Meridian Hill Park. (Luis Gomez Photos)

After a three-week voting process, Meridian Hill Park and the Carter G. Woodson Home National Historic Site have been announced as two of the winners in the Partners in Preservation grant competition.

Washington National Cathedral was the winner of the popular vote and the recipient of $100,000. Our two local sites are two of the 12 runners-up and are receiving $50,000 and $75,000 grants, respectively.

Partners in Preservation is a partnership between American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The two have teamed up “increase the public’s awareness of the importance of historic preservation in the United States and to preserve America’s historic and cultural places.” To that end, the partnership has committed $1 million to preservation efforts in the DMV area.

Meridian Hill Park

Meridian Hill Park was singled out for being a “nationally significant example of Neoclassicist American park design […] whose ambitious scale, intent, and historic integrity has not been matched in the United States.” Currently, Meridian Hill Park is the home to some of our favorite weekend moments and memories, whether having a picnic with friends, playing with our dogs, or just walking through this beautiful oasis in the city. The money awarded to the park will go to “stabilize and repair exposed aggregate concrete grotto.”

Carter G. Woodson Home National Historic Site

The Carter G. Woodson Home National Historic Site was the original home for the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). At present, the site is closed to the public but the plan for the property is to transform it into a museum of Dr. Woodson’s work — he is known as the “Father of Black History” — as well as the work of the ASALH. The money awarded the site will help “rebuild the front and rear façade in order to stabilize [the] home for public access.”

The remaining local winners include:

• All Souls Church Unitarian — Adams Morgan, DC
• Greenbelt Theatre — Greenbelt, MD
• LAMB at Military Road School — Brightwood, DC
• Colvin Run Mill — Great Falls, VA
• Congressional Cemetery — Barney Circle, DC
• Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church — Scott Circle, DC
• Dumbarton Oaks Park — Georgetown, DC
• Mount Vernon — Mount Vernon, VA
• The GALA Hispanic Theatre at The Tivoli — Columbia Heights, DC
• Sixth & I Historic Synagogue — Mount Vernon Square, DC

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The fountains at Meridian Hill Park. (Luis Gomez Photos)

Help Meridian Hill Park win its share of American Express’ $1 million through its contest on the Partners In Preservation site. All the money is earmarked for DC landmarks. You can vote every day now through Friday, May 10.

How many times have you strolled through Meridian Hill Park and enjoyed the fountains and architecture or walked your dog and sat on a bench as you see people playing frisbee or just reading on the grass? Sunday afternoon in the park is a joy of drums, dancing, fun and people.

Meridian Hill Park is a vibrant and important part of our neighborhood — and it needs your help! Vote now and keep on voting every day until May 10.

“Partners in Preservation is a fun, easy way to help keep history alive and beautiful in the DC Metro area. American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation have $1 million in preservation grants and they want you to tell them where it should go.”

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Foggy Morning is by ekelly80 taken from the Borderstan Flickr pool.

Photos of the Day are pulled from the Borderstan Reader Photos pool on Flickr.

Today’s photo, Foggy Morning was taken by ekelly80. The photo was taken on January 13  at Meridian Hill Park.

If you don’t already have a Flickr account, you will need to sign up for one, and then join the Borderstan Reader Photos group. Already a Flickr member? Join the group! You can submit up to five photos per day in the Borderstan reader pool. We are looking for photos from DC’s Dupont, Logan and U Street neighborhoods.

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No. 3 on the list: The June 7 fire at 14th and P Streets NW. (Luis Gomez Photos)

It’s that time again… a look back before we start 2013. Like last December, we will provide you with a list of the most-read stories on Borderstan by category. Today are the Top 10 from the News section.

The web is forever, so they say. Posted stories continue to get hits a long time after originally going up on the site. As a result, some of the most-read stories for the year were sometimes published the year before — especially if they were published late the year before.

Top 10 News Stories of 2012 on Bordertan

These News stories were Top 10 most read last year on Borderstan.com.

1. Meet Julie Mason, White House Correspondent, Neighbor (Michelle Lancaster)
2. Why Do Ginkgo Tree Berries Smell Like Dog Poo? (Borderstan)
3. Fire at Mid City Deli Building, 14th and P NW (Luis Gomez)
4. Meridian Hill Park Getting a Face Lift (Luis Gomez)
5. New Citizens’ Organization Seeks Different Path for 14th and U (Matty Rhoades)
6. Central Union Mission Moves Out, Condos Moving In (Rachel Nania)
7. Take a Walk: City Dogs Rescue Has New Volunteer Opportunities (Matty Rhoades and Luis Gomez)
8. Poll: Where’s the Gay Neighborhood in DC? (Borderstan)
9. Reviving the Dream: Moving Forward on 17th Street (Guest Column)
10. Car Going in Wrong Direction on 15th Hits Parked Car, Flips (Borderstan)

Couples at Meridian Hill Park is by Joe in DC from the Borderstan Flickr pool.

Photos of the Day are pulled from the Borderstan Reader Photos pool on Flickr.

Today’s photo, “Couples at Meridian Hill Park” was taken by Joe in DC. The photo was taken on November 18.

