Washington Monument Grounds at Sylvan Theater
Sylvan Theater
A new vision for the future of the Washington Monument Grounds
The National Sylvan Theater — often simply the Sylvan Theater — is a public theater on the grounds of the Washington MonumentThe Sylvan Theater was the first federally funded theater in the United States. The modest stage hosts 10,000 spectators who come to the Mall to enjoy more than 100 events hosted here each year. These cultural gatherings include plays, classical music, and ceremonies. The first performance at the Sylvan Theatre on the Washington Monument grounds took place on the evening of June 2, 1917. Artist and philanthropist Alice Pike Barney Hemmick founded the theater, believing that Washington needed a nationally supported theater and that an outdoor theater would be a good first step.
The Washington Monument Grounds at Sylvan Theater have been reimagined as part of the Trust’s national juried competition to create an elegant gateway to the Monument and surrounding memorials. WEISS/MANFREDI + OLIN co-led the design for the competition and coordinated the efforts of an exceptional, experienced team of consultants. The project reinvigorates the Monument Grounds with new landscapes of performance, clarifies the visual connections between the White House, the Washington Monument, and the Jefferson Memorial, provides new physical connections between the cultural landscape of the Mall and the Tidal Basin, and most importantly, creates a transformed setting for our nation's most visible center stage.
"Our vision for the Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument Grounds elevates the performing arts, literally and figuratively, with a new amphitheater land form shaded by a canopy of trees that affirms this site as our nation's center stage. We turn the audience's sights to both the obelisk and the arts and restore lost connections between the Mall and Tidal Basin with a sinuous land bridge." Marion Weiss and Michael Manfredi
Extending from the heart of the National Mall, a rejuvenated Sylvan Theater and Sylvan Grove will restore the tree canopy that inspired the name of the original theater nearly a century ago.
The new grove and terraced lawn will define an amphitheater, where a wide range of performances and events can be seen against the stunning backdrop of the Washington Monument. The uppermost viewing terrace, a tree lined "balcony", continues across the roadway as a pedestrian bridge that crosses traffic and descends to the water's edge, linking the Mall to the Tidal Basin. An integral part of the grove is the Sylvan Pavilion, visible from the Mall, the Metro, and 15th Street. The Pavilion provides an all-weather cafe, bookstore, and multi-use destination for residents and visitors to the Mall. A new Ranger Station and information / exhibition center on Independence Avenue frame an arrival plaza for tour groups.
The plan for the revitalized Sylvan Theater aims to create a flexible setting for performance, education, and recreation, while maintaining an ecologically friendly atmosphere that compliments its urban park setting to create a compelling new vision for the future of the Washington Monument Grounds.
To date, the project has been taken through value analysis processes, while detailed cost estimates have been developed. In addition, the project has been the recipient of two prestigious international design awards:
2015 Progressive Architecture Award — Architecture Magazine
2015 International Architecture Award — Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design; and the European Centre for Architecture, Art, Design, and Urban Studies
Project Supporters
Merrill Family Foundation