This article is about the park in Washington, D.C.. For the parkway in California, see Capitol Mall. For the shopping malls in Olympia, Washington, and Jefferson City, Missouri, respectively, see Capital Mall and Capital Mall (Missouri).
The core area of the National Mall extends between the United States Capitol grounds to the east and the Washington Monument to the west and is lined to the north and south by several museums and federal office buildings.[6] The term National Mall may also include areas that are also officially part of neighboring West Potomac Park to the south and west and Constitution Gardens to the north, extending to the Lincoln Memorial on the west and Jefferson Memorial to the south.[7]
Landmarks, museums, and other features
2016 Map
Map of the National Mall and vicinity (2016)
Within the National Mall proper
2002 Satellite image
National Mall proper and adjacent areas (April 2002). The Mall had a grassy lawn flanked on each side by unpaved paths and rows of American elm trees as its central feature. (Numbers in the image correspond to numbers in the list of landmarks, museums and other features below.)
The National Mall proper contains the following landmarks, museums and other features (including opening year):[7][6]
2009 view from the United States Capitol facing west, over the Grant Memorial and Capitol Reflecting Pool in the foreground, and across the National Mall towards the Washington Monument
Facing east on the National Mall, as viewed near the 1300 block of Jefferson Drive, S.W. in April 2010. Rows of American elm trees line the sides of a path traversing the length of the Mall.
With the exception of the National Gallery of Art, all of the museums on the National Mall proper are part of the Smithsonian Institution. The Smithsonian Gardens maintains a number of gardens and landscapes near its museums.[14] These include:
Between Madison Drive NW and Jefferson Drive SW at 7th Street, the width of the Mall's open space is 656 feet (200m).
Between the innermost rows of trees near 7th Street, the width of the Mall's vista is 300 feet (91m).
Boundaries
In its 1981 National Register of Historic Places nomination form, the NPS defined the boundaries of the National Mall (proper) as Constitution and Pennsylvania Avenues on the north, 1st Street NW on the east, Independence and Maryland Avenues on the south, and 14th Street NW on the west, with the exception of the section of land bordered by Jefferson Drive on the north, Independence Avenue on the south, and by 12th and 14th Streets respectively on the east and west, which the U.S. Department of Agriculture administers and which contains the Jamie L. Whitten Building (U.S. Department of Agriculture Administration Building).[6][26] The 2012–2016 National Park Service index describes the National Mall as being a landscaped park that extends from the Capitol to the Washington Monument, defined as a principal axis in the L'Enfant Plan for the city of Washington.[4]
However, a 2010 NPS plan for the Mall contains maps that show the Mall's general area to be larger.[27][28] A document within the plan describes this area as "the grounds of the U.S. Capitol west to the Potomac River, and from the Thomas Jefferson Memorial north to Constitution Avenue".[7] A map within the plan entitled "National Mall Areas" illustrates "The Mall" as being the green space bounded on the east by 3rd Street, on the west by 14th Street, on the north by Jefferson Drive, NW, and on the south by Madison Drive, SW.[29] A Central Intelligence Agency map shows the Mall as occupying the space between the Lincoln Memorial and the United States Capitol.[30]
In 2011, the 112th United States Congress enacted the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2012, which transferred to the Architect of the Capitol the NPS "property which is bounded on the north by Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, on the east by First Street Northwest and First Street Southwest, on the south by Maryland Avenue Southwest, and on the west by Third Street Southwest and Third Street Northwest".[31] This act removed Union Square (the area containing the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial and the Capitol Reflecting Pool) from NPS jurisdiction.[32]
Purposes
The National Park Service states that the purposes of the National Mall are to:
Provide a monumental, dignified, and symbolic setting for the governmental structures, museums, and national memorials as first delineated by the L'Enfant plan and further outlined in the McMillan plan.
Maintain and provide for the use of the National Mall with its public promenades as a completed work of civic art, a designed historic landscape providing extraordinary vistas to symbols of the nation.
Maintain National Mall commemorative works (memorials, monuments, statues, sites, gardens) that honor presidential legacies, distinguished public figures, ideas, events, and military and civilian sacrifices and contributions.
Forever retain the West Potomac Park section of the National Mall as a public park for the recreation and enjoyment of the people.
Maintain the National Mall in the heart of the nation's capital as a stage for national events and a preeminent national civic space for public gatherings because it is here that the constitutional rights of speech and peaceful assembly find their fullest expression.
