Franklin Park, located at 14th Street and K St NW, will close for a year on July 1 and undergo an ambitious renovation.

According to Studios Architecture, one of the design teams working on the project, the transformed park will include a pavilion with public restrooms. It will also get a new tree canopy, a revitalized fountain, restorations to its soil and help with rodent infestations, a children’s play area, new lighting and furniture, and a cafe.

This project has been a long time coming: It was first proposed in 2013. Last year, the city estimated that renovations would be complete by the end of 2020. Earlier this spring, the estimate was pushed back to April 2021. Now, the city estimates the park will reopen in July of 2021.

The 200-year-old park was once the site of a spring that provided potable water to the White House. Union soldiers camped there during the Civil War. The park hosted the city’s first celebration of Emancipation Day, the day enslaved people in the District were freed from bondage.

“Over time, the park has grown a thick tree canopy which provides relief to commuters on hot days,” the city wrote in its solicitation for contractors for the renovation.

Many people experiencing homelessness also spend time in the park or sleep there, and several faith-based organizations and community groups hand out food and other supplies there. The city is encouraging people experiencing homelessness to utilize the Downtown Day Services Center by the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church. A sign in the park announcing the closure for renovations also advises people to call the Shelter Hotline to receive transportation to city shelters, though many people experiencing homelessness avoid shelters because of bedbugs and safety concerns. 

In an email to WAMU/DCist, a spokesperson for the DowntownDC BID wrote that the BID was working on migrating weekend services for people experiencing homelessness to Vermont Avenue between H and I Streets NW.

“At this location the BID will be providing tables and chairs and tents, as well as handwashing stations to providers to facilitate charitable efforts and help maintain social distancing and sanitation recommendations,” the email said.

The BID has been providing daily meal service from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the park adjacent to the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church. Limited shower, laundry, phone charging and emergency clothing are provided at the day services center by appointment only, due to the COVID-19 public health emergency.

The renovation was made possible by a new agreement between the D.C. government and the National Park Service. A federal law passed last year allowed the District to enter into “cooperative management agreements” to rehabilitate, maintain and manage land controlled by NPS.

At the time, DowntownDC BID CEO Neil Albert called the federal lands legislation a “major milestone” for D.C.

“We look forward to our future role as the District’s operation and maintenance partner for this 21st century park in the heart of the District,” said Albert.

The park’s last major makeover was in 1935, when it got new trees, a paved flagstone plaza, a symmetrical circulation system and an oval fountain thanks to a $75,000 government grant. It was renovated again in the mid-1970s as part of the Bicentennial Downtown Parks program, according to Washington Business Journal.