Southwest Duck Pond

Washington is a city known for monumental green spaces like the National Mall, vast nature preserves like Rock Creek Park, and stately landscapes like Dupont Circle. Given this world-class competition, it’s easy to understand how one of the District’s most intimate and serene neighborhood parks could fly under the radar of the vast majority of city residents.

In the early 1950s, the federal government employed a number of architects and planners to redesign the neighborhood. Nearly every structure was razed with a few exceptions and replaced with the modulated mixed density neighborhood we see today.

Rather than the bland public housing architecture that stands front of mind in cities across the country, Southwest D.C. got four towers designed by famed architect I.M. Pei.  Other important architects like Chlothiel Woodard Smith designed landmark buildings. Green space was an important part of the design. Included was well-trafficked recreation areas: a soccer field, baseball field, public pool, playgrounds, and picnic areas. The most unique, however, is the leafy fountain at I Street and 6th Street SW. Originally known as a part of the “Town Center Parks,” at some point, it acquired the unofficial moniker “Southwest Duck Pond” among locals, and the name has stuck.

The Duck Pond opened in 1972 and was designed by the landscape architecture firm Wallace McHarg Roberts & Todd. The center point of the quiet park is a water feature that somewhat resembles the “command” button on a Mac keyboard from a bird’s eye view perspective. Three gazebo-seized peninsulas jut out into the water, each providing space for intimate clusters of two or three lounge chairs.

The park is essentially a dense collection of private bubbles, with a dozen or so seating clusters located far enough away from each other for privacy, but close enough for a pleasant people-watching experience. The Duck Pond is a small square with just 480 feet to each side, but the canopy of shade trees makes it feel like a vast green living room.

The Southwest Duck Pond is beloved by locals, many of whom have spent the last decade volunteering to repair the fountain plumbing and vegetation. If this is your first time visiting, it will likely feel as though you’ve stumbled upon a secret garden. Make sure to bring along a book to make the most of the experience.