The playground at the new Reservoir District. Photo: Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post via Getty Images
After years of opposition and back-and-forth, a new park and rec center has opened at the in-the-works Reservoir District.
Why it matters: It's the first part of a huge project overhauling the former McMillan Sand Filtration Site just north of Bloomingdale — one of the city's largest undeveloped plots of land that saw decades of debate about balancing historical preservation with development.
The rec center includes a community meeting room, a fitness studio with showers and lockers, a pool, and a gallery space showcasing the site's history.
The new park has a plaza with two splash pads, a playground, an amphitheater, a trail with exercise stations, and a "walking museum" dedicated to the site's past.
Elements of the former sand filtration site are incorporated throughout. Preserved silos act as a backdrop, while windows in the indoor pool peer into the underground catacombs that once held sand for filtration.
The playground pays homage to the site's roots with a sandpit, a silo-shaped slide, and a playhouse mirroring the old brick control rooms.
Zoom out: The rest of the 25-acre Reservoir District will be developed into townhomes, apartments, a grocery store, restaurants, retail, and a healthcare facility.