Maintain the National Mall as an area free of commercial advertising while retaining the ability to recognize sponsors."[7]
The "Grand Avenue" or Mall as proposed by Pierre L'Enfant, 1791
In his 1791 plan for the future city of Washington, D.C., Pierre (Peter) Charles L'Enfant envisioned a garden-lined "grand avenue" approximately 1 mile (1.6km) in length and 400 feet (120m) wide, in an area that would lie between the Congress House (now the United States Capitol) and an equestrian statue of George Washington. The statue would be placed directly south of the President's House (now the White House) and directly west of the Congress House (see L'Enfant Plan) on the site of the Washington Monument. The grand avenue was to be flanked by gardens and spacious accommodations for foreign ministers.[33][34][35]
Mathew Carey's 1802 map is reported to be the first to name the area west of the United States Capitol as the "Mall".[36] The name is derived from that of The Mall in London, which during the 1700s was a fashionable promenade near Buckingham Palace upon which the city's elite strolled.[37]
The Washington City Canal, completed in 1815 in accordance with the L'Enfant Plan, travelled along the former course of Tiber Creek to the Potomac River along B Street Northwest (NW) (now Constitution Avenue NW) and south along the base of a hill containing the Congress House, thus defining the northern and eastern boundaries of the Mall.[38][39][40] Being shallow and often obstructed by silt, the canal served only a limited role and became an open sewer that poured sediment and waste into the Potomac River's flats and shipping channel.[38][41] The portion of the canal that traveled near the Mall was covered over in 1871 for sanitary reasons.[38]
Some consider a lockkeeper's house constructed in 1837 near the western end of the Washington City Canal for an eastward extension of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal to be the oldest building still standing on the National Mall.[42] The structure, which is located near the southwestern corner of 17th Street NW and Constitution Avenue NW, is west of the National Mall (proper).[40][43]
The Smithsonian Institution Building ("The Castle"), constructed from 1847 to 1855, is the oldest building now present on the National Mall (proper).[44] The Washington Monument, whose construction began in 1848 and reached completion in 1888, stands near the planned site of its namesake's equestrian statue.[45] The Jefferson Pier marks the planned site of the statue itself.[46]
Downing Plan: Mid-19th century
Portrait of the Mall and vicinity looking northwest from southeast of the U.S. Capitol, circa 1846–1855, showing stables in the foreground, the Washington City Canal behind them, the Capitol on the right and the Smithsonian "Castle", the Washington Monument and the Potomac River in the distant left.
During the early 1850s, architect and horticulturist Andrew Jackson Downing designed a landscape plan for the Mall.[34][47][48] Over the next half century, federal agencies developed several naturalistic parks within the Mall in accordance with Downing's plan.[34][47] Two such areas were Henry Park and Seaton Park.[49]
During that period, the Mall was subdivided into several areas between B Street Northwest (NW) (now Constitution Avenue NW) and B Street Southwest (SW) (now Independence Avenue SW):
The Public Grounds between 2nd and 6th Streets NW and SW
The Armory Grounds between 6th and 7th Streets NW and SW
The Smithsonian Grounds between 7th and 12th Streets NW and SW
The Agricultural Grounds between 12th and 14th Streets NW and SW
The Monument Grounds between 14th and 17th Streets NW and SW[50]
In 1856, the Armory (No. 27 on the 1893 map of the Mall) was built at the intersection of B Street SW and 6th Street SW on the Armory Grounds. In 1862, during the American Civil War, the building was converted to a military hospital known as Armory Square Hospital to house Union Army casualties. After the war ended, the Armory building became the home of the United States Fish Commission.[51]
View of the National Mall with its livestock and the Treasury Building in the background in April 1865
After the Civil War ended, the Department of Agriculture started growing experimental crops and demonstration gardens on the Mall. These gardens extended from the department's building near the south side of the Mall to B Street NW (the northern boundary of the Mall). The building was razed in 1930.[52] In addition, greenhouses belonging to the U.S. Botanical Garden (No. 16 on the map) appeared near the east end of the Mall between the Washington City Canal and the Capitol (later between 1st and 3rd Streets NW and SW).[47]
Originating during the early 1800s as a collection of market stalls immediately north of the Washington City Canal and the Mall, the Center Market (No. 19 on the map), which Adolf Cluss also designed, opened in 1872 soon after the canal closed. Located on the north side of Constitution Avenue NW, the National Archives now occupies the Market's site.[54][55]
During that period, railroad tracks crossed the Mall on 6th Street, west of the Capitol.[34] Near the tracks, several structures were built over the years. The Baltimore and Potomac Railroad station (B on the map) rose in 1873 on the north side of the Mall at the southwest corner of 6th Street and B Street NW (now the site of the west building of the National Gallery of Art).[56]
In 1881, the Arts and Industries Building (No. 34 on the map), known originally as the National Museum Building, opened on the north side of B Street SW to the east of "The Castle". Designed in 1876 by Adolf Cluss and his associates, the building is the second oldest still standing on the National Mall (proper).[57]
In 1887, the Army Medical Museum and Library, which Adolf Cluss designed in 1885, opened on the Mall at northwest corner of B Street SW and 7th Street SW.[58][59] The Smithsonian Institution's Hirshhorn Museum now occupies the site of the building, which was demolished in 1968.[59]
Meanwhile, in order to clean up the Potomac Flats and to make the Potomac River more navigable, in 1882 Congress authorized the Army Corps of Engineers to dredge the river. The Corps used the sediment removed from the shipping channel to fill in the flats. The work started in 1882 and continued until 1911, creating the Tidal Basin and 628 new acres of land. Part of the new land, which became West Potomac Park, expanded the Mall southward and westward (see 1893 map above).[41][60]
Map of the Mall in 1893 showing the Monument Grounds (with the Washington Monument), Agricultural Grounds (with the Dept. of Agriculture), Smithsonian Grounds (with the Castle and Arts and Industries museum), Armory Square, Public Grounds and Botanical Garden, as well as parts of the recently created "Tidal Reservoir" and "Proposed Park"
McMillan Plan: Early 20th century
The National Mall was the centerpiece of the 1902 McMillan Plan. A central open vista traversed the length of the Mall.
