Franklin Park (Washington, DC)

Franklin Park reopened in 2021 after an extensive renovation.

NPS / Nathan Adams

Quick Facts

Location:

Washington, DC

Amenities

1 listed

Playground

The five-acre Franklin Park is among the largest squares Washington, DC, and therefore provides a unique opportunity to serve the community and enhance urban living. Situated between 13th and 14th Streets and I and K Streets NW, Franklin Park is commonly used by office workers to get some fresh air during the work day, but it has long served as a place to gather, relax, and to see and be seen.

This land was set aside by Congress in 1832 to protect the fresh spring or springs on the site that were used to supply water to the White House, several blocks to the southwest, and other federal buildings. Franklin Park supplied the water for all American presidents in the White House from Andrew Jackson through William McKinley. The park was originally known as Fountain Park when it was set aside in 1819.

Throughout the Civil War, Union troops camped in Franklin Park. A long-delayed project to renew the landscaping in the park began following the war. By 1866, a lush Victorian garden landscape had been “laid out by the public gardener” following a plan drawn up by Col. Benjamin B. French, Engineer Officer of the Office of Public Buildings and Grounds. Further refinements in the 1870s and 1880s added flower beds and walkways. 

A statue honoring Commodore John Barry is on the western side of the park, where it was placed in 1914. John Barry (1745-1803), an Irish immigrant to the 13 colonies, served in the Continental Navy, attacking British shipping throughout the American Revolution. He was the first commissioned American naval officer and the first flag officer. The bronze sculpture stands on a tall marble pedestal ornamented with a female allegorical winged victory figure.

Franklin Square has a long history associated with the Black community and Black freedom and liberation movements. In 1866, it was the site of the first post-Civil War Emancipation Day celebration held by African American Washingtonians. Since then, Franklin Square has become a Black gathering place and was later used to protest discriminatory transit practices.  

Congressional legislation passed in 2019 allowing the National Park Service to co-manage Franklin Park with the District of Columbia. The legislation paved the way for a $21 million renovation of Franklin Park that improved various features in the park. The improved park re-opened in 2021 after a year-long renovation.

Want to learn more? A detailed history of Franklin Park is in the Franklin Park Cultural Landscape Inventory (2011).