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Echo Park Glen Echo Park began in 1891 as a National Chautauqua Assembly, teaching the sciences, arts, languages and literature. By the early 1900s, Glen Echo Park had become a premier amusement park, serving the Washington D.C. area until 1968. In 1971, after the federal government obtained the land, the National Park Service began managing the Park. The National Park Service collaborated with artists and arts organizations to create a rich arts program in the spirit of the original Chautauqua movement. Today, the Park's programs and facilities are managed by the Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture, Inc., a nonprofit organization, while the National Park Service continues its role in managing the grounds and providing historical interpretation. The mission of the Glen Echo Park Partnership is to present vibrant artistic, cultural and educational programs at Glen Echo Park and to promote the Park as a unique destination for our region's diverse population. The Partnership nurtures a dynamic community of artists and performers while preserving and managing historic facilities within this unique National Park.
The Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture's most recent annual reports are available online in PDF format.
2007 Annual Report and Five-Year Retrospective
Glen Echo Park is host to a number of resident artists and arts organizations, a thriving social dance program, a restored 1921 Dentzel Carousel, an environmental education program for children and numerous classes in many art forms. Resident groups include:
Washington Conservatory of Music
Over the last few years, renovations of the park's facilities have been taking place under the direction of Montgomery County and the National Park Service. These renovations have been funded with major federal, state, and county resources as well as private donations. Renovations have included: the Arcade building (2003), the Spanish Ballroom (2003), the carousel (2005), the Yellow Barn (2007), Adventure Theatre (2007), the Chautauqua Tower (2008), the Ballroom Annex (2009), and the Caretaker's Cottage (2009).
