The Rosslyn Business Improvement District is seeking to bolster its neighborhood’s public amenities with a new pop-up park that opened yesterday (Wednesday).
NOW, which the Rosslyn BID installed, is a new half-acre public park located around a pair of offices at 1401 Wilson Blvd and 1400 Key Blvd. Slated for eventual redevelopment, the revamped site includes urban gardens, a terraced event space and “pet relief area.”
The park’s design was informed by a neighborhood placemaking audit that “revealed a need for additional pet relief areas in this section of Rosslyn,” according to BID President Mary-Claire Burick.
“[It also] showed overwhelming community support for additional parks, gathering spaces and public amenities,” she said. “As such, our team responded to these community needs with this pop-up park.”
A Fall Fest happening Saturday, Oct. 4 is expected to be the first of “a number of community events” at the new park. Last year, Fall Fest took place at Gateway Park, a frequent event venue which is expected to undergo major renovations in 2027.
Burick said Gateway Park is still “a central anchor” for the neighborhood — but the BID is beginning to prepare for its absence.
“For now, we’re already testing various locations within the neighborhood for activities that traditionally take place in Gateway Park,” Burick said. “Events like Rosslyn Cinema and Rosslyn Rocks were held at Central Place Plaza this summer specifically to test new locations.”
With these changes on the horizon, the renovated NOW park represents “innovation, connection, and possibility,” Burick added.
“We’re thrilled to create a vibrant and unique place that not only fills a gap during redevelopment but also reflects the community’s voice,” Burick said. “With gathering areas, urban gardens, and a pet zone, it invites everyone to experience Rosslyn in new ways right NOW.”
The new park is designed with three distinct “zones,” each designated for different purposes.
- A “Gather Zone” at Wilson Blvd and N. Nash Street offers seating and shade for events and concerts, with Adirondack chairs and bistro-style table sets.
- A “Grow Zone” along N. Nash Street is an urban garden with native plants, pollinator beds, rain barrels and greenhouses with six garden plots.
- A “Paws Zone,” located between the two office buildings, is a designated relief area for dogs.
The Rosslyn BID invested $150,000 into the renovations and received a sponsorship from Nestle — headquartered a block away at 1812 N. Moore Street — for the Grow Zone, which will grow food for donation through a partnership with Friends of Urban Agriculture.
Ground floor retail sites remain shuttered at the office buildings, as the address has been the site of shifting redevelopment plans for over a decade. It is currently zoned to become a 32-story residential tower and a 29-story office tower.
The site’s historic garage is where Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward met FBI Watergate scandal informant Mark Felt, also known as “Deep Throat,” ahead of President Richard Nixon’s 1974 resignation.
The new park “will remain open until Monday Properties begins redevelopment of the space,” according to the Rosslyn BID. The organization could not share a timeframe for the forthcoming redevelopment.
