Contributed by: DC Preservation League
Organization: DC Preservation League
Dated Posted: October 21, 2026
Website: Visit External Site

The DC Preservation League’s lawsuit against the Department of the Interior over plans for East Potomac Park continues in federal court. After the National Park Service cut down more than 400 trees on the course over the October 10 holiday weekend with twelve hours’ notice to the court, Judge Ana Reyes granted DCPL’s request for a temporary restraining order stopping the cutting and requiring three business days’ notice before any permanent change. On October 18 the President announced the course would close November 15 for 15 months to be rebuilt as a championship course; DCPL sought a preliminary injunction at an October 19 hearing and is awaiting the ruling, arguing that Section 106 review is required.

East Potomac Golf Links, built 1918-1923 to a design by Walter J. Travis, is listed in the National Register. Its 1917-1920 fieldhouse by Horace Peaslee features cast-concrete columns made with John J. Earley’s exposed-aggregate process, and in 1941 the course was a site of efforts to desegregate the city’s public golf courses.

More information: dcpreservation.org