Existing comment:
Design Challenges
-- Meridian Hill Park, National Historic Landmark --
Limited funds and dramatic change in elevation at the Meridian Hill Park site -- falling 75 feet from north to south -- challenged the Commission of Fine Arts and their designers. The 16th Street edge required massive retaining walls to transition from the upper park to the sidewalk at street level.
Budget constraints meant the designers could not specify natural stone for the desired Renaissance forms. To find a solution, the park's architect in charge, Horace Peaslee, turned to the Earley Studio in Arlington Virginia, renowned for its artistry and craftsmanship.
"For John Earley, Meridian Hill Park was the beginning of an involvement with concrete that was to last nearly thirty years. Eventually, he became the world's foremost expert on the practical aspects of concrete making, and under his direction the Earley Studio executed works of such unusual complexity and beauty that they have never been equalled. "
-- Frederick Cron, historian
For more information go to: www.nps.gov/mehi |