DC Recreation Center fosters community

The 19,500-square-foot Reservoir Park Community Center is the centerpiece of the McMillan Community Redevelopment, a transformative urban revitalization initiative at the historic McMillan Sand Filtration Site in Washington, DC’s Ward 5. The mixed-use development aims to transform a 25-acre brownfield site into a 25-acre brownfield site. acres in an early vibrant and adaptable public utility site. Industrial architecture of the 20th century.

Repurposed existing structures include historic filtration towers, silos and regulation houses, which can be used in the future for commercial spaces and art installations. The development aims to celebrate the history and legacy of the site while introducing modern amenities that support community wellbeing and walkability. The new center features an indoor pool, an outdoor sprayground, a children’s playground, fitness facilities, multipurpose spaces and outdoor fitness stations.

Although much of the site appeared to be vacant land at street level, below grade, the team found a series of concrete vaults up to 14 feet deep containing sand and pipes.

“What looked like just an open field from the top got pretty complicated once you went underground,” says Juliann Reazor, project manager for Gilbane Building Company. “What we had to work with was largely unreinforced 100-year-old concrete structures.”

Community center fitness facilities provide essential resources to promote health and wellness in the reservoir district.
Photo by Haley Johnston, courtesy of Gilbane Building

In balancing historic preservation, sustainability goals, and community needs, the team faced some formidable preservation and technical challenges. Early analyzes of the site revealed that a stream originally ran through the site, even under the area designated for the new community center. Significant parts contained fill material and many of the structures showed signs of failure.

The team initially considered using traditional auger cast piles as the center’s foundation system. However, the site’s poor soil conditions made traditional foundations unfeasible, so the team used controlled-modulus columns. The soil improvements densified the in-situ soils to support less intensive foundations, directly addressing the poor soil conditions of the site. The concept allowed for lighter and more efficient foundation systems, reducing both cost and construction time.

“We focused on what the community wanted from this site and what they thought could revitalize the area.”

—Juliann Reazor, Project Manager, Gilbane Building Co.

“We took several months off the calendar that would have been needed to complete the auger casting stacks,” Reazor added. “It also reduced the depth we had to go down. So all of those factors combined resulted in a net cost savings.”

For the indoor pool, ground instability and limited space led to a “pool-in-a-box” design, a concrete structure that provided essential lateral support without relying on conventional methods.

For a structurally compromised historic filter cell structure, the team executed selective demolition and used polyurethane floor densification techniques, with a post-tensioned slab installed to create a “sandwich” effect. The approach preserves the cell’s historic integrity while ensuring structural safety. Other structures were stabilized and adapted for modern use through close coordination with preservation consultants, ensuring that the site’s architectural legacy was honored while responding to contemporary needs.

The completed project design incorporates the site’s natural topography through a two-level recreation center with sustainable features including a vegetated roof, louvered sunshades and native plantings. Sustainability was central to the design. Permeable pavement throughout the site reduces stormwater runoff, while promoting natural groundwater recharge, directly addressing urban water management challenges. Strategically placed bioretention ponds capture stormwater to help filter and manage site drainage. The project’s water management features also create educational opportunities about conservation and natural systems, while echoing the site’s original historic purpose as part of the McMillan Sand Seepage Site. Rain gardens complement the systems by providing additional stormwater treatment and habitat creation.

The project promotes low-carbon mobility through infrastructure that supports electric vehicle charging stations and a proposed DDOT Capital Bikeshare station.

The team exceeded the project’s LEED Silver certification goal by achieving LEED Gold. It also contributed to a LEED Gold goal for broader neighborhood development through thoughtful site planning and community integration.

The project also included the restoration of the perimeter trail “Olmsted Walk,” a concrete path that was originally designed by Frederick Law Olmsted as part of the publicly accessible portion of the site. “We found remnants of the existing boardwalk when we started excavating for the job,” says Reazor. “A lot of the parts were broken. We were able to use the parts we found, clean them up and work very closely with our trade contractors to develop the specifications for the mix design. We tried to get [the mix] as close as possible and emulate the same color, texture and aggregates”.

Working under a design-build delivery method, Reazor says the team was able to collaborate and find solutions to multiple challenges throughout the project. “Being able to have this collaborative process with our design team throughout the life of the project was paramount to getting this work done on time,” he adds. “We also fostered great collaboration with our business partners. We found the right people at the table to be able to help guide us through what solutions were out there and what would best fit the parameters of the project.”

The $85 million project was completed ahead of schedule and on budget.