Milestone · July 2026
The Robert M. Krughoff Pickleball Center opens
Five free courts, open every day, with open play and no challenge courts.
DC's riverfront
Community grows in shared spaces.
We bring people together in the parks, plazas and public spaces along DC's riverfront – helping create them, taking care of them and filling them with things to do.
$388kinvested in public space and programming in fiscal year 2026 (October 2025 to September 2026)
Source: Foundation financial records
Eightspaces where we design, fund, program or operate
Source: Foundation records
Fivefree public pickleball courts, opened at Bridge Spot in July 2026
Source: Krughoff Pickleball Center
58,000visits to our events in 2026
Source: Capitol Riverfront Parks Foundation and Placer.ai
Just opened · A Bridge Spot project
From an abandoned roadway to five free courts
In July 2018, a group of mostly Capitol Hill seniors started playing pickleball on a dead-end road under the freeway – hauling out debris, patching asphalt and painting the lines themselves. In July 2026, the Robert M. Krughoff Pickleball Center opened on that same spot: five free public courts, built and kept up with community donations.
We helped raise the money, and now we manage, operate and program the courts.
“Winning is wonderful. Belonging is better.”
Our spaces
Eight spaces along DC's riverfront
What we do is different at each one. At some we run the place; at others we raise money and bring the programming. Every space page says plainly which.
Yards Park
Programming partner and primary fundraising partner
Canal Park
Programming and fundraising partner
Tingey Plaza
We designed it and ran it from December 2025 to July 2026. A new location is in the works.
Bridge Spot
We lead the community design, raise funds, operate and program
4 projects
Buzzard Point Park
National Park Service partner: we raise funds, program and support operations
Emblem Plaza
We raise funds, help operate and program it, and are adding historical signage
Virginia Ave Park
Fundraising and programming support to the Friends of Virginia Avenue Park
Square 739 Art Fence
We raise funds, lead community engagement and program it
Image: concept rendering over Google Street View (credit: Google)
Stories
What's new in the spaces
Community design · Winter 2026
Neighbors start redesigning Bridge Spot
An open house, a zine workshop and an online survey are shaping a new court, the skate park and the art.
Milestone · November 16, 2025
Emblem Plaza opens with a community planting day
Neighbors and our partners at Complete Landscaping planted the new plaza together.
Partners and funders
The work happens with partners
None of this happens alone. These are some of the agencies, community groups and funders we work with.
Partners
- National Park Service
- Canal Park Inc.
- Navy Yard BID
- Friends of Virginia Avenue Park
- Washington Spirit
- Building Bridges Across the River
- Anacostia Riverkeeper
Funders
- Pepco
- AARP
- CSX
- CVS Health
- Capitol Hill Community Foundation
- ANC 8F
Get involved
Keep these spaces free and open to everyone
Volunteer
Planting days, events and court ambassador shifts – there's a job for most schedules.
Volunteer with us
Partner
Funders, public agencies and community groups: let's build the next project together.
Start a conversation