"It's where we gather as friends." That is how Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen described the William H. Rumsey Aquatic Center at a September 22 community meeting in Eastern Market's North Hall. He said the pool was "much more than just swimming laps or taking a class."
Rumsey was scheduled to close October 1. Its 1970 building at 635 North Carolina Avenue SE will be torn down, and a $44.5 million replacement is listed for completion in early 2028. Exactly three weeks before the scheduled closure, the Southeast Library reopened on September 10 at 403 7th Street SE. The century-old Carnegie building there now has more than twice its old floor space. Between now and 2028, the two jobs Rumsey did will go to different places. The swimming moves off the Hill. The gathering now has a new home a few blocks down Seventh Street.
The Swimming Leaves the Neighborhood
Pool users got about two weeks' notice. Allen said he was "pretty frustrated" about that and had a "pretty hot phone call" with DPR Director Thennie Freeman about it. DPR's answer was to split Rumsey's programs across four aquatic centers and point lap swimmers to two school pools. Registration for the replacement programs opened September 25 at noon. Fall classes run October 13 through November 6.
These are the general facility hours on DPR's indoor pools page. They are not a schedule for the Rumsey replacement classes.
| Pool | Address | Role in the Rumsey plan | Weekday hours | Weekend hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barry Farm Aquatic Center | 1230 Sumner Road SE | Replacement programs | 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. | 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
| Joy Evans Therapeutic Recreation Center | 3030 G Street SE | Replacement programs | 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. | Saturday from 10 a.m., closing time incomplete on DPR's page; Sunday closed |
| Deanwood Aquatic Center | 1350 49th Street NE | Replacement programs | 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. | 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
| Turkey Thicket Aquatic Center | 1100 Michigan Avenue NE | Replacement programs | 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. | Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
| Ballou Senior High School Aquatic Center | 3401 4th Street SE | Morning and evening lap swim | 6 to 8 a.m. and 5 to 9 p.m. | Closed |
| Dunbar | 101 N Street NW | Added later as a lap swim option | 6 to 8 a.m. and 5 to 9 p.m. | Closed |
None of these six addresses is on Capitol Hill. Hill Rag's report on the meeting did not say which class went to which pool. It also didn't name a separate destination for the water-walking group or mention any shuttle. If you swam at Rumsey before work, Ballou and Dunbar are the closest match. Both are open 6 to 8 a.m. on weekdays and closed on weekends.
Why the Building Has to Sit Empty First
The closure comes well before any demolition. DPR Community Engagement Manager Christopher Dyer explained that the city can't start the permit clock while the pool is open. He said the order of work is fixed:
- Remove everything from the pool and the building.
- Drain the pool.
- Have Pepco cut the power.
- Apply for the raze permit, then wait for it to be issued.
- Begin demolition.
Officials estimated four to six weeks for the move-out and draining. Demolition itself is expected to take about four to five months once it starts. That means the first several weeks will be quiet from the sidewalk, and the heavy work starts after the permit is issued.
The project team named contacts for when the work becomes noisy. Jeffrey Policicchio, assistant project manager for Hess Construction, is the construction community liaison. He said he plans to move within walking distance of the site so he can "wake up and be here if there's any issues." Dyer is DPR's contact at [email protected].
Eastern Market's Weekend Gets Rearranged
The construction site sits right next to the market, so it will change how Saturdays and Sundays are laid out. Under the logistics plan presented September 22, fencing goes around the site. Part of the North Carolina Avenue plaza becomes a laydown area and construction entrance. The sidewalk and bike lane shift into the parking lane. The plan still needs approval from DDOT's public space committee.
These changes reach the market itself:
- Food vendors now set up on the plaza in front of the pool will mostly move to the plaza in front of Eastern Market's North Hall.
- Vendors already on the North Hall plaza will move inside North Hall or onto the 200 block of 7th Street SE, with DGS coordinating.
- The alley beside the market is expected to stay open to vendors much as it is today. The fence will run close to the existing wall, and the market's three HVAC stacks will be kept.
- The Capital Bikeshare station stays but moves to the end of the parking area.
- Compost drop-off arrangements were still unsettled as of the meeting.
