Del Ray’s Long-Awaited Colasanto Spray Park Is Finally Open

ALEXANDRIA, VA — Del Ray has waited through plans, redesigns, construction fencing, rain delays and utility work. Now the water is finally on.

The City of Alexandria confirmed Thursday, Sept. 10, that the Colasanto Spray Park project is complete and open for community enjoyment at 2700 Mount Vernon Avenue. The interactive fountain is expected to operate through mid-October.

The opening turns a highly visible triangle at Mount Vernon and Commonwealth avenues into the kind of public gathering place neighbors have discussed for years. The site once held the Nicholas A. Colasanto Outdoor Pool, which opened in 1969 and closed in 2010.

After Alexandria’s 2012 Aquatic Facilities Study identified the property for a new use, the City moved toward a multigenerational public space built around an interactive water feature. Community engagement and concept development followed in 2021 and 2022, and construction began in 2025.

The project did not arrive on the original timetable. The City cited weather, utility coordination and final commissioning work in a series of construction updates. Final utility connections were completed in late August, clearing the way for testing and this week’s opening.

The finished park is more than a splash pad. It also includes public art by French-born artist Béatrice Coron, whose three vertical metal steles use cut-out scenes to tell stories inspired by Del Ray’s architecture, history and everyday life. The artwork was installed in July. The City’s public art project page says the larger goal was to create an all-season, multigenerational space that connects play with the neighborhood’s character and history.

Zebra readers have been following the transformation for years. In 2022, The Zebra reported on the final design and public-art planning for the former pool site.

What had been a fenced-off construction zone at one of Del Ray’s busiest gateways is now open space again — and, for the last warm weeks of the season, a place to get wet.