| Farragut Square | |
|---|---|
 Farragut Square as seen from its southern border, withConnecticut Avenue's office-block canyon stretching to the northwest behind the statue. | |
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| Coordinates | 38°54′6.95″N77°02′20.25″W / 38.9019306°N 77.0389583°W /38.9019306; -77.0389583 |
| Public transit access |      Farragut North,Farragut West |
Farragut Square is acity square inWashington, D.C.'sWard 2. It is bordered byK StreetNW to the north, I Street NW to the south, on the east and west by segments of 17th Street NW, and interruptsConnecticut Avenue NW.[1] It is the sister park ofMcPherson Square two blocks east.[2] It is serviced by two stops on theWashington Metro rail system:Farragut North on theRed Line andFarragut West on theBlue,Orange, andSilver Lines.[3]
Designed byPierre L'Enfant in 1791, Farragut Square is a hub ofdowntown D.C., at the center of a bustling daytime commercial and business district. The neighborhood includes major hotels, legal and professional offices, news media offices, travel agencies, and many restaurants including two underground food courts. Sometimes events are scheduled for the lunchtime crowds which gather in and around the square, such as the free Farragut Fridays series, held every Friday from 9 a.m. to dark from July through September, which features outdoor work and relaxation spaces, among other attractions. The park is the scene of popular D.C. pastimes like outdoor movies andyoga in the park.[4][5][6][7] With its heavy pedestrian traffic, it also serves as a popular site for food trucks, leafleting, TV camera opinion polls, and for commercial promotions and political activity such ascanvassing anddemonstrations.[citation needed]
The most prominent institution on the square is theArmy Navy Club on the southeast. Since the commercial building boom of the 1960s, there is little residential property in the area, and the square is mostly quiet after business hours. Many of the sandwich shops andcoffeehouses that cater to neighborhood workers close before the dinner hour, as do the many street vendors. In recent years, however, especially since the 2003 rehabilitation of the park, movie screenings and similar evening activities have become more common, as have nightclubs in adjacent downtown areas.[citation needed]
Monday through Friday, severalfood trucks congregate on streets surrounding Farragut Square.[8]
In the center of the square is a statue ofDavid G. Farragut, a Unionadmiral in theAmerican Civil War who rallied his fleet with the cry, "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!" He was the "First Admiral in the Navy." Its only inscription is "Farragut."[9] The statue was sponsored by an act ofCongress, authorizing $20,000 on April 16, 1872. It was sculpted byVinnie (Ream) Hoxie and dedicated April 25, 1881 by PresidentJames A. Garfield and First LadyLucretia Garfield.[9]
The statue and park are maintained by theNational Park Service and administered as part of itsNational Mall and Memorial Parks unit. A proposal to build an underground parking garage below it was rejected in 1961.[10]
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