurlow Small Architecture of Oakland, California, working in conjunction with Dutch firm NIO architecten in response to an international competition held by the Foundation. (more…)

The NoMa Parks Foundation is ready to officially turn on the 4,000 light rods hung in the M Street NE underpass on Thursday evening. Rain, designed by Thurlow Small Architecture + NIO architects, includes LED light rods hung from the ceiling of the underpass in a series of vaults. The lights will stay on around the clock and will respond to activity in the underpass. Read more.

The NoMa Parks Foundation recently acquired a parcel at Third and L Streets, NE that will be developed into NoMa’s first park. The acquisition adds to the great community amenities in NoMa and makes good on the promise of beautiful public spaces for the neighborhood. The lot is the first acquisition for the NoMa Parks Foundation and will enable the creation of a roughly 8,000 square foot park. The land is titled to the District of Columbia government.

Residents, workers and visitors to NoMa will all be able to enjoy a thoughtfully designed system of parks and public spaces as envisioned based on input from residents and stakeholders. Other parks projects include the NoMa Meander, a four block long pedestrian promenade unique in the District; Underpass Art Parks to beautify and create delightful connections between the areas east and west of the train tracks; and NoMa Green, a two acre space intended to serve as the “backyard” for the neighborhood. NoMa, with its free outdoor Wi-Fi, beautiful streets, incredible transit assets, great retail and pop-ups and parks underway provides the experiences and environment that people want in a 21st century mixed-use neighborhood.

“We’re excited to have the first of several acquisitions under our belt,” said Robin-Eve Jasper, president of the NoMa Business Improvement District. “The addition of public park space is an integral component in our efforts to transform the neighborhood and buying this land for the neighborhood is another milestone in creating this smart urban environment for people in NoMa.”

The NoMa Parks Foundation invites community members and park enthusiasts to the second NoMa Parks Community Conversation to discuss plans for NoMa Parks and public spaces. This community meeting will take place on November 19, 2015 at 6:30 pm at the Hilton Garden Inn located at 1225 First Street, NE. Representatives from D.C.’s Department of Parks and Recreation and other government partners will attend. A community meeting to discuss the Third and L Street, NE lot will be held soon thereafter. For more information and to RSVP for the November 19th Community Conversation, please visit nomaparks.org.