In 1902, the McMillan Commission's plan, which was partially inspired by the City Beautiful Movement and which purportedly extended Pierre L'Enfant's plan, called for a radical redesign of the Mall that would replace its greenhouses, gardens, trees, and commercial/industrial facilities with an open space.[34][47][62] The plan differed from L'Enfant's by replacing the 400 feet (120m) wide "grand avenue" with a 300 feet (91m) wide vista containing a long and broad expanse of grass.
Four rows of American elm trees (Ulmus americana) planted fifty feet apart between two paths or streets would line each side of the vista. Buildings housing cultural and educational institutions constructed in the Beaux-Arts style would line each outer path or street, on the opposite side of the path or street from the elms.[34][47][62][63][64][65]
In subsequent years, the vision of the McMillan plan was generally followed with the planting of American elms and the layout of four boulevards down the Mall, two on either side of a wide lawn.[63][66][67] In accordance with a plan that it completed in 1976, the NPS converted the two innermost boulevards (Washington Drive NW and Adams Drive SW) into gravel walking paths.[63] The two outermost boulevards (Madison Drive NW and Jefferson Drive SW)) remain paved and open to vehicular traffic.[63]
During World Wars I and II, the federal government constructed a number of temporary buildings (tempos) on the Mall, disrupting the area's planned layout. Most of these buildings were in two clusters: one near the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and the other on the National Mall (proper) in the vicinity of 4th through 7th Streets NW and SW.[68][69][70]
World War I
Eastward view of the National Mall from the top of the Washington Monument in 1918. The three structures and two chimneys crossing the Mall are temporary World War I buildings A, B and C and parts of their central power plant.
The United States entered World War I in April 1917.[72] By 1918, a row of tempos designated from north to south as Buildings A, B, and C had stretched across the Mall along the east side of the former railroad route on 6th Street. The smokestacks of the buildings' centrally-located power plant were set apart to preserve the view of the Washington Monument from the Capitol building.[69][71][73] Soon afterwards, the government constructed Buildings D, E and F to the east and west of the row.[69][73]
Around 1921 (when the United States and Germany signed the U.S.–German Peace Treaty, thus formally ending the war between the two nations),[74] the government demolished Buildings A and B. The remaining tempos held offices of several agencies belonging to the Agriculture, Commerce, Treasury and War Departments for a number of years after the war ended.[69][73][75]
The government then slowly dismantled most of the tempos that had remained within the Mall (proper), removing the power plant and nearby buildings by 1936.[76] Among those removed was Building C, which the government demolished between 1933 and 1936.[77]
By 1937, the government had removed all of the World War I tempos that had been within the National Mall (proper) except for Building E, thus largely restoring the Mall's central vista.[66] However, another World War I tempo, which the government constructed south of the Mall in 1919 between 14th Street SW and the Tidal Basin as the Liberty Loan Building, remained standing in 2019 while housing the Treasury Department's Bureau of the Fiscal Service.[78][79]
Westward view from the top of the Washington Monument in 1943 or 1944 during World War II. In the foreground, temporary buildings on the Washington Monument grounds house the Navy's Bureau of Ships. The Main Navy and Munitions Buildings stand to the right of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Temporary buildings to the left of the Reflecting Pool house the Navy's Bureau of Supplies and Accounts.
