A history
A peninsula made by hand, kept by the public.
East Potomac Park didn't always exist. It was dredged into being more than a century ago — and from day one it was meant to belong to all of us.
For over 100 years, East Potomac Park has been a place where DC met itself. Embassies and apartment dwellers, kids on first bike rides and elders on slow walks, runners on Hains Point loops and families grilling on Sunday afternoons. It is the rare public space that actually delivers on the word public.
- 1882
Born from the river
The Army Corps of Engineers begins dredging the Potomac to clear shipping channels and prevent flooding. The displaced sediment is used to create what will become East Potomac Park — quite literally built up from the riverbed.
- 1912
Cherry trees arrive
Japan's gift of cherry trees to the United States brings hundreds of blossoms to East Potomac Park's shoreline, where they still bloom every spring along Ohio Drive.
- 1917
A park for the people
East Potomac Park officially opens to the public, designed as a recreation space for everyone — picnic groves, walking paths, and open lawns.
- 1920s
Public golf opens
An affordable public golf course, driving range, and miniature golf open on the peninsula — all designed as accessible, low-cost amenities for DC residents.
- 1936
The pool and field house
The East Potomac Park swimming pool and field house open, anchoring the peninsula as a year-round recreation hub for DC families for decades. The pool is no longer in operation today.
- 1965
Listed on the National Register
East and West Potomac Parks are recognized as nationally significant historic landscapes, protected for their public-park character and L'Enfant-era civic design.
- 1999
Hains Point loop becomes a DC ritual
The flat, car-light loop around the peninsula cements itself as one of the most-used running, biking, and walking routes in the city.
- 2020
National Links Trust takes over
A nonprofit assumes operation of DC's three public golf courses, including East Potomac, with a stated mission of keeping public golf affordable and accessible.
- Today
A beloved DC space
Over a century later, East Po remains a place for runners, families, fishers, golfers, and picnickers from every corner of the city.
- 2025
A new proposal
A federal redevelopment proposal would significantly reshape the peninsula, raising questions about the future of the park's affordable public amenities and open shoreline access.