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Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument

The design for the Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument creates a transformed setting for our nation's most visible center stage. 

The design for the Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument creates a transformed setting for our nation's most visible center stage. The project reinvigorates the Monument Grounds with new landscapes of performance, clarifies the visual connections between the White House, the Washington Monument, and the Jefferson Memorial, and provides new physical connections between the cultural landscape of the Mall and the Tidal Basin. The winning design of the National Mall Design Competition for the Washington Monument Grounds at Sylvan Theater was co-led by Weiss/Manfredi + OLIN.

An integral part of the grove is the Sylvan Pavilion, visible from the Mall, the Metro, and 15th Street. The Pavilion provides an all-weather cafe and bookstore, and serves as a multi-use destination for residents and visitors to the Mall. A new Ranger Station and information/exhibition center on Independence Avenue frame an arrival plaza for tour groups. 

Extending from the heart of the National Mall, a rejuvenated Sylvan Theater and Sylvan Grove restores the tree canopy that inspired the name of the original theater nearly a century ago. The new grove and terraced lawn define an amphitheater landform, where a wide range of performances and events can be seen against the stunning backdrop of the Washington Monument. The uppermost viewing terrace, a tree lined "balcony," continues across the roadway as a pedestrian bridge that crosses traffic and descends to the water's edge, linking the Mall to the Tidal Basin.

Awards
International Architecture Award Chicago Athenaeum and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies
Progressive Architecture Award Architect Magazine
National Mall Design Competition, Winner: Weiss/Manfredi + Olin Trust for the National Mall