Progress can sometimes be bittersweet. The site of many memorable experiences, RFK Stadium will finally get razed to make way for a new future! It's still too early to know what it will ultimately become, but it will definitely be an improvement over it's current incarnation
DC Initiates Demolition of Vacant RFK Stadium
After Delays and Fires, City Moves To Begin Site Redevelopment
By Katherine Hamilton CoStar News
October 26, 2022 | 3:18 P.M.
Washington, D.C., has made a first step toward demolishing Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, vacant for nearly five years and the site of fires this summer, as it plans a redevelopment of the site.
On Monday, the government filed an application for a raze and site stabilization permit at the 61-year-old stadium. A raze permit authorizes complete demolition of a structure, which has been the city’s plan for RFK Stadium since it officially closed in 2018.
In its heyday, the complex hosted the 1994 World Cup and the 1996 Summer Olympics’ soccer games, as well as a multitude of professional soccer, baseball and football games. Most recently, it was home to the D.C. United soccer team but lost its main tenant in 2017 when the team moved over to the newly constructed Audi Field soccer stadium at Buzzard Point.
In September 2019, D.C.’s sports and entertainment authority Events DC announced plans to demolish the stadium by 2021. The process was delayed, however, until July when two fires occurred inside the structure.
The application to raze was submitted approximately two weeks after the fires, and Events DC released a statement on Twitter saying demolition of the major structural components would be completed by the end of 2023.
The site of the RFK Stadium on East Capitol Street NE along the Anacostia River is owned by the federal government, but Events DC manages the space. The Council of the District of Columbia approved Mayor Muriel Bowser’s budget to construct a $60 million indoor sports complex at the RFK site, which is set to include amenities for city residents as well as space to host games and tournaments. Bowser’s original proposal called for bringing the Washington Commanders football team from Prince George’s County to D.C., but a majority of D.C. Council members signed a letter in June saying they did not support such efforts.
According to its website, Events DC has evaluated a range of ideas for redevelopment of the parking lots surrounding the stadium. These ideas include a “market hall” with food and dining options, a sports and recreation complex, pedestrian bridges and a Robert F. Kennedy memorial.
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