King Farm Farmstead Park was designated as a historic district in 2006. Formerly the largest farm in the area, much of the original farm has long since been sold and developed. The property that remains is comprised of eight buildings on 7 acres. The property’s condition has been assessed, a real estate market analysis was conducted, and the King Farm Farmstead Task Force was created to provide recommendations to the city. Due to scale and complexity, the rehabilitation and adapted reuse will involve multiple projects and several years of design and construction.

Property Condition Assessment Recommendations

Stabilize and rehabilitate while retaining historic features with minimal exterior changes. No urgent structural issues.

Stabilize and rehabilitate, including the foundation. No urgent structural issues. Preserve historic features such as garage doors and windows.

Addressed urgent structural issues, stabilized, and rehabilitated in 2018. Extensive foundation stabilization was completed. Building 4 was prioritized due to structural concerns.

Demolish and reconstruct due to significant structural deficiencies. Salvage historic materials and rebuild according to historic preservation standards.

Demolish deteriorated additions and stabilize and rehabilitate the original structure. Moisture damage requires immediate attention. The additions threaten the building’s integrity.

Stabilize and rehabilitate, modifying the foundation and crawl space for structural reinforcement. Future use may be limited due to size and accessibility constraints.

Project Phases

Buildings were structurally rebuilt to create a weathertight building shell. The dairy barns are not ready for occupancy, nor have they been fit out for any specific use.

This project funds the design and construction of water and sewer infrastructure service from the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission just outside the buildings and within the dairy barns and farmstead house, as well as design and installation of a fire sprinkler system in the dairy barns and farmstead house.

For project details, see Certificate of Approval Item C – HDC2022-01074 from the June 16, 2022 Historic District Commission meeting. Approval of the item was deferred to the July 21, 2022 meeting (see Certificate of Approval Item B – HDC2022-01074).

This project funds the design and construction of electric infrastructure services from Pepco into the dairy barns and farmstead house. The remaining buildings will have electric infrastructure brought within 5 to 10 feet of each building. The electric infrastructure for these buildings will be in preparation for a future use of the buildings. Construction is expected to start in late autumn 2024.

For project details, see Certificate of Approval Item C – HDC2022-01074 from the June 16, 2022 Historic District Commission meeting. Approval of the item was deferred to the July 21, 2022 meeting (see Certificate of Approval Item B – HDC2022-01074).

This project funds the salvaging of historic material for reuse, demolition of existing structure and foundation, and reconstruction to maintain the overall character of the building. Temporary shoring was completed in 2019. This project will not be ready for occupancy, nor will it be fit out for any specific use, but it will create a weathertight, structurally sound building shell. This project was not funded in FY 2025. Design is expected to start in FY 2027 and construction is expected to start in FY 2028.

This project will include the design and construction to stabilize and rehabilitate the garage and tenant buildings. The project will create a weathertight building shell, but the buildings will not be ready for occupancy, nor will they be fit out for any specific use. This project has not yet been funded and the expected start date for design is to be determined.