Jean R. Packard Occoquan Center

Set along a scenic bluff overlooking the Occoquan River, the Jean R. Packard Occoquan Center is a popular multipurpose venue accommodating special events, park offices, educational exhibits, a café, and visitor amenities. The award-winning design of the 18,367-square-foot, LEED® Gold building minimized site disturbances and optimized views of the river, framed through carefully preserved mature trees including a grove of native Sycamores along the river’s edge. Plantings along the bank include sedge grass and native perennials resilient to flooding and the riparian conditions along the waterfront. Highlights also include a lawn and garden that complement the event venue, a green roof, woodland trails and pathways to the river, and large bioswales in the parking area that filter on-site stormwater. The project also incorporated historic brick from the century-old kiln once operational on the site.