During World War II, the government constructed a larger set of temporary buildings on the Mall in the area of the former World War I tempos, along the south side of Constitution Avenue between 12th and 14th Streets NW, on the west side of the Washington Monument grounds, along the entire length of the south side of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and between the Reflecting Pool and the Main Navy and Munition buildings on the Pool's north side. Numbers identified new buildings built on the Monument grounds, while letters identified the remainder. The government also built dormitories, residence halls and facilities for dining and recreation south of the eastern half of the Mall and within the part of West Potomac Park that lay south of the Mall's western half.[70][85]
The government progressively demolished all of the World War II tempos beginning in 1964.[79] After the government removed the Main Navy and Munitions buildings in 1970, much of their former sites became Constitution Gardens, which was dedicated in 1976.[82][79][84]
Later history
Rows of young American elm trees on the National Mall, looking east from the top of the Washington Monument, circa 1942
The planting of American elm trees (Ulmus americana) on the National Mall following the McMillan Plan started in the 1930s between 3rd and 14th Streets at the same time that Dutch Elm Disease (DED) began to appear in the United States. Concern was expressed about the impact that DED could have on these trees.[86]
This view from the top of the Washington Monument shows rows of elm trees lining the Reflecting Pool (November 2014).
DED first appeared on the Mall during the 1950s and reached a peak in the 1970s. The NPS has used a number of methods to control this fungal epidemic, including sanitation, pruning, injecting trees with fungicide and replanting with DED-resistant American elm cultivars (see Ulmus americana cultivars). The NPS cloned one such cultivar ('Jefferson') from a DED-resistant tree growing near a path on the Mall in front of the Freer Gallery of Art, near the Smithsonian Institution Building ("The Castle").[87]
On October 15, 1966, the NPS listed the National Mall on the National Register of Historic Places.[88] In 1981, the NPS prepared a National Register nomination form that documented the Mall's boundaries, features and historical significance.[6]
Looking east from the top of the Washington Monument towards the Mall and the U.S. Capitol, 2023
In October 2013, a two-week federal government shutdown closed the National Mall and its museums and monuments.[91] However, when a group of elderly veterans tried to enter the National World War II Memorial during the shutdown's first day, the memorial's barricades were removed.[92] The NPS subsequently announced that the veterans had a legal right to be in the memorial and would not be barred in the future.[93] During the shutdown's second week, the NPS permitted an immigration rally and concert to take place on the Mall.[94]
On December 8, 2016, the NPS listed on the National Register of Historic Places an increase in the National Mall Historic District's boundary to encompass an area bounded by 3rd Street, NW/SW, Independence Avenue, SW, Raoul Wallenberg Place, SW, the CSX Railroad, the Potomac River, Constitution Avenue, NW, 17th Street, NW, the White House Grounds, and 15th Street, NW. The listing's registration form, which contained 232 pages, described and illustrated the history and features of the historic district's proposed expanded area.[2]
In combination with the other attractions in the Washington Metropolitan Area, the National Mall makes the nation's capital city one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country. It has several other uses in addition to serving as a tourist focal point.
As a result, the NPS has not provided any official crowd size estimates for Mall events since 1995.[95][96][98] The absence of such an official estimate fueled a political controversy following the presidential inauguration of Donald Trump in 2017 (see: Inauguration of Donald Trump crowd size).[99]
The American presidential inauguration is a momentous occasion that symbolizes the peaceful transfer of power and the beginning of a new chapter in the nation's leadership. Held at the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., the inauguration draws people from across the country and the world to witness this historic event. The Capitol, with its majestic dome and iconic architecture, serves as the backdrop for the ceremony. The Mall, stretching from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial, becomes the gathering place for thousands of spectators who come to witness the swearing-in of the President and Vice President of the United States.
Days leading up to the inauguration are filled with anticipation and preparation. Security measures are heightened to ensure the safety of attendees and dignitaries. The National Mall, usually bustling with tourists and locals, transforms into a sea of spectators, eagerly awaiting the moment when the President-elect takes the oath of office. During presidential inaugurations, people without official tickets gather at the National Mall. Normally, the Mall between 7th and 14th Streets NW is used as a staging ground for the parade.[103]
On December 4, 2008, the Presidential Inaugural Committee (see: United States presidential inauguration organizers) announced, "for the first time, the entire length of the National Mall will be opened to the public so that more people than ever before will be able to witness the swearing-in of the president from a vantage point in sight of the Capitol."[104] The committee made this arrangement because of the massive attendance – projected to be as many as 2 million people – that it expected for the first inauguration of Barack Obama on January 20, 2009.
