Petworth Recreation Center
Petworth Recreation Center sits in a community-oriented neighborhood off of Georgia Avenue on a small urban site. The heavily used park is home to basketball courts, mini-soccer pitch, a playground, a small multi-purpose room, and a green space used for kite flying and the annual Summer Jazz Concerts on the lawn.The modernization scope included the playgrounds, basketball court, a 2,500 sf splash park, and a new shade structure for the green space. The site was designed for ADA + universal access. The team worked with Friends of Petworth Park, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and a DPR official park partner. The community organization supports recreational, cultural, and educational activities at the park, as well as assists in the maintenance and programming of events at the park.
The goal of the project was to reorganize the site and make the spaces more useable. Currently, the two- to five-year-old playground is on one side of the recreation center building, and the five- to 12-year-old playground is on the other, causing parents to have a difficult time watching all of their kids. The design revised the sightlines between the playgrounds and consolidated them in one area, and provided a buffer zone between the two playgrounds to slow kids down.
Photographs by Kristopher Ilich + ISTUDIO Architects