Green Space
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Sustaining the City

Green Space, also, Sustaining the City. McMillan Sand Filtration Plant. , Green Space , The McMillan Reservoir and Sand Filtration Plant provided city residents with both clean water and green space. Between 1908 and 1913, landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. created a park on site that included a tree-lined walk around the sand beds. , The park closed to the public during World War II to prevent tampering with the city's water supply. Over time, the facilities were dismantled and plantings removed, erasing an important public amenity. Today's Reservoir Park, completed in 2024, honors Olmsted's original vision with open space, a recreational center, and a walking path., [Caption:] , A drawing of McMillan Reservoir (labeled with its original name) and Sand Filtration Plant showcases Olmstead's design for the park (A) and walkway (B). Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. ran the design studio with his brother, John, carrying on the work of their father, who designed Central Park in New York City. , The granite-and-bronze fountain that graces Reservoir Park today was originally located on the west side of 1st Street., Sustaining the City , This site was once a marvel of engineering, a plant that produced clean drinking water for Washington, DC. The water traveled nearly 20 miles from the Potomac River through pipes and tunnels to get to the McMillan Reservoir. From there, the water entered 29 underground chambers, where layers of sand filtered out germs and dirt., The McMillan Plant opened in 1905, treating some 75 million gallons of water each day. The facility eliminated city-wide outbreaks of water-borne diseases like malaria and typhoid., [Captions:] , The 92-acre McMillan Reservoir and Sand Filtration Plant shown here in 1920, received designation as a historic district in 1991. In 2021, construction began on the mix 25-acre neighborhood that you're visiting today., The site's name honors James McMillan Republican Senator from Michigan who chaired a landmark study of Washington, DC. Published in 1902, the "McMillan Plan” provided a new vision for the National Mall and the city's parks.