“Our McMillan,” a group of local Bloomingdale activists pushing for more green space in the McMillan development, is hosting a panel discussion on the site’s history tonight.

The event will be held at St. George’s Episcopal Church, 160 U Street, from 7 to 9 PM. The announcement says a “panel of architects and historic preservation experts will explain the McMillan Sand Filtration Site’s historic and technological significance and present exciting alternatives for its revival. Bring questions!”

According to event organizer Robin Buck, those speakers include:

Richard Houghton, a architect and Brookland resident, and member of the Committee of 100 on the Federal City

Dr. Cynthia R. Field, a lecturer for the Catholic University of America School of Architecture. She is the former of Chair of Architectural History and Historic Preservation at the Smithsonian, from which she retired in 2006. She is presently the Architectural Historian Emeritus at the Smithsonian and continues to conduct research, publish, and teach.

Deborah L. Crain, the DC Office of Planning Neighborhood Planner for Ward 5.  Before joining the Office of Planning, Ms. Crain was the Program Manager for the Districts’ Operation Weed and Seed initiative. She began her work as community organizer while employed by the National Association of Neighborhoods. Ms. Crain brings to the Office of Planning over twenty years of community organizing skills and is a member of the American Planning Association.

Tony Norman, a longtime neighborhood resident who was involved in the site’s historic designation in 1991, and recently toured community members through McMillan.