Location: Fathom Art Gallery - 1351 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC 20007
Date: Thursday, June 4th 6pm-8pm
Tickets: $150 each (purchase here)
Details: Please join neighbors and friends for an evening of light bites, cocktails, and music, with special guests. This year’s event will feature a silent auction to support ongoing improvements to the park. We look forward to celebrating together.
One of the very first friends of Volta Park, Nina Leake Richardson, of Washington, D.C. passed away on February 7, 2024, at the age of 79, following a two-year battle with glioblastoma. She is survived by her husband of 42 years, John Dennett Richardson, son Scott Richardson, daughter-in-law Nicole Richardson, grandsons John “Jack” Richardson and Maclean Richardson, sister Nora “Tooey” Cameron, niece Nora “Nonie” Cameron, nephew Roderick “Rory” Cameron, nephew Nicholas Richardson, niece Rachael Brewer, and four great nephews and great nieces.
Nina was born in New York, NY, on September 11, 1944, to Eugene Walter Leake, Jr. and Nora Bullitt Leake. She grew up in Louisville, KY, and attended Louisville Collegiate School before going to boarding school at The Shipley School in Bryn Mawr, PA, where she graduated in 1962.
Nina moved to New York, where she studied at Parsons School of Design and began work in publishing, which included stints at Vogue Magazine and National Geographic. In 1969, Nina moved to Washington, D.C., where she would live the rest of her life. She opened a photography studio with Lisa Berg and continued taking photos for many years.
In 1981, she married John, of Providence, RI, and in 1984, they welcomed their only child Scott. Nina went back to school in her late 40s, ultimately obtaining her college degree from American University in 1997. She could be found well into her 70s auditing classes at Georgetown University and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at AU. She served as a member of the boards of the Initiative to Educate Afghan Women and the Friends of Volta Park, and spent time volunteering at a women’s prison in Maryland and making short videos for nonprofit organizations.
Along with her husband John, she was instrumental in the formation of the Friends of Volta Park.
In 2018, Nina became “Nana” to Jack, a role that she cherished. She was able to meet and hold her second grandson Maclean, who was born in December 2023. Nina was a member of the Sulgrave Club and the Chevy Chase Club, and she was an avid golfer and fierce bridge player. Nina will be missed terribly by her family and friends throughout Washington, Kentucky, Rhode Island, and elsewhere. She will be remembered for her kindness, humor, and appetite for learning and seeing the world.
Visit Our Brick Garden Paths
The Friends of Volta Park is deeply grateful for the Georgetown community that rallied around the park to help with fundraising during the COVID-19 pandemic. Unable to hold events due to pandemic-related health and safety concerns, the park lost our main avenue for fundraising. Fortunately, friends, neighbors and parkgoers came together to support our brick fundraising program, providing the park with a source of incoming funds during a very trying time.
The community embraced this program, and, as part of our landscaping design, we now have an array of beautiful bricks donated by neighbors that not only make the paths more beautiful, but also make traversing the gardens safer for little ones who were previously inclined to stumble on the large stones that preceded the evenly spaced bricks.
While we are still installing many of the bricks, we encourage you to visit these new garden paths to look for the name of a favorite dog who frequents the park, a neighbor, a friend or a local school. Or walk the paths in search of the “wishing brick” that just might make your wish come true. Find the brick that promises to bring you good luck if you hop on one foot. Or pause at the brick that encourages you to reflect on all of the things for which you are grateful. Volta Park is certainly grateful to be set in the midst of such a caring community.
For questions about the brick program, please send an email to fovpBrickProgram@gmail.com
The Volta Park Playground
No area of Volta Park is more beloved that our beautiful playground, which is run and managed by the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation.
The playground was renovated in 2013 and features play equipment for younger and older children, swings, a slide, monkey bars, PebbleFlex safety surfacing, and a sand box. Exciting climbing and spinning features let kids move in fun ways.
The Volta Park Recreation Center and Facilities
The Volta Park Recreation Center is a small 2-story cottage-style building, mainly home to DPR's Cooperative Play & Summer Camp programs, nestled in the midst of a myriad of outdoor opportunities which include a playground, a baseball field, an outdoor basketball court and tennis courts, in addition to the pool.
So grab a ball, racket or bat and some friends, and join us at the park!
Your Community Gathering Place
Families celebrating together.
Schools looking for an open, safe space for students to play.
Book lovers seeking a peaceful place to enjoy a novel.
Dog lovers enjoying a spot to throw a ball with Spot.
No matter who you are or what you love, there’s a place for you at Volta Park.
Georgetown’s Nature Oasis
From Dogwood to Red Maples, Hydrangea to Roses, Daylily to Bluebells, dozens of varieties of trees, annuals, perennials and shrubs come together in a beautiful greenspace right in the heart of Georgetown. Each season a new part of the landscape comes alive, bringing natures joy to the city throughout the year.
The Friends of Volta Park, which is entirely funded by donations from our community, is responsible for all landscape maintenance of the park’s grounds and gardens.
The Volta Park Pool
Our community pool is the perfect place for friends and neighbors to cool off during the hot summer months.
Run by the DC Department of Parks and Recreation, this small pool is set between the quiet streets of Georgetown, just one block off Wisconsin Avenue. If you want to join is for summer fun, please note that a valid, government-issued photo ID (driver's/non-driver's license or passport) is required to enter all DPR aquatic facilities.
In conjunction with our tree lighting tradition, in 2020 we began another new tradition: offering Volta Park tree ornaments!
We still have 2021 ornaments available, which feature the Friends of Volta Park logo and is available for $8 each; please email voltaparkholiday@gmail.com to place your order. All proceeds go directly to the maintenance of the park.
We plan to create a new ornament each year so don’t forget to add to add to your collection!