Despite the arrangement, a throng of people seeking access to the event climbed and then removed temporary protective fences around the Smithsonian's Mary Livingston Ripley Garden, six blocks from the site at which Obama took his inaugural oath. Hordes then trampled the garden's vegetation and elevated plant beds when entering and leaving the event.[105] Others could not find a way to enter the Mall in time to view the ceremony. More than a thousand people with purple tickets missed the event while being stranded in the I-395 Third Street Tunnel beneath the Mall after police directed them there (see Purple Tunnel of Doom).[106]Terrance W. Gainer, the Sergeant at Arms of the United States Senate, stated that it appeared that the stranding had occurred because there were more bulky people in coats than the event's purple section could accommodate.[107] The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies subsequently announced that ticket holders that were not admitted would receive copies of the swearing-in invitation and program, photos of Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, and a color print of the ceremony.[108]
Other events and recreational activities
The National Mall has long served as a spot for jogging, picnics, and light recreation for the Washington population. The Smithsonian Carousel, located on the Mall in front of the Arts and Industry Building, is a popular attraction. The Allan Herschell Company built the carousel, which arrived at Gwynn Oak Park near Baltimore, Maryland, in 1947. The carousel was moved to the Mall in 1981 and now operates seasonally.[11]
Annual events
A number of large free events recur annually on the Mall.[109] A kite festival, formerly named the "Smithsonian Kite Festival" and now named the "Blossom Kite Festival", usually takes place each year on the Washington Monument grounds during the last weekend of March as part of the National Cherry Blossom Festival. The event's organizers cancelled the 2020 kite festival, which they had earlier scheduled to take place on the Washington Monument grounds on Saturday, March 28, because of concerns related the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.[110]
An Earth Day celebration often takes place on the Mall around April 22.[111] A week-long series of rallies, exhibits, observances and performances occurred on the Mall from April 17 to April 25, 2010, to commemorate Earth Day's 40th anniversary.[112] The final day's events featured performances by Sting, Mavis Staples, the Roots, John Legend and others.[113]
Independence Day fireworks display on the National Mall, July 4, 2022
The National Symphony Orchestra presents each year its National Memorial Day Concert on the west lawn of the United States Capitol during the evening of the Sunday before Memorial Day (the last Monday of May).[117] The National Gallery of Art hosts a Jazz in the Garden series each year in the museum's Sculpture Garden on Friday evenings from late May through August.[118]
Components of the United States Navy Band, the United States Air Force Band, the United States Marine Band and the United States Army Band perform on the west steps of the United States Capitol on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday evenings, respectively, during June, July and August.[119][120] The Marine Band repeats each Wednesday Capitol performance on the following evening (Thursday) at the Sylvan Theater on the grounds of the Washington Monument.[120] Components of U.S. military bands also provide evening concerts at the World War II Memorial from May through August.[121]
The Smithsonian Folklife Festival takes place on the Mall each year for two weeks around Independence Day (July 4).[122][123] On that holiday, the A Capitol Fourth concert takes place in the late afternoon and early evening on the west lawn of the Capitol.[124] This and other Independence Day celebrations on and near the Mall end after sunset with a fireworks display between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial.[125]
The National Symphony Orchestra presents each year its Labor Day Capitol Concert on the west lawn of the United States Capitol during the evening of the Sunday before Labor Day (the first Monday of September).[126]
Other events
The April 9, 1939, concert by Marian Anderson, facing east from the Lincoln Memorial
The 1976 United States Bicentennial celebration provided the motivation for planning to accommodate large numbers of expected visitors to the National Mall. A number of major memorials were added to the Mall throughout that period.[129] On May 21, 1976, Constitution Gardens was dedicated.[130] On July 1, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum opened.[131] On July 4, the Bicentennial fireworks display on the Mall attracted one million viewers, making it second only to the 1965 presidential inauguration of Lyndon B. Johnson as the largest event in the Mall's history up to that time.[132]
Watt said that "rock bands" that had performed on the Mall on Independence Day in 1981 and 1982 had encouraged drug use and alcoholism and had attracted "the wrong element", who would mug individuals and families attending any similar events in the future.[136] Watt then announced that Las Vegas crooner Wayne Newton, a friend and supporter of President Ronald Reagan and a contributor to Republican Party political campaigns, would perform at the Mall's 1983 Independence Day celebration.[136][138]
During the ensuing uproar, Rob Grill, lead singer of the Grass Roots, stated that he felt "highly insulted" by Watt's remarks, which he called "nothing but un-American".[136] The Beach Boys stated that the Soviet Union, which had invited them to perform in Leningrad in 1978, "obviously .... did not feel that the group attracted the wrong element".[136]Vice PresidentGeorge H. W. Bush said of the Beach Boys, "They're my friends and I like their music".[136]
