Sacred Places
Josephine Butler Center, in partnership with Washington Parks and People
A headquarters turned into a living museum of the greening movement.
WHERE
Washington, DC
SETTING
Neighborhood
PARTNER INSTITUTION
Washington Parks & People
Visit
Where it is
2437 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
What happens here
The Center serves as a resource centre and living museum for parks, greening movement leaders, and supporters from around the world, as well as a visitor centre and story-gathering place for Meridian Hill.
HOW IT CAME TO BE
The landscape didn't show what the place was.
01
The Need
Meridian Hill is an ancient Native American spiritual ground and the site of America's first national park for the performing arts, dramatically reclaimed from crime and violence by its community. But little about the Center's landscape suggested the full extent of that sacredness or its history of multiculturalism. Thousands of visitors came to learn Parks & People's award-winning green space revitalization principles and had no sufficient opportunity on site to see, feel, and be part of that reconnection with the land.
02
The Vision
Parks & People set out to transform its own headquarters into a Sacred Place that unites and inspires all people while serving as a visitor centre and story-gathering place for Meridian Hill — a lasting healing and learning space demonstrating how the power of land can meet a community's most urgent needs.
03
The Transformation
The site holds multiple gathering and learning places, peaceful healing and learning gardens, model natural stormwater diversion, native habitat, public art, and a contemplative space.
WHO TENDS IT
Steve Coleman
Firesoul, Josephine Butler Center, in partnership with Washington Parks and People
Read more →
HEAR FROM THE VISITORS
From the Little Yellow Journal
Happy New Year to anyone reading this in 2020! I'm feeling thankful for the golden sunlight and blue sky on this chilly, windy day! The last time I saw one of these journals was in the Congressional Cemetery in SE DC. It was such a gift to discover it and read the honest entries from all sorts of people. Sending love to you, reader, wherever you are and wherever you're from.
– Daniel
