Sacred Places
Congressional Cemetery
The first of nine memorial groves for those lost on September 11.
WHERE
Washington, DC
SETTING
Neighborhood
PARTNER INSTITUTION
Congressional Cemetery
Visit
Where it is
1801 E St SE, Washington, DC 20003
What happens here
The grove is deliberately non-prescriptive, leaving each person to interpret and memorialize the loss of that day in their own way.
HOW IT CAME TO BE
It broke ground on Arbor Day.
01
The Need
Nine memorial groves were planned across the city for those who died on September 11, 2001. The grounds at Congressional Cemetery had meanwhile been through decades of tree removals and deferred plantings.
02
The Vision
Jeff Lee, principal of Lee & Associates, held that the grove should be non-prescriptive, letting each person memorialize the day their own way. At the groundbreaking Rosemary Dillard, who lost her husband at the Pentagon, spoke to the healing power of the groves, quoting Dr. Martin Luther King: when evil men burn and bomb, good men build and bind. Others who lost loved ones at the Pentagon attended alongside members of the Ward Six community, whose support the Association considered vital. Barry Goodinson of Greenspaces for DC emphasized the groves as living memorials, and Association Chair Linda Harper noted that the grove continues a tradition of memorials at Congressional running through the Arsenal Monument and the cenotaphs.
03
The Transformation
The Ward Six grove is the largest enhancement of the Congressional Cemetery grounds in over 150 years, reversing that decades-long trend. An allee of trees stretches from the Sousa memorial bench to the Barney Circle fence. At the north end stands a cross of 24 Okame cherries, followed by 17 Chinese elms in an alternating setting. At the Prout Street intersection, 16 flowering magnolias circle the Lummi healing poles. To the south, 28 hornbeam stand in tight formation, ending at a meditative space, with scattered junipers beyond and a fence line of redbuds, witch hazel, and juniper.
WHO TENDS IT
Sharon Metcalf
Firesoul, Congressional Cemetery
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HEAR FROM THE VISITORS
From the Little Yellow Journal
Cemeteries are thought of as places of death but each time I read these names, I'm reminded they stand for a life. A life of love, hope, sadness, joy, pain, hapiness, exploration, being. I leave knowing I must live before I die.
