The beat goes on: George Washington got a monument. Sonny Bono gets a traffic island.

• Author: Beutler, William
• Position: 10 MILES SQUARE

In Washington, D.C, great men are judged by their memorials. Our presidential holy trinity, Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln, are deified in soaring temples of marble and towers of granite. Less imposing are the bronze Sculptures of Albert Einstein on the grounds of the National Academy of Sciences and of Mahatma Gandhi outside the Embassy of India. Any number of once-famous military men have lent their names and mounted likenesses to parks that now mostly offer relaxation to bicycle messengers and to traffic circles more likely to inspire bursts of cursing than shows of admiration.

And then there is the Sonny Bono Memorial Traffic Island ... er, Park.

A few years ago, a fifth-generation Washingtonian and commercial developer named Geary Simon, grieving the sudden death of his close friend Sonny Bono, was making frequent trips out West to visit the grave of the congressman, entertainer, and restaurateur until distance became a problem, and Simon realized that "I've gotta build a park for my friend."

Virtually any Washingtonian with the gumption and interest can turn one of the city's green spaces into their own personal park--or, it seems, memorial--through the city's Park Partners program. Residents pick a space, sign an agreement promising to maintain it, and generally do little more than keep the area clean and green. The program was intended simply as an urban renewal initiative, a way of combating the ongoing battle against litter, pollution, and Vandalism that have destroyed many of the city's parks. But there's nothing to prevent someone from making the most of their park.

Simon approached the Department of Parks and Recreation with his chosen spot: a triangle of concrete and weeds at the intersection of New Hampshire Avenue and 20th and O streets, one block southwest of Dupont Circle. The department approved his plan, and Simon threw himself into the project, tearing out not just the weeds, but the sidewalks as well. He installed a sprinkler system and lighting, and flew in authentic Kentucky bluegrass, plus a Japanese maple from a nursery in Sonny's congressional district. A short, old iron fence now surrounds the park--a space the size of a smallish studio apartment--while two benches provide seating, and a bronze plaque at the entrance alerts particularly observant pedestrians to the fact that they are walking by the Sonny Bono Memorial Park.

Today, the park is ringed by a variety of apartment and office buildings, including a...