The approved plan for the Hill Center gives the Old Naval Hospital site a first rate historic restoration and transforms it into a welcoming, campus-like setting for lifelong learning, cultural enrichment and community life. The plan is based on the input of hundreds of Hill residents, solicited through dozens of meetings and a widely publicized survey, and was approved by the DC government in 2007 after a lengthy process of competitive bidding and review.

Education for All Ages. The Hill Center’s principal purpose is education. Much like the 92nd Street Y in New York and the Cambridge Center for Adult Education in Massachusetts, it will offer a wide range of learning opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds – classes in computer literacy, languages, GED, ESL, drawing and painting, music, parenting, creative writing, cooking and more. Some of the courses will be offered in partnership with neighborhood educational and cultural organizations such as the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop while others will be initiated by the Center itself.

Meeting and Office Space. The Center’s classrooms will also be available for meetings, workshops, lectures, recitals, after-school tutoring, art exhibits, receptions and other neighborhood functions and events. The main building’s top floor will provide needed office space for community organizations, while the carriage house becomes a family-friendly café that offers additional space for educational programs and informal gatherings. The café will also provide catering services for various events in the main building and provide an important income stream to help make the Center financially sustainable.

Historic Commemoration. In addition to classroom education, the Hill Center will feature displays and a docent program to commemorate the Old Naval Hospital’s proud history as a post-Civil War hospital, medical training facility and old soldiers home, as well as the site’s more recent uses by a variety of community groups and other tenants.

Coming Soon. The historic restoration aspect of the Hill Center plan has already won unanimous approval by the city’s Historic Preservation Review Board, and the rest of the construction permitting process is proceeding. Construction is expected to begin in early 2010.