A Gathering Place for Washingtonians

A Gathering Place for Washingtonians. Meridian Hill Park, National Historic Landmark. , Since Meridian Hill Park opened in 1936, Washingtonians from the diverse neighborhoods surrounding the park have gathered here for performances, community events, and political protest. , When tens of thousands of people flocked to Washington, D.C. in the late 1930s and 40s for federal jobs created by the New Deal and World War II, government agencies created a series of "Starlight" concerts in the park. From 1941 to 1944, Washingtonians lined the cascades and reflecting pool on summer evenings to hear classical music, including a performance by the Von Trapp Family Singers. , When Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in April 1968, Washington, D.C. erupted in riots. Both the 14th Street business corridor north and east of the park and the U Street corridor south of the park were devastated. To help heal and unify the city, the "Summer in the Parks" concert series was created. The inaugural performance was held at Meridian Hill Park, featuring Broadway and film star Pearl Bailey. Twenty-thousand people attended. , Since 1969, the park has unofficially been called "Malcolm X Park" by the local community. As the site of the memorial to President Buchanan, Meridian Hill cannot officially be named for another person., For more information go to: www.nps.gov/mehi, [photo captions, duplicated by photos 4 and 5], Concerts, dance recitals and plays were held in the park throughout the 1930s and 1940s. , National Park Service, Rock Creek Park, Cultural Resource Files, During the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, the park was the site of numerous protests, such as this march at right, on September 22, 1963, organized by the Congress of Racial Equality. The march was called to remember the children who died in the church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama, and the violence that followed. , Library of Congress Washington D.C. LC-DIG-ppmsca-01298