If you don’t already have a Flickr account, you will need to sign up for one, and then join the Borderstan Reader Photos group. Already a Flickr member? Join the group! You can submit up to five photos per day in the Borderstan reader pool. We are looking for photos from DC’s Dupont, Logan and U Street neighborhoods.

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From Rachel Nania. Check out her blog, Sear, Simmer & Stir. Follow Nania on Twitter @rnania, email her at rachel[AT]borderstan.com.

Meridian Hill Park. (Luis Gomez Photos)

On Wednesday, September 26, DC’s Department of Transportation (DDOT) will attend ANC 1B’s Transportation Committee meeting to unveil its design to reconfigure the intersection of New Hampshire Avenue NW, Florida Avenue NW, 15th Street NW and W Street NW.

This four-way intersection is at the southeast corner of Meridian Hill Park.

The meeting will take place at 7 pm at the Thurgood Marshall Center (1816 12th Street NW). All interested community members are encouraged to attend.

ANC 1B stretches from 16th Street NW to 2nd Street NW and includes most of the U Street corridor. For a map of the area, visit ANC 1B’s website. More information on Wednesday’s meeting is also available on ANC 1B’s website.

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Summer Games is by tedeytan from the Borderstan Flickr pool.

Photos of the Day are pulled from the Borderstan Reader Photos pool on Flickr.

Today’s photo, “Summer Games” was taken by tedeytan. The photo was taken at Meridian Hill Park.

If you don’t already have a Flickr account, you will need to sign up for one, and then join the Borderstan Reader Photos group. Already a Flickr member? Join the group! You can submit up to five photos per day in the Borderstan reader pool. We are looking for photos from DC’s Dupont, Logan and U Street neighborhoods.

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Her name is Georgia and she was last seen around Meridian Hill Park.

Please help us find Georgia. She got out of her collar in Meridian Hill Park. Georgia has been spotted at the Florida Avenue end of the park in the last 24 hours. She is scared and may try to run, so if you spot her, call Planet Pet at 202-986-6301 or 202-705-4791. Her owners have offered a reward for her safe return!

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Meridian Hill Park undergoing repairs. Click above for pictures. (Luis Gomez Photos)

From Luis Gomez. Catch his photos at One Photograph A Day. Follow him on Twitter @LuisGomezPhotos.

Meridian Hill Park, or Malcolm X Park, is getting some love from the National Park Service. The park has been undergoing some work to repair its light system and drainage, fix the pathways and make repairs to the architectural features of the park.

The grass in the middle section of the park was treated last winter. The sculpture of Joan of Arc was treated and its blade was recovered. The new restrooms in the upper part of the park were completed two years ago.

The park has increasingly become a fundamental asset to the neighborhoods it serves. During weekdays, joggers, mother and babies, artists, dog walkers and the community in general enjoy the features of the park. Sundays are always festive, full of music and color as the drum circle takes place.

As stated on the National Park Service website, “The actual planting scheme was designed by New York landscape architects Vital, Brinckerhoff and Geffert. Generally, gardens of this magnitude were reserved for aristocrats. Meridian Hill, however, was to be a product of democracy, open to all people.”

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From Rachel Nania. Check out her blog, Sear, Simmer & Stir. Follow Nania on Twitter @rnania, email her at rachel[AT]borderstan.com

The site of the accident on 15th Street NW next to Meridian Hill Park where Carolina Alcalde was injured. (Courtesy of Alcalde Facebook Group)

DC Storms this past weekend left more than just closed roads, cable-less apartments and powerless homes; this summer storm affected lives. And one such life affected was Carolina Alcalde — an Adams Morgan neighbor and active member of the community, according a friend, Victoria Fulkerson. While riding her motorcycle home from a massage in Virginia on June 29, Alcalde was hit by a falling pine tree on 15th Street NW next to Meridian Hill Park and knocked off her bike.

Neighbors immediately rushed to her side and flagged down a passing ambulance in the midst of the city’s storm. Alcalde was rushed to George Washington Hospital, but was diagnosed with a severed spinal cord and was left paralyzed from the midsection down.

If you want to donate to help with Alcalde’s recovery, please visit the donation site that Alcalde’s friends and family set up. You an also get more information about Alcalde’s recovery at an open Facebook Group.

How to Help Alcalde

Doctors placed two rods and numerous screws in Alcalde’s spine for support, but she still has five broken ribs, a fractured shoulder blade, slight bleeding in her brain, and trauma to her lungs, causing bleeding. She will now require assistance with breathing.

“Carolina is very active in the community and participates on many boards and leadership committees that positively contribute the lives of DC residents. She is an avid motorcyclist as well as a wonderful and strong person that has more love and warmth than anyone you’ll ever meet,” according to Fulkerson.

Alcalde’s injuries will require recovery in the Intensive Care Unit, in addition to time spent in physical rehabilitation. Due to the exorbitant costs, Alcalde’s friends and family are seeking contributions to her medical bills. If you want to donate to help with Alcalde’s recovery, please visit the donation site that Alcalde’s friends and family set up.

You an also get more information about Alcalde’s recovery at an open Facebook Group.

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