by Peggy Robin
I have been to Meridian Hill Park more times than I can count. I think I was first there in 1967 but I can't recall whether the grand cascading fountain was working back then. I think not. It's such an impressive sight, I feel sure I would have rememberd it.
I heard on the news that the fountain, after being dry for the last seven years, had been restored and reopened. Here's the report from WTOP: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1528639238805691
Unfortunately, my only memories of the fountain are of it as a series of long, concrete steps, all dry and broken and filled only with debris.
But even without water, you could imagine how magnificent it woutd be if restored.
Now you don't need to use your imagination. The fountain in all its cascading glory reopened on May 14, 2026.
I visited today. The weather was perfect and although the park was crowded, it was still peaceful and serene. The water is loud....but the people are quietly enjoying the scene.
This is going to be one of my go-to places to show off the city to out-of-town guests....at least as long as the water keeps flowing. I wish I had a sunnier take on this, but when it comes to keeping a good thing working right, there's this little cynical voice in my head that I just can't ignore, telling me this is just too large and complex a piece of aquatic engineering to keep operating without a hitch for any length of time. So see it now, while the weather is warm....and it still works! (I have never wanted so badly to be wrong about anything.)
Here's the Park Service photo, followed by four of my own pictures.
See the whole album HERE.
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Still Life with Robin is posted on the Cleveland Park Listserv and on All Life Is Local on Saturdays.
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