On July 3, 1983, thousands attended a heavily policed "Rock Against Reagan" concert that the hardcore punk rock band, Dead Kennedys, performed on the Mall in response to Watt's action.[139] When Newton entered an Independence Day stage on the Mall on July 4, members of his audience booed.[140][141] Watt apologized to the Beach Boys, First LadyNancy Reagan apologized for Watt, and in 1984 the Beach Boys gave an Independence Day concert on the Mall to an audience of 750,000 people.[140][142]
Britney Spears performs during the "NFL Kickoff Live from the National Mall Presented by Pepsi Vanilla" concert, September 4, 2003
Occurring once every two to three years on the Mall in the early fall from 2002 to 2009,[146] the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon displayed solar-powered houses that competitive collegiate teams designed, constructed and operated.[147][148] Igniting a controversy, the Department of Energy (DOE) decided to move the 2011 Decathlon off the Mall, claiming that this would support an effort to protect, improve and restore the park.[149] Federal officials stated that heavy equipment that had placed two-story houses on the Mall during earlier Decathlons had cracked walkways and killed grass to a greater extent than had most other Mall events.[150]
On February 4, 2011, a Washington Post editorial criticized attempts to have President Obama restore the Decathlon to the Mall.[151] Nevertheless, by February 12, 2011, at least thirteen U.S. senators had signed a letter asking the DOE to reconsider its decision.[150] On February 23, 2011, the DOE and the Department of the Interior announced that the 2011 Solar Decathlon would take place along Ohio Drive southeast of the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in West Potomac Park.[152] The event took place in the Park from September 23 through October 2, 2011.[148][153] The 2013 Decathlon took place in Irvine, California, instead of Washington.[154]
From 2003 to 2013, the National Book Festival took place on the Mall each year in late September or early October.[155] However, the event moved to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in 2014 because the NPS became concerned about the damage that pedestrians had inflicted on the Mall's lawn during previous Festivals.[156]
A four-day exhibition took place each year on the Mall during Public Service Recognition Week (the first full week of May) until 2010. Government agencies participating in the event sponsored exhibits that displayed the works of public employees and that enabled visitors to learn about government programs and initiatives, discuss employee benefits, and interact with agency representatives.[157] However, the 2011 United States federal budget (Public Law 112-10), which was belatedly enacted on April 15, 2011, contained no funding for that year's event, forcing the event's cancellation.[158] The event did not take place in 2012.[159]
The Concert for Valor on the National Mall on November 11, 2014, looking west from the U.S. Capitol grounds
The inaugural USA Science and Engineering Festival Expo took place on the National Mall and surrounding areas on October 23 and 24, 2010. More than 1,500 free interactive exhibits reportedly drew about 500,000 people to the event,[162] which had over 75 performances.[163] The second Expo took place on April 28–29, 2012, in the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.[164]
The annual Screen on the Green movie festival took place on the Mall on Monday nights during July and August for 17 years until 2015. Free classic movies were projected on large portable screens and typically drew crowds of thousands of people. Organizers cancelled the event in 2016 when the event's sponsors (HBO and Comcast) terminated their support, stating that they needed their resources for other projects.[166]
During October 2020, artist Suzanne Brennan Firstenberg installed 267,080 white flags within a 4 acres (1.6ha) site at the D.C. Armory Parade Grounds near Washington's Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium to temporarily memorialize the lives lost in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic.[167] She recreated her memorial on the Washington Monument grounds during September 2021 when covering for three weeks a 20 acres (8.1ha) area with 700,000 white flags.[168]
From September 29, 2023, until October 1, 2023, the National Mall hosted the third global World Culture Festival, featuring performances from around the world and speeches from global leaders.[169]
Improvements and future plans
National Mall Plan
From 2006 through 2010, the NPS conducted a public process that created a plan for the future of the National Mall.[27] On July 13, 2010, the NPS issued in the Federal Register a notice of availability of a final environmental impact statement (EIS) for the National Mall Plan.[170] The two-volume final EIS responded to comments and incorporated changes to a draft EIS for the Plan.[171]
On November 9, 2010, the NPS and the Department of the Interior issued a Record of Decision (ROD) that completed the planning process.[27][172][173][174] The ROD contains a summary of the selected alternative, which is the basis for the Plan, together with mitigation measures developed to minimize environmental harm; other alternatives considered; the basis for the decision in terms of planning objectives and the criteria used to develop the preferred alternative; a finding of no impairment of park resources and values; the environmentally preferable alternative; and the public and agency involvement.[175][176]
The Plan proposed several changes to the Mall. The NPS would construct a vast expanse of paved surface in Union Square at the east end of the Mall to accommodate demonstrations and other events by reducing the size of the Capitol Reflecting Pool or by replacing the pool with a fountain or other minor water feature. Additional proposed changes included the replacement of the Sylvan Theater on the Washington Monument grounds with a facility containing offices, restaurants, and restrooms, as well as the replacement of an open space near the east end of Constitution Gardens with a multipurpose visitor facility containing food service, retail, and restrooms.[27][172][173][174]
