“The plaza also includes four wooden chess tables, four steel umpire chairs, concrete ping pong tables and a playful water feature.”

79 Potomac Avenue, SE, courtesy Dock 79

Well this is pretty great – from a press release:

“MRP Realty, developers of commercial, residential, and mixed-use real estate across the Washington Metropolitan region, and FRP Development Corporation announced today the opening of an interactive public plaza at Dock 79 in the Capitol Riverfront neighborhood. Nearly 30 tons of steel were used to create the space’s eight-foot wide, 100-foot long ribbon-like archway that is both above and under the plaza. The plaza also includes four wooden chess tables, four steel umpire chairs, concrete ping pong tables and a playful water feature. It is located on the eastside of the development adjacent to restaurant tenants The Salt Line and All-Purpose Pizzeria.

Photo credit: Oculus

The three-year design process was led by landscape architecture and urban design firm Oculus, who also designed the open space for Potomac Yard in Alexandria, Virginia, NPR’s new national headquarters in the District and Chevy Chase Center near the Friendship Heights Metro Station in Maryland. The three-month fabrication process was completed by Baltimore-based Gutierrez Studios, which built interactive structures at Notch 8 in Potomac Yard, The Bartlett in Pentagon City and Renew in Alexandria.

“The public plaza and esplanade now activates the east side of the residential and retail portion of Dock 79,” said MRP principal John Begert. “We believe the plaza establishes Dock 79 as the next piece in the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail – seamlessly connecting Diamond Teague Park and The Yards Park.”

“Our vision was to design a functional, playful, interactive space that connects the riverfront neighborhood,” said Don Hoover of Oculus. “It’s a highly resilient infrastructure that you can sit on, walk over, walk under or lean against. The entire structure complements its relationship and proximity to the south entryway stairs of Nationals Park, bringing to life an iconic landmark when coming across the bridge from The Yards Park.”

Dock 79 is phase one of a four-phase master planned development on the Anacostia River immediately south of Nationals stadium. Dock 79 is a 281,050-square-foot, nine-story, multifamily high-rise residential property housing approximately 305 units. An additional, 19,000 square feet of restaurant space will encompass the ground floor including Salt Line from the team behind The Dubliner, Sixth Engine, and Town Hall, as well as All-Purpose pizzeria and wine bar, from the team behind Red Hen, Boundary Stone and Buttercream Bakery. Two levels of underground parking accommodate residents and guests. More than three acres of open space will be directly accessible by all the residents, visitors and the community. The property broke ground in Q’3 2014 and is currently open for move-ins.

Residential amenities for Dock 79 include: a grand lobby with resident lounge and onsite leasing presence, a ground floor lounge with billiards, bar area, seating and gaming, as well as a state-of-the-art health club, rooftop swimming pool with open space and kitchen, Wi-Fi service and a business lounge. Also included is air-conditioned residential storage, bike storage, 24-hour front desk service and a complete access controlled building.

Phase II will feature a 13-story, 250,000-square-foot mixed-use development that includes approximately 260 residential units and 12,000 square feet of ground level retail; Phase III and Phase IV are in the planning stages.”