Robert Triolo’s Shooting Gallery To Get Rehabbed
A couple of weeks ago, Washington City Paper named Robert Triolo the city’s premier street performer. The designation came in deference to Triolo’s steady presence at Stead playground, where he shoots free throw after free throw, a succession of one-handed nothing-but-nets that Triolo documents in a pad that he brings with him each day. The hoop sits right above the well-trafficked sidewalk on P Street between 16th and 17th, a visibility that accounts in part for Triolo’s celebrity.
Well, the guy’s going to have to find a new spot to shoot, according to the following press release:
(Washington, D.C) — Beginning April 30, 2008, the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) will temporarily close the play courts, plaza, and playground at the Stead Recreation Center, 1625 P Street, NW, to accommodate construction of a new playground. The recreation center and athletic field will remain open during construction. During construction, alternative access to the recreation center will be from 17th Street, NW, via Church Street, NW, to the rear of the recreation center.
**The new playground is scheduled to open in August 2008.**
Tough luck for the city’s most tireless free-throw shooter, but good luck for the community at large, which could use a shadier Stead playground. Place is brutal in summer.
