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Echo Park Glen Echo Park began in 1891 as a National Chautauqua Assembly, which taught the sciences, arts, languages and literature. By the early 1900s Glen Echo Park had become a premier amusement park, serving the Washington 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 programs and facilities at the Park are managed by a nonprofit organization, the Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture, Inc., while the National Park Service continues its role in managing the grounds and providing historic interpretation. The mission of the Glen Echo Park Partnership is to present vibrant artistic, cultural and educational offerings at Glen Echo Park and to promote the Park as a unique destination for our region’s diverse population. It 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:
Discovery Creek Children's Museum
Over the last few years, renovations of the park facilities have been taking place under the direction of Montgomery County and the National Park Service. These renovations have been funded with federal, state, and county resources and individual donations. The new Arcade building and renovated Spanish Ballroom facilities were completed in 2003 and the carousel renovations in 2005. More recently, the Yellow Barn was rebuilt and the Adventure Theatre facility has undergone renovations to be completed fall 2007. Over the next few years, additional renovations will take place throughout the Park, including the Chautauqua Tower and the Hall of Mirrors.
