Big Philanthropists Flock to DC’s Bridge Park Project to Battle Gentrification

The proposed 11th Street Bridge Park that would cross the Anacostia River continues to inspire big-name philanthropists to write big checks to revitalize some of the District’s poorest neighborhoods and help low-income residents prepare should an economic turnaround arrive.

The latest is JPMorgan Chase. Over the next 3 years, the financial giant agreed to donate $10 million in Wards 7 and 8 of the District, including $5 million to preserve affordable housing for low-income residents as part of a proposal established by the Southeast D.C. nonprofit organization planning the park, Building Bridges Across the River.

Sometimes likened to New York City’s High Line public park, the Bridge Park calls for a public plaza, amphitheater, environmental education center and other amenities to be built along a 1.45-mile stretch of bridge atop four piers that once supported the 11th Street Bridge. It would connect Anacostia, one of the poorest neighborhoods in the city, with the much more affluent neighborhoods in and around Capitol Hill.