BY MICHAEL NEIBAUER ASSOCIATE EDITOR, WASHINGTON BUSINESS JOURNAL
The much-needed revitalization of Franklin Park is advancing toward the bid stage.
The D.C. Department of General Services recently announced that it had awarded design and engineering contracts for the renovation of Franklin Park, the second-largest National Park Service-owned square in downtown D.C., to Studios Architecture and Land Collective. The request for proposals was issued last June.
The pair will create construction documents that will be released for bidding this winter. A groundbreaking is expected in the spring of 2019.
The 4.79-acre federally owned Franklin Park is located in the heart of downtown, on a square block bounded by K, 13th, I and 14th streets NW. The District has set aside $13.8 million — $4.8 million in fiscal 2018 and $9 million in 2019 — for the work. The Downtown Business Improvement District is expected to oversee the park once complete at a cost of about $750,000 per year.
Renovations will include a cafe, interactive fountain, widened paths, 43 new trees and a children’s playground. The concept was designed by The Olin Studio and ZGF Architects LLP.