Washington bids farewell to Dave Thomas Circle: red Curve sculpture honors Mamie Peanut Johnson, the Negro Leagues' first woman pitcher

An intersection once famous in Washington for its chaotic traffic now has a new landmark. On October 27, Mayor Muriel Bowser and city officials returned to the junction of Florida Avenue and New York Avenue to unveil a red sculpture called Curve, honoring Mamie Peanut Johnson: the first woman to pitch in the Negro Leagues, and a longtime Washington resident.

One curveball, frozen in place

The sculpture captures Johnson's signature curveball delivery and stands in the plaza named for her. Bowser said there was no better way to show appreciation than to build the park and honor her with a piece of art. For many Washingtonians, the site carries another memory: it was Dave Thomas Circle, the intersection with a Wendy's in the middle and legendary traffic backups.

Transportation Director Sharon Kershbaum said travel times around the whole intersection have fallen by about 14% since the redesign, and fewer drivers are running red lights. She called the plaza and its surrounding spaces one of the biggest wins of the project.

From the mound to the nurses' station

Johnson's life spanned two callings. In 1951, at 17, she tried out for the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League and was barred because of her race. She did not quit: from 1953 to 1955 she pitched for the Indianapolis Clowns of the Negro Leagues, becoming the first woman ever to pitch in men's professional baseball, with a 33-8 record. After baseball, she spent 30 years as a nurse at Sibley Hospital in Washington, mentored young athletes and stayed active in the community, and died in 2017 at age 82.

The plaza's name was chosen by residents: in a community vote, Mamie Peanut Johnson Plaza won about 40% of the vote. The plaza itself opened in June, and the October 27 sculpture dedication completed the final artistic element of the redesign, turning one of the city's most chaotic intersections into a place to stop, gather and remember.