Riggs Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Riggs Park (Lamond Riggs)
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Neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
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Riggs Park within the District of Columbia
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| Country | United States |
| District | Washington, D.C. |
| Ward | 4 |
| ZIP code |
20011
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| Area code(s) | 202 |
Riggs Park, also known as Lamond Riggs, is a neighborhood in Washington, D.C.. It is located in the northeastern part of the city. Riggs Park is part of Ward 4 in Washington, D.C. A "ward" is like a district or section of a city.
The neighborhood is surrounded by several streets and areas. To the east, you'll find Eastern Avenue N.E.. To the south is Riggs Road N.E.. North Capitol Street N.W. is to the north and west. The Blair Road Community Garden is also to the north.
Riggs Park is close to other neighborhoods like Queens Chapel, North Michigan Park, and Fort Totten. These are in Ward 5 of Northeast Washington D.C. Riggs Park also borders Chillum, a town in Prince George's County, Maryland.
Train tracks run through Riggs Park. The WMATA Red Line metro trains pass through here. They travel between the Takoma and Fort Totten Metro Stations. Other train lines like CSX, MARC, and Amtrak also have tracks in the neighborhood.
History of Riggs Park
For many years, until the 1960s, most people living in Riggs Park were white and Jewish. Around the 1960s, many of these families started moving out of the city. They moved to the suburbs, which are areas just outside the main city.
At the same time, many African-American families began moving into Riggs Park. This was because homes in Riggs Park were affordable. Also, it was easy to get to Downtown Washington D.C. from the neighborhood.
Jewish Community in Riggs Park
In the 1950s, Riggs Park had a strong Jewish community. There were two synagogues, which are places of worship for Jewish people. One of these was Shaare Tefila Congregation. Many young Jewish couples and families lived in the area. Riggs Park was even called "Little Tel Aviv" of Washington, D.C., because of its large Jewish population.
The Jewish community grew quickly in the 1950s. This was partly because of the G.I. Bill. This law helped soldiers who had served in the military buy homes. As more African-American families moved to Riggs Park in the 1960s, many Jewish families sold their homes. They moved to suburban Maryland. By the early 1980s, Riggs Park was home to many middle-class black families.
Environmental Cleanup Efforts
In 2001, residents of Riggs Park learned about a problem. A gasoline spill had happened 12 years earlier, just across the Maryland state line. This gasoline had seeped under 169 homes, an elementary school, and a church in Riggs Park.
Residents filed a lawsuit to address the issue. Chevron, the company involved, said they had followed the rules. They had told Maryland about the leak when they found it. They also said they were working to pump the gas out of the ground. They were also removing the contaminated dirt.
In 2007, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced plans for a cleanup. Chevron agreed to pay for this cleanup. By 2009, tests showed that other chemicals were also in the ground. These included perchloroethylene and methyl tert-butyl ether. Gasoline was also found in soil samples.
In 2011, Chevron reached an agreement with the District of Columbia Department of the Environment. As part of this agreement, Chevron paid for special systems to be installed. These "Vapor Mitigation Systems" were put into 43 homes in Riggs Park. They help to prevent harmful vapors from entering the houses.