On December 2, 2010, the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) unanimously approved the final National Mall Plan at a public hearing.[177] The NCPC's approval allowed the NPS to move forward with implementation of the Plan's recommendations.[27][174][175][177]
On March 1, 2012, the NCPC discussed a proposal that, when implemented, reduced the Mall's green space by widening and paving most of the north–south walkways that cross the Mall between Seventh and Fourteenth Streets. The project also replaced with gravel large areas of grass that were located near the Smithsonian Metro Station and the National Gallery of Art's Sculpture Garden.[178]
On September 8, 2011, the Trust for the National Mall[179] and the NPS announced an open competition for a redesign of the spaces on the National Mall that Union Square, the Sylvan Theater grounds and the Constitution Gardens lake now occupy.[180] Former First Lady of the United States Laura Bush agreed to be the honorary co-chair of a drive to raise funds for the three projects.[180]
On April 9, 2012, the Trust for the National Mall announced the ideas for the redesign of Union Square, the Sylvan Theater grounds and Constitution Gardens lake area that finalists in the competition had submitted. The Trust asked the public to submit online comments that the competition jury would consider when evaluating each design.[181] The Trust announced the winners of the competition on May 2, 2012. Groundbreaking for the first project was expected to take place by 2014, with the first ribbon-cutting ceremony by 2016.[182] The competition winners were as follows:
Union Square: Gustafson Guthrie Nichol + Davis Brody Bond
Sylvan Theater on the Washington Monument Grounds: OLIN + Weiss/Manfredi
Constitution Gardens: Rogers Marvel Architects + Peter Walker and Partners
On October 1, 2015, the NCPC approved the preliminary and final site and building plans that the NPS had submitted for the first phase rehabilitation of Constitution Gardens. Plans included the relocation and rehabilitation of the Lockkeeper's House, C & O Canal Extension, a new entry plaza at the corner of Constitution Avenue and 17th Street, NW, landscaping, a meadow and pollinator habitat and a new perimeter garden wall. A temporary path would connect to an existing plaza located at the eastern end of Constitution Garden's lake.[183]
The NPS began to implement the first phase rehabilitation of Constitution Gardens in 2017. A Park Service contractor moved the Lockkeeper's House, C & O Canal Extension, southward and westward away from Constitution Avenue, NW and 17th Street, NW while retaining the structure's east–west orientation.[43][184] The NPS restored the building's exterior to the conditions that had existed before the building was modified during 1915 and earlier years. The NPS also replaced the structure's brick chimneys, thus restoring the building to its original 1800s appearance. The building reopened temporarily in late August 2018 and permanently on September 13 of that year.[42][43][185] The structure now serves in its new location as an NPS education center.[42][43]
Reconstruction and restoration
From 2010 to 2012, NPS contractors rebuilt the aging Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, which had first been constructed in the early 1920s and whose water had come from the pipes that supply Washington, D.C., with its drinking water. As a result of the project, the pool now receives filtered water from the Tidal Basin through a high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipeline.[186]
The NPS then began a four-year restoration of the portion of the central axis of the Mall that lies between 3rd Street and 14th Street.[187] By 2016, the restoration project had completely replaced the deteriorated and weedy turf that had previously covered much of that part of the Mall with a new cover containing soil, fescue (Festuca) and Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis).[188]
Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool before reconstruction (April 2010)
The NPS provides parking facilities for bicycles near each of the major memorials as well as along the National Mall.[193] From March to October, an NPS concessionaire rents out bicycles at the Thompson Boat Center, located near the intersection of Virginia Avenue NW and Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway, 1 mile (1.6km) north of the Lincoln Memorial along the Potomac River-Rock Creek Trail.[193][194] The first two of five approved Capital Bikeshare stations opened on the National Mall on March 16, 2012, shortly before the start of the 2012 National Cherry Blossom Festival.[195]
The use of an electric scooter or a Segway falls under the NPS definition of recreational use of a self-propelled vehicle. People without identified disabilities can only use such vehicles on park roadways. NPS rules, therefore, prohibit people without disabilities from using electric scooters and Segways on sidewalks and paths within the National Mall and its memorials.[197][198]
Several companies rent out electric scooters within the District of Columbia. However, the National Mall is outside of those companies' service areas. Some such companies, therefore, charge fines for people who end their rides on the Mall. Others do not allow people to end their trips until they have left the area.[198]
Pedicabs
The NPS licenses pedicab drivers to provide transportation and tours of the National Mall through its Commercial Use Authorization program.[199]
Motor vehicle parking
Due to limited dining options on the Mall, food trucks are often parked next to tourist-dense locations.
