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Lafayette Park Security Improvements
President's Park » Lafayette Park Security Improvements
The United States Secret Service and the National Park Service (NPS) proposes to implement security and access improvements for Lafayette Park and its surrounding streets. This project would enhance long-term safety, protect park resources, strengthen the parks identity as a significant NPS landscape, and support continued public use of the nationally symbolic space.
Lafayette Park comprises an entire block bounded by H Street NW (H Street), Pennsylvania Avenue NW (Pennsylvania Avenue), Madison Place NW (Madison Place), and Jackson Place NW (Jackson Place). The approximately eight-acre parcel was included in the original design for 'Presidents Park' as indicated by Pierre Charles LEnfant in 1791. Initially an open green, the space was first designed as a park by Andrew Jackson Downing in 1851. Implementation of the design occurred over several decades during the second half of the nineteenth century. The park was enclosed by a metal picket fence from 1853 to 1889. Today, Lafayette Park is open to the public but subject to temporary closures due to security needs. The park serves as a popular location for tourism and public gatherings. Due to its proximity to the White House, it has also become a popular destination for First Amendment activities.
Changes have occurred within the park over time. Based on Downings plans, an equestrian statue of Andrew Jackson commemorating the seventh president and his military achievements was erected in the center of the park in 1853. Statues honoring European military leaders who supported the American Revolutionary cause—the Marquis de Lafayette, the Comte de Rochambeau, Baron Frederick von Steuben, and Brig. Gen. Thaddeus Kosciuszko—were added to the four corners of the park during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In 1914, the Lafayette Lodge was added to the northeastern corner of the park to provide visitor services and a place for staff to store maintenance tools and equipment. The park was redesigned during the 1930s to simplify the arrangement of paths and plantings. Additional changes were made based on the Warnecke Plan of the 1960s, including the addition of a pair of fountains marking the east-west axis within the park.
The current security measures rely on temporary barriers, such as bike-rack fencing, anti-climb barricades, and modular panels. The current piecemeal and unsightly approach cannot easily secure the park during heightened conditions and lacks a holistic framework. These measures are effective in the short term but degrade visitor experience and extend the duration of park closures due to time-consuming set-up and take-down procedures. The recurring setup of temporary security measures encumbers staff and places additional costs on operations that are not sustainable as a primary long-term strategy. Additionally, the temporary fencing contains performance gaps at joints that increase risk during busy events. Quick, safe closures of Pennsylvania Avenue are needed to enable intuitive zones of demarcation along Jackson Place for Blair House operations, and along Madison Place to contain events while preserving access to neighboring buildings.
Lafayette Park comprises an entire block bounded by H Street NW (H Street), Pennsylvania Avenue NW (Pennsylvania Avenue), Madison Place NW (Madison Place), and Jackson Place NW (Jackson Place). The approximately eight-acre parcel was included in the original design for 'Presidents Park' as indicated by Pierre Charles LEnfant in 1791. Initially an open green, the space was first designed as a park by Andrew Jackson Downing in 1851. Implementation of the design occurred over several decades during the second half of the nineteenth century. The park was enclosed by a metal picket fence from 1853 to 1889. Today, Lafayette Park is open to the public but subject to temporary closures due to security needs. The park serves as a popular location for tourism and public gatherings. Due to its proximity to the White House, it has also become a popular destination for First Amendment activities.
Changes have occurred within the park over time. Based on Downings plans, an equestrian statue of Andrew Jackson commemorating the seventh president and his military achievements was erected in the center of the park in 1853. Statues honoring European military leaders who supported the American Revolutionary cause—the Marquis de Lafayette, the Comte de Rochambeau, Baron Frederick von Steuben, and Brig. Gen. Thaddeus Kosciuszko—were added to the four corners of the park during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In 1914, the Lafayette Lodge was added to the northeastern corner of the park to provide visitor services and a place for staff to store maintenance tools and equipment. The park was redesigned during the 1930s to simplify the arrangement of paths and plantings. Additional changes were made based on the Warnecke Plan of the 1960s, including the addition of a pair of fountains marking the east-west axis within the park.
The current security measures rely on temporary barriers, such as bike-rack fencing, anti-climb barricades, and modular panels. The current piecemeal and unsightly approach cannot easily secure the park during heightened conditions and lacks a holistic framework. These measures are effective in the short term but degrade visitor experience and extend the duration of park closures due to time-consuming set-up and take-down procedures. The recurring setup of temporary security measures encumbers staff and places additional costs on operations that are not sustainable as a primary long-term strategy. Additionally, the temporary fencing contains performance gaps at joints that increase risk during busy events. Quick, safe closures of Pennsylvania Avenue are needed to enable intuitive zones of demarcation along Jackson Place for Blair House operations, and along Madison Place to contain events while preserving access to neighboring buildings.