Congress set aside Washington’s East Potomac land for public recreation in 1897; 129 years later, a plan costing up to $49 million could transform its public golf course into a championship venue
Congress set aside Washington’s East Potomac Park for ‘recreation and the pleasure of the people’ in 1897. The park includes the East Potomac Golf Links, a historic public golf course that opened in 1919. Now, 129 years after the park was created, the Trump administration has started work linked to a plan to turn the course into a major golf venue.The National Park Service has awarded a nearly $400,000 contract for environmental and historic preservation compliance work at the course, news agency Associate Press reported. The contract was awarded to Vanasse Hangen Brustlin Inc., a Massachusetts-based civil engineering firm.The contract was revealed during a House Natural Resources Committee hearing on Wednesday by Rep Jared Huffman of California, the panel’s top Democrat. Huffman said the National Park Service hired the firm without a public announcement or advance notice to Congress. Lawmakers are now seeking documents and records related to the project.The development is part of President Donald Trump’s plan to renovate the public course and create a world-class golf venue. The National Park Service has also posted a projected construction contract worth up to $49 million, with the solicitation expected on January 31, 2027. The Interior Department, however, said the final course design has not yet been completed.
$400,000 contract approved
The $389,355 contract covers environmental and historic preservation compliance work at East Potomac Golf Links. The contract comes after months of activity around the course. The administration said this spring that it had reached an agreement with Fazio Golf Design to prepare plans for renovations.Trump has said he wants the course to be capable of hosting major golf tournaments. In a social media post in June, he said the completed course could host events including the U.S. Open, Ryder Cup, PGA Championship and other major PGA Tour events. He had also said work was expected to begin on September 1.The National Park Service has now listed a potential construction contract worth as much as $49 million. The projected amount has drawn attention because the full design has not yet been finalised.An Interior Department spokesperson said on Wednesday that “the full course design is yet to be finalized, so any type of cost estimate speculation over an advance notice of solicitation is premature.”
Lawmakers seek project records
Huffman and other lawmakers are seeking more information about the work taking place at East Potomac. Huffman, Maryland Reps Jamie Raskin and Glenn Ivey, District of Columbia Del Eleanor Holmes Norton and Virginia Rep Don Beyer sent a letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and acting National Park Service director Jessica Bowron.The lawmakers asked for documents, communications and other records related to the project. “East Potomac Park does not belong to Donald Trump,” the lawmakers wrote. “It belongs to the American people, and it has for more than a century.”Huffman also criticised the administration’s approach during the committee hearing. “Now, this is not just any old golf course. This is a beloved public space with huge historic significance,” he said.In a statement, Huffman said, “Democrats on this committee are tracking all of this. We’re going to keep dragging it all into the daylight until the public gets the answers we deserve.”He added, “We’re not going to let Donald Trump walk off with our public lands. That park belongs to the American people, and I’m not willing to sit here and watch him simply steal it.”
Park created for public recreation
East Potomac Park was created through a congressional act in 1897. The law established the park for the “recreation and the pleasure of the people”.The East Potomac Golf Links opened more than two decades later, in 1919. The site has since served as a public golf facility in Washington for more than a century.The proposed changes have raised concerns among some area residents about the future character of the course and surrounding public space. Residents fear that converting it into a more upscale golf venue could result in higher fees and reduce access to public space.The course has also been affected by other work connected to the Trump administration’s projects in Washington. Debris from the demolished East Wing of the White House was dumped at East Potomac, creating a three-storey mound near one of the park’s three golf courses.The National Park Service has said the debris tested positive for lead, chromium and other toxic metals. The mound remains at the site.The East Potomac golf course project is part of a wider series of changes planned or under way in Washington during Trump’s administration.Trump has multiple projects in the capital, including a planned $400 million White House ballroom and a triumphal arch. He began discussing Washington’s public golf courses late last year.
