Meridian Hill Park: Malcolm X Park

Meridian Hill Park is a beauty within Washington, D.C., a neighborhood park set upon a hill up 16th Street in Columbia Heights. Also known as Malcolm X Park, Meridian Hill Park has seen its fair share of history, changes in the neighborhood and growth of Washington's more “real” city away from the politics and transitional characters.

Meridian Hill Park was designed as part of John Porter's mansion property in 1819, then became part of the original George Washington University campus, then became renovated into the urban park it is today in 1914. It is 12 acres and features European-style gardens. Several statues flank the park, including Joan of Arc on a horse (a copy of the one in France), a memorial to President James Buchanan sculpted by Hans Schuler, a memorial for Lt. Commander William Henry Scheutze by Jose Clara, and a statue of the Italian poet Dante Alighieri by Italian sculptor Ettore Ximenes.

There is also a 13-tiered water fountain designed in the Italian-Renaissance style that cascades from one level to the next down a hill. The park resembles more of a classic garden than a city green space, and nearby residents cherish this plot of loveliness growing in their neighborhood.

It became known as Malcolm X park in the 1960s during the riots, and has since then been referred to as that by locals. It's a sore point between the city residents, particularly the African-American population and supporters, and the city who continues to call it Meridian Hill, after its original name (it sat on the White House meridian line).

The park is quite beautiful and classic, and its location and purpose for many brings an interesting juxtaposition. By day, it is a popular place to loll an afternoon away, and by night, it's a wonderful place to find a bit of trouble, in the form of mugging, and some drugs. On Sundays in summer, drum circles begin and people come by with blankets and a beat for dancing, also an unexpected activity for a place that used to have parasol-strolling Washington elite with their gentlemen. Other people like to go for afternoon jogs and exercise in the park, bring their dogs and read a book in the sun.

Meridian Hill Park Malcolm X Park Washington DC