On the morning of Wednesday, September 30, a few swimmers came to the Rumsey Aquatic Center for their last laps. That same morning, the senior water aerobics regulars, a group of about 100, held a farewell reception in the center's meeting room. Instructor Jeanie Brown Johnson was among them. The building at 635 North Carolina Avenue SE closed the next day for demolition and rebuilding.
Exactly three weeks earlier and a short walk away, about 150 people came to the ribbon cutting at the Southeast Library, 403 7th Street SE. The library opened to visitors right after the ceremony.
Together, those two dates redraw the public map around Eastern Market for the next two years. The block has an indoor public room again, and it is bigger than the old one. Its pool is gone, and the market's weekend layout is shifting to make room for the construction fence.
The Library Came Back Larger
DC Public Library says the renovated branch adds space for children, teens and adults. It has more books, computers and seating, more rooms for meetings and study, and a new universally accessible entrance. The historic entrance stays. The money is described two ways. Capitol Hill Corner's opening-day coverage says $33 million, and DCPL's project page says $41 million.
The biggest change is underground. The children's library now takes up the whole lower level, with separate areas for play, study and reading. A long skylight runs the length of the children's area on the south side, and a light well sits in the middle of the building. Together they bring daylight down to the lower level. Upstairs, the historic fireplace stayed, with seating around it. There are also tables with outlets for laptops. Capitol Hill Corner reports two single-occupancy unisex restrooms on each floor. DCPL's photo gallery also shows a labeled teen area.
The shelves started out full. At the last construction briefing in late July, DCPL's Director of Capital Planning and Construction, Jaspreet Pahwa, said staff were moving 25,000 books and new equipment into the building. Julia Strusienski is the branch manager.
The hours change how the block works now that the pool is gone. Rumsey was closed on Sundays. The library's listed hours are:
- Sunday: 1 to 5 p.m.
- Monday through Wednesday: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Thursday: noon to 8 p.m.
- Friday and Saturday: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
So for the next two years, the library is open on the one day Rumsey never was.
Where the Rumsey Swim Went
The pool's users have been sent in two directions. Rumsey ran from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays. The lap pools DPR recommended are open on a split schedule, with a two-hour morning window and a four-hour evening window. Class programs went to four other aquatic centers.
| Pool | Address | Use for former Rumsey swimmers | Weekday hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ballou Aquatic Center | 3401 4th St. SE | Morning and evening lap swim | 6 to 8 a.m., 5 to 9 p.m. |
| Dunbar Aquatic Center | 101 N St. NW | Lap swim, added later | 6 to 8 a.m., 5 to 9 p.m. |
| Barry Farm Aquatic Center | 1230 Sumner Rd. SE | Class programs | 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. |
| Joy Evans Therapeutic Aquatic Center | 3030 G St. SE | Class programs | 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. |
| Deanwood Aquatic Center | 1350 49th St. NE | Class programs | 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. |
| Turkey Thicket Aquatic Center | 1100 Michigan Ave. NE | Class programs | 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. |
Ballou and Dunbar are both pools that DC Public Schools uses during the day, so they close to the public while school is in session. That explains the split schedule.
The farewell organizer, Lynn Ringenberg, told Capitol Hill Corner that getting to these alternate pools will be hard for many seniors in her group. She also said how the redesign turned out for them:
"The first design was totally for the lap swimmers. There was no room for water aerobics or kids – so we got them to make room for water aerobics…we got what we really needed. But I'm really upset that there's nothing for littlest kids."
She said the group had hoped for a shuttle to the other pools and had been promised one early on. She no longer expects it.
The Market Moves North With the Fence
The closure also changes how the market is laid out. On weekends, some vendors have set up on the plaza in front of Rumsey. At the Eastern Market Community Advisory Committee meeting in North Hall, Market Manager Barry Margeson explained what happens to them once the construction fence goes up. They move to the North Plaza, and the vendors who are there now move inside North Hall. Hill Rag's account of the September 22 community meeting adds that most of the moving vendors are food vendors. It also names the 200 block of Seventh Street SE as another spot for displaced vendors.
Under the construction plan presented at that meeting, part of the North Carolina Avenue plaza becomes a laydown area and construction entrance. Sidewalks and the bike lane would shift into the parking lane, pending DDOT approval. The plan is meant to keep the market alley open. About 75 people came to that meeting. Their questions covered water sports programming, accessibility, rodent control, construction practices and parking.
There is a second fence across the street. A fence on the south side of Eastern Market Metro Plaza marks the area where Flexi Pavers will replace the compacted gravel. The plaza was the announced site of the library's opening-night block party, and on September 11 it hosted live music for Art All Night.
What the Replacement Is Being Built to Hold
The new Rumsey center will cost $44.5 million. It is a two-story building on the same site, with an eight-lane, 25-yard lap pool and a separate leisure and learn-to-swim pool. The lap pool slopes from 3.5 feet to 5 feet and then to 12 feet. According to Hill Rag, starting the lap pool at that shallower depth was a response to water aerobics concerns. The leisure pool is 3.5 to 5 feet deep.
The old building was mostly a pool. The new plan adds dry space:
- A senior center and community rooms
- A fitness room and a tech lounge
- Locker rooms and family restrooms
- A sauna
- A second-floor overlook above the pools
At the September 22 meeting, Councilmember Charles Allen credited residents with improving the design since it was first shown in December 2024. "It may not provide every single thing that everybody wants but it is a much better design and much better project and a much better concept for our community," he said. The timeline is still an estimate. Local coverage of the meeting says about two years. The Department of General Services project page lists the end date as "Early 2028."
October on the Redrawn Block
Most of the October calendar around Eastern Market takes place outdoors or in the libraries, the public spaces the area has right now.
- Saturday, October 10, 2 to 6 p.m.: The first Capitol Hill Porchfest. About 160 bands play on about 50 porches across Capitol Hill, Hill East and Lincoln Park, with a rain date of October 11. Organizers say you can walk the whole route end to end in half an hour. The closest Metro stations are Union Station, Capitol South, Eastern Market, Potomac Avenue and Stadium–Armory.
- Saturday, October 10: The Friends of the Southeast Library and the Friends of the Northeast Library hold a book sale at the Northeast Library, 7th and Maryland Avenues NE.
- Sunday, October 11, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Book Sales in the Park at 701 Pennsylvania Avenue SE.
- Saturday, October 24, 3:30 to 5 p.m.: The Hill Family Biking Halloween Ride, which also starts from 701 Pennsylvania Avenue SE.
The Friends of the Southeast Library need donated books so they can restart their near-monthly sales at the new branch. You can bring books to the October 10 sale or leave them in the donation bin on the library's ground floor during open hours. On October 2, Allen held neighborhood office hours at Boulangerie Saint Georges, across from Eastern Market. Questions about the Rumsey construction plan can be raised in that kind of setting, or at the ANC 6B and market advisory committee meetings that have been tracking the project.
Long construction near home raises practical questions about access, noise and timing on your own block. If the Rumsey rebuild or the market changes are affecting your plans, Jessica Richardson and her team are glad to talk through what they mean for your Capitol Hill home. Book an Appointment whenever it suits you.
