The Ward 5 project reaches a major milestone on its way to becoming a new hub for recreation, education, wellness, and community connection.
The Ft. Lincoln Recreation and Early Childhood Education Center reached a major construction milestone on June 5, 2026, as project partners and community stakeholders gathered to celebrate the building’s topping out.
Representatives from the DC Department of General Services (DGS), DC Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR), MCN Build, and the broader project team joined Ward 5 Councilmember Zachary Parker and members of the community for the ceremonial beam signing. SK&A Project Manager James Chavin-Grant, PE, SE, CDT, attended the celebration on behalf of the firm.
Located at 3100 Fort Lincoln Drive NE, the $50.8 million project will create a new 44,000-square-foot facility combining recreation, early childhood education, wellness, and community gathering spaces under one roof. The center is being constructed on the former Thurgood Marshall Elementary School site and will help reactivate a portion of Fort Lincoln Park that has been inaccessible since 2013.
Planned amenities include a full gymnasium with DPR’s only elevated indoor walking and running track, racquetball courts, a fitness center, demonstration kitchen, multipurpose and arts and crafts rooms, a senior lounge, a teen and technology lounge, and an approximately 8,000-square-foot early childhood education center.
The project also includes extensive improvements to the surrounding park, such as new playgrounds, walking paths, pavilions, resurfaced tennis courts, outdoor fitness areas, enhanced accessibility, lighting upgrades, landscaping, and improved connections throughout the campus.
SK&A Structural Engineers is proud to serve as the structural engineer for this important community investment, with Josh Woolcock, PE, SE, LEED AP, and James Chavin-Grant, PE, SE, CDT, supporting the project. We are grateful for the opportunity to work alongside DGS, DPR, STUDIOS Architecture, MCN Build, and the full project team in bringing this long-awaited facility to the Fort Lincoln community.
Construction is expected to be completed in spring 2027.
Sources:
- DGS Marks Major Construction Milestone for Fort Lincoln Campus Improvement Project https://dgs.dc.gov/release/dgs-marks-major-construction-milestone-fort-lincoln-campus-improvement-project?
- DGS Fort Lincoln Campus Improvement Project Page https://dgs.dc.gov/page/fort-lincoln-campus-improvement-project
- Mayor Bowser Breaks Ground on New Fort Lincoln Recreation Center and Early Childhood Education Center https://dgs.dc.gov/release/mayor-bowser-breaks-ground-new-fort-lincoln-recreation-center-and-early-childhood-education?
- Image Credit:
- Group photo from Studios Architecture LinkedIn post
- Rendering from the Fort Lincoln Campus Community Meeting presentation published by the DC Department of General Services, May 16, 2024.