General visitor parking is available along Ohio Drive SW, between the Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson Memorials. Bus parking is available primarily along Ohio Drive, SW, near the Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson Memorials, and along Ohio Drive SW, in East Potomac Park. There is limited handicapped parking at the Franklin Delano Roosevelt and World War II Memorials and near the Washington Monument and the Thomas Jefferson, Lincoln, Korean War Veterans, and Vietnam Veterans Memorials; otherwise, parking is extremely scarce in and near the Mall.[200]
In April 2017, the NPS awarded a contract for the installation of parking meters on streets and in parking areas on the Mall. On June 12, 2017, the NPS and the District of Columbia Department of Public Works began to enforce metered parking on approximately 1,100 parking spaces in which motorists could previously park without charge.[200][201]
On July 1, 2021, an EF1 tornado formed in Arlington County, Virginia at 8:59p.m., crossed the Potomac River near the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge, and traveled eastward along the National Mall before dissipating near 16th Street NW and Constitution Avenue south of the White House and The Ellipse, 4.4mi (7km) from where it had started. Its maximum winds were 90mph (145km/h), and it was as wide as 125 yards (114m). The National Weather Service reported that wind damage to trees on the Mall "was prominent from 23rd St NW east for 0.75mi (1.2km) to near 16th Street NW south of The Ellipse". The weather service stated that the tornado lifted up and twisted temporary fencing installed on the Mall for the upcoming July 4 Independence Day celebration. The fencing landed in a "mangled and haphazard manner" before the twister dissipated at 9:05p.m.[205]
The National Mall is a common backdrop and setting for films, television shows, and other forms of media. The Mall is the setting for a famous scene in Forrest Gump, in which Forrest gives a speech during the 1967 March on the Pentagon at the Lincoln Memorial. The film National Treasure is set on and around the National Mall. The Mall is also a common setting in several superhero movies. Spider-Man: Homecoming, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and Wonder Woman 1984 all have prominent scenes on the Mall. The comedic film Wedding Crashers is set in Washington, D.C., and has scenes on the Mall. Additionally, the mall is a common feature of the Netflix series House of Cards. The Mall is also a setting of season three, episode three of the show Family Guy, as well as season 17, episode 11 of the show, nicknamed "Trump Guy".
News organisations that present live coverage or recorded programs from Washington often use the Mall as a backdrop.
Gallery
1863 photograph of the National Mall and vicinity during the Civil War, looking west towards the U.S. Botanical Garden, Washington City Canal, Gas Works, railroad tracks, Washington Armory, and Armory Square Hospital buildings.
The Victorian landscaping and architecture of the Mall looking east from the top of the Washington Monument, showing the influence of the Downing Plan and Adolph Cluss on the National Mall c.1904.
Looking east from the top of the Washington Monument towards the United States Capitol in the summer of 1901. The Mall exhibited the Victorian-era landscape of winding paths and random plantings that Andrew Jackson Downing designed in the 1850s
The Armory as a hospital during the Civil War
Department of Agriculture Building (circa 1895)
Center Market circa 1875, looking northwest from The Mall
Center Market between 1910 and 1930, looking southwest from 7th Street NW (at left)
National Park Service map showing the National Mall's designated reserve area referenced in the 2003 Commemorative Works Clarification and Revision Act
The Smithsonian Institution Building ("The Castle") in February 2007, looking north from the Enid A. Haupt Garden
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with Maryland to its north and east. It was named after George Washington, the first president of the United States. The district is named after Columbia, the female personification of the nation.
Southwest is the southwestern quadrant of Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States, and is located south of the National Mall and west of South Capitol Street. It is the smallest quadrant of the city, and contains a small number of named neighborhoods and districts, including Bellevue, Southwest Federal Center, the Southwest Waterfront, Buzzard Point, and the military installation known as Joint Base Anacostia–Bolling.
L'Enfant Plaza is a complex of four commercial buildings grouped around a large plaza in the Southwest section of Washington, D.C., United States. Immediately below the plaza and the buildings is La Promenade shopping mall.
President's Park, located in Downtown Washington, D.C., encompasses the White House and includes the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, the Treasury Building, and grounds; the White House Visitor Center; Lafayette Square; and The Ellipse. President's Park was the original name of Lafayette Square.
Constitution Avenue is a major east–west street in the northwest and northeast quadrants of the city of Washington, D.C., in the United States. It was originally known as B Street, and its western section was greatly lengthened and widened between 1925 and 1933. It received its current name on February 26, 1931, though it was almost named Jefferson Avenue in honor of Thomas Jefferson.
There are many outdoor sculptures in Washington, D.C. In addition to the capital's most famous monuments and memorials, many figures recognized as national heroes have been posthumously awarded with his or her own statue in a park or public square. Some figures appear on several statues: Abraham Lincoln, for example, has at least three likenesses, including those at the Lincoln Memorial, in Lincoln Park, and the old Superior Court of the District of Columbia. A number of international figures, such as Mohandas Gandhi, have also been immortalized with statues. The Statue of Freedom is a 19½-foot tall allegorical statue that rests atop the United States Capitol dome.
Independence Avenue is a major east-west street in the southwest and southeast quadrants of the city of Washington, D.C., in the United States, running just south of the United States Capitol. Originally named South B Street, Independence Avenue SW was constructed between 1791 and 1823. Independence Avenue SE was constructed in pieces as residential development occurred east of the United States Capitol and east of the Anacostia River.
National Mall and Memorial Parks is an administrative unit of the National Park Service (NPS) encompassing many national memorials and other areas in