the parkway is a theatre...

the roadway provides visual interest for drivers (the audience). linear greenways provide recreational value for activities like biking, boating, and running (the actors). sweeping views of the potomac, naturalistic vegetation, and presidential monuments supply the scenery.

when mapped according to character, visual programming, and river access, there is a clear gap in the parkway’s theatrical intentions: the rosslyn waterfront. it’s time to fill it. themes and character

The Parkway can be divided into three distinctly thematic sections idyllic american landscape

original visual ???

program urban and designed

1 2

1 monument 2 u.s. capitol 3 plantation 4 masonic national 3 memorial

4 5

at its inception in 1932, the original portion of the rural and parkway was known as memorial highway. it was conceived to provide visitors a worthy approach to george Naturalistic washington’s home at . this is accomplished through the design by directing the gaze of the driver to a series of views highlighting important aspects of the first president’s life. while the subjects of these scenes do not tell washington’s story with any degree of chronology, they indicate the places he frequented in his daily life, and places created to memorializehim. these scenes evoke a sense of washington’s personal values, the sort of man he was, and also his importance in the context of american history.

6 5 christ church 6 7 mount vernon 8 fort washington

7 8 recreational river access a goal of the original design was to provide recreational access along the potomac river. large swaths of land, once home to a railway and grazing cattle, were transformed into lush vegetated escapes where locals and visitors alike found refuge from the bustling urban core of the nation’s capital. today, the parkway continues this tradition of river access for biking, boating, picnicking and strolling. this access, however, is found only along the southern portion from theodore roosevelt island to the terminus at mount vernon. river access along the northern portion legend is limited to views of the river gorge from atop the palisades.

views honoring george washington rosslyn waterfront

points of river access alternating view sequence between original parkway segment us capitol and thematic sections current extent of parkway dc boundary

sources: Kelsch, Paul (2011): Cultivating modernity , history , and nature, Studies in the History of Gardens & Designed Landscapes, 31:4, 294-310 Kelsch, Paul (2014): A Tale of Two Views: The Mount Vernon Memorial Highway and the Invention of the Potomac River Landscape. Unpublished draft.

PROJECT TITLE: TECH PROJECT DESCRIPTION: ARLINGTON COUNTY WAAC, SPRING 2016 This project proposes a landscape theatre in which the roles of audience and actor are continually alternating between people within the ROSSLYN WATERFRONT Rosslyn Waterfront: park and people in cars driving the elevated roadway. The terraced rill links Rosslyn to the Potomac and provides intimate spaces within each recessed basin. Elevating the Parkway adds an interesting vertical dimension for those on the ground but it also provides a dramatic DESIGN STUDIO Landscape as Theatre Lauren H. Arledge approach to the Key bridge which is hidden from view until drivers crest the peak of the overpass traveling North. Paul Kelsch and Jodi La Coe n. lynn st.

foot path

gwmp exit ramp

I-66 on ramp

I-66

I-66 off ramp

fountain & urban rill

40 ada route 38 38 38

bike trail 36 34 34 34 populus tremuloides michx. 40 32 30 32 30 30

28 50 26 26 28 26

24 22 24 22 22 elevated gwmp roadway

5 a-side soccer 20

40 elevated gwmp roadway

16 14 14 basketball 12 splash pad/ fishing/food boat warf 6 10 20

8

6

6 parking lot tucked under overpass potomac river 4

roosevelt 2 island parking

0 40’ 80’ 1 inch = 40 feet

a. terraced fields

elevated parkway five-a-side soccer existing edge spectator seating buffer wall (lower wall bike trail retaining wall has built in screen) parking basketball court bike trail

rosslyn dc

0 20’ 40’ 1 inch = 20 feet

PROJECT TITLE: VIRGINIA TECH PROJECT DESCRIPTION: ARLINGTON COUNTY WAAC, SPRING 2016 This project proposes a landscape theatre in which the roles of audience and actor are continually alternating between people within the ROSSLYN WATERFRONT Rosslyn Waterfront: park and people in cars driving the elevated roadway. The terraced rill links Rosslyn to the Potomac and provides intimate spaces within each recessed basin. Elevating the Parkway adds an interesting vertical dimension for those on the ground but it also provides a dramatic DESIGN STUDIO Landscape as Theatre Lauren H. Arledge approach to the Key bridge which is hidden from view until drivers crest the peak of the overpass traveling North. Paul Kelsch and Jodi La Coe b. terraced basins existing thicket

elevated parkway infinity edge fountain

glass barrier splash pad/ structured terraces fishing platform/ food boat warf

slot filtration and urban rill drain treatment recycled city water

potomac river

rosslyn dc

0 20’ 40’ 1 inch = 20 feet

PROJECT TITLE: VIRGINIA TECH PROJECT DESCRIPTION: ARLINGTON COUNTY WAAC, SPRING 2016 This project proposes a landscape theatre in which the roles of audience and actor are continually alternating between people within the ROSSLYN WATERFRONT Rosslyn Waterfront: park and people in cars driving the elevated roadway. The terraced rill links Rosslyn to the Potomac and provides intimate spaces within each recessed basin. Elevating the Parkway adds an interesting vertical dimension for those on the ground but it also provides a dramatic DESIGN STUDIO Landscape as Theatre Lauren H. Arledge approach to the Key bridge which is hidden from view until drivers crest the peak of the overpass traveling North. Paul Kelsch and Jodi La Coe