A New Purpose for an Old Site
Reservoir Park and Recreation Center
Reservoir Park and Recreation Center
This new community amenity is the first phase of a long-envisioned redevelopment of the historic McMillan Sand Filtration Site, a 25-acre water treatment facility dating to 1905.
Through a design-build effort, Quinn Evans guided the documentation and delivery of the recreation center. This new neighborhood asset includes fitness facilities, an indoor pool, and community spaces.
The surrounding Reservoir Park provides six acres of public space and features a playground, splash pads, an amphitheater, and a restored historic fountain. Visitors can peer into preserved sand bins, filtration cells, and other structures from the site’s days as a water treatment facility.
This is exceeding my expectations… It’s so beautiful. Good job, DC!
An Industrial Past
From 1905 until 1986, the McMillan site supplied Washington with clean drinking water by filtering water from the adjacent reservoir through vast underground sand beds. It retains distinctive industrial features including the filtration beds, sand storage bins, and regulator houses—many of which are now accessible to visitors.
A New Amenity
The recreation center is integrated into the site's sloping topography with a split-level design. The building's exterior features include a vegetated roof and louvered sunshade overhangs that help manage solar heat gain. Its contemporary design complements the site’s historic industrial features while providing modern amenities.
Making It Happen
Decades in the making, the park and recreation center are the result of a site master plan and design by Perkins Eastman DC and Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects. Quinn Evans served as the architect of record and preservation architect for the project.
