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Park Police breaking ground on new horse stables and education center on National Mall
Park Police are breaking ground today on a new home for one of the oldest equestrian units in the country.
WASHINGTON - One of the nation’s oldest police equestrian units will soon have a new home on D.C.'s National Mall.
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Despite its prominent location between the Lincoln Memorial and the World War II Memorial you may have passed by the U.S. Park Police stables without even noticing it.
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But soon, a new facility more suitable for the U.S. Park Police’s Mounted Horse Patrol and their horses will stand in its place.
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The current stable was built in 1976 as a temporary facility for the Bicentennial. Despite its temporary nature, the facility has remained ever since.
The new facility will include:
- A total of 14 stalls, including a medical paddock, built to ensure proper air flow and space for the horses housed onsite;
- Covered shelters that will extend turn-out time during adverse weather conditions;
- Heated wash and tack room; and
- A permanent office building with a locker room and meeting space to be used by the U.S. Park Police assigned to this facility.
In addition, the new facility will feature more access to the public:
- A welcoming education center with a self-guided tour, educational information on the horses, and a history of horse mounted patrol operations on the National Mall;
- Two public viewing paddocks with double fencing for visitors to safely observe horses;
- A new entrance and pedestrian path to enhance accessibility
- A new rest stop area with a public restroom station and water fountains;
- Improved pedestrian pathways that safely connect the National Mall to the Martin Luther King Memorial and Tidal Basin.
The groundbreaking is slated for 10 a.m.