Sprucing up Wolf Trap

Apr 01, 2021

Our partners at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts have been busy planning, coordinating, and investing in deferred maintenance projects to improve the Park experience. Some of these changes are less visible to visitors than others, but all are important to keeping the treasured Park operating safely.

Among the major projects underway are the installation of new electrical infrastructure and new stage rigging at the Filene Center. Stagehands cleared the fly tower (the area above the stage where equipment and scenery can be “flown” up and out of sight) in January and positioned the orchestra shell ceilings onstage to facilitate the work. Since that time, removal of some stage machinery has begun, and the rigging renovation contractors are ramping up operations in the Filene Center house to install the updated fly systems.

Electrical Wiring at the Filene Center (photo credit: Ken Lewis)

On the exterior of the Filene Center, exploratory demolition of the wood siding is in progress. The existing Douglas Fir planks will be replaced with the same type of wood, and some of the reclaimed material will be conserved for future projects. Work has started on the back of the building, with the first new siding arriving in late March.

Siding Removal on the Exterior of the Filene Center (photo credit: Jan Lemons)

Around the Filene Center grounds, there are some additional changes of note. Replacement fencing and gates are in the works to enhance security around the Filene Center perimeter. This project builds on the installation of new split rail fencing throughout the Park grounds over the last year. Visitors will also appreciate any one of the 16 new benches purchased by the National Park Service, which will be placed throughout the Filene Center plaza and outside the entry gates.

Down the trail and beyond Children’s-Theatre-in-the Woods, a replacement for the Farm Pond Bridge that was built as a Boy Scout Eagle project but was washed out by storm waters in 2019 is also planned.

Look for progress on these projects on your next visit to the Park.