Neighbors around C Street and North Carolina Avenue asked about rats, dust and vibration. Officials said pest control would start with pretreatment before demolition, along with sealed trash containers. Demolition will use windscreen fencing and water to keep dust down. Eastern Market and the properties next to the site will have vibration monitoring. The big heritage tree near North Carolina Avenue will have a protected root zone. Crews have already used air spading to map its major roots.
The Building Taking Rumsey's Other Role
The Southeast Library had been closed for its modernization since early 2024. The project took it from 7,943 square feet to 17,547. Crews dug up to 40 feet below the 1922 building and supported it from underneath while they built a new lower level. A new addition along South Carolina Avenue SE has a sidewalk-level accessible entrance, a monumental stair and an elevator connecting all three floors. A central skylight and lightwell bring daylight down to the lowest floor. Upstairs, the original fireplace mantel has been restored, along with a historic laylight. That ornamental glass ceiling panel was found behind plaster during a 2020 site investigation. WTOP's walkthrough noted that the fireplace doesn't work.
The children's floor is on the new lower level. WTOP described it as split into areas for play, study and reading, with child-sized tables. On reopening day, Hill Rag reported that sisters Aubrey and Kennedy Smith were the first children to check out books. Aubrey praised the much bigger children's floor and its reading nook.
The rooms matter most while Rumsey is closed. The library now has six spaces you can reserve:
- Conference Room 1, for 2 to 8 people
- Conference Room 2, for 2 to 6 people
- a Meeting Room for 10 to 48 people
- Study Rooms 1, 2 and 3, each for 1 to 4 people
They are free with a valid DC Public Library card. You can book up to 60 days ahead, and study rooms can be reserved the same day. For the next two-plus years, a book club, a neighborhood committee or a standing weekly meetup that needs a free indoor room near Eastern Market will most likely find it here.
The Fall Calendar, Day by Day
Current hours are 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.; and Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m. The branch calendar has repeating programs over the next several weeks.
Tuesdays. Toddler Explorations runs 10 to 11 a.m. on October 6 and 13, then November 3, 10, 17 and 24. Tabletop Tuesday runs 4 to 5 p.m. on October 6 and 13.
Wednesdays. Toddler art is 10 to 11:30 a.m. on October 7, and "STEAM at Southeast – Sphero Fun" is 4 to 5 p.m. the same day. Crafternoon is 4 to 5 p.m. on October 14 and November 18. Baby and Toddler Story Time meets on the Children's Floor, 10 to 10:30 a.m., on November 4, 18 and 25.
Thursdays. The BookTok Book Club meets 7 to 8 p.m. It reads The Devils by Joe Abercrombie on October 8 and Young World on November 12, in Conference Room 1. Mahjong Open Play, with no instructor, runs 6 to 7:30 p.m. on October 15 and November 19 in the Meeting Room. Baby Lap Time is 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. on November 5, 12 and 19.
The calendar is live, so dates can change. No December programs had been posted as of early October.
What Comes Back in 2028
Rumsey regulars pushed back at the July design meeting, and the plans changed. Water-aerobics participants said a four-foot shallow end was too deep for many shorter adults. By September 22, the eight-lane, 25-yard lap pool was redesigned to start at three and a half feet, slope to five, then drop to 12. A separate leisure and learn-to-swim pool will run from three and a half to five feet.
The new building is two stories. It adds a senior center, community rooms, a fitness room, a tech lounge, family restrooms and second-floor space overlooking the pools. The July presentation called its sauna the District's first. Allen said the plan has gotten "a heck of a lot better than it was in December 2024," because residents kept coming back to the meetings. At that first meeting, DPR expected about 50 people and about 150 came. The lobby will include art honoring Dr. William H. Rumsey, the former DPR director the center is named for. His grandson, William H. Rumsey III, came to the September meeting, and the family will help choose the artwork.
Until the new building opens, the closest free indoor gathering room to Eastern Market is the Southeast Library's Meeting Room at 403 7th Street SE, which holds up to 48 people.
Living within walking distance of Eastern Market means keeping up with closures and new openings like these. If you're wondering how the Rumsey rebuild and the reopened library could affect your plans to buy or sell a home on Capitol Hill, The Lyndsi + Matt Team can help you map out the next two years block by block. Schedule a complimentary consultation.
