Client, Year

STUDIOS Architecture
D.C. Department of General Services, 2023

Services

Wayfinding
Placemaking
Interpretive Graphics

Photography

Franklin Park

Creating conceptual signage for downtown D.C.’s largest greenspace

Ashton worked hand-in-hand with the National Park Service (NPS), the Downtown D.C. Business Improvement District (BID), and the Department of General Services (DGS) to help transform Franklin Park, a 200-year-old, five-acre historic square in downtown Washington, D.C., into an active, sustainable, and inclusive neighborhood resource. Ashton collaborated with STUDIOS and Land Collective to create all key signage moments for the park, defining the liminal space between the open square and the surrounding city blocks. 

Franklin Park’s restoration was important on two fronts: it returned a valuable resource to the local community, and it celebrated the historical significance of the site. In addition to serving as the site of a civil war encampment, witnessing the first light-signal transmission by Alexander G. Bell, and hosting the first city celebration of Emancipation Day, it was also once home to a spring that once provided water to the White House.

The park was reimagined to celebrate this literal and cultural wellspring. A fountain anchors the center of the park, while walking paths undulate throughout the square to mimic the flow of water. Directional signage guides visitors throughout the space.

Monument signage in the SW and NE corners to create a fluid, dimensional border between the sidewalk and the park. The letters, which sit low to the ground, appear to grow out of the plant beds, as if they sprouted up after a good rainfall.

Welcome kiosks at all corners provide visitors orientation with a straightforward park map, rules and code of conduct, and the park’s designation under the National Park Service.

A subtle detail: continuing the water inspired theme, each informational sign has a water droplet-shaped back. Their tapered sides demonstrate how the flow of water can force smooth, curved contours, even on hard surfaces. Much like tumbled stones. This also provides a deep edge surface on one side to display the park’s name when entering, and flat a tapered edge on the other side when leaving the park.

Inlaid metal letters found throughout the square serve to inspire the park’s visitors in different ways. Words embedded in the Children’s Garden’s stone stairs meet young eyes where they are most likely to look to encourage play and creativity.

Surrounding the central Fountain Plaza, poetry excerpts speak to the power of water while reinforcing the importance of the park’s legacy. Working alongside Land Collective, we typeset the excerpts that were then reverse sandblasted out of Cambrian black granite.

Signage at the pavillion provides a chance for the park’s investors and caretakers to shine. Inside, we featured the names of additional D.C. parks owned managed by the National Park Service, cementing their collective contribution towards making a greater, greener Capitol City.

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