Pars Pro Toto (A Part for the Whole): Re-Envisioning the RFK Stadium Site

Abstract

For the last three years, D.C. United and the District of Columbia have been negotiating a site for a new stadium for their soccer club. The owners of United wanted to take a small parcel of the land now known as "Poplar Point", an undeveloped brown-field on the Southeast side of the Anacostia River. The switch from the Anthony Williams to the Adrian Fenty administration in 2007 has proven unkind for the club, which to this day is embroiled in negotiations with the City for the Poplar Point site. While following this debate in the media, I couldn't help but question why United was not pursuing a plot of land on their current site. The club now plays in RFK Stadium, a venue ill-equipped for the sport that costs the club millions of dollars a year because they cannot fill its stands. The site, however, is located on axis with the Capitol, the Washington Monument, and the Lincoln Memorial. My initial research brought me to France in the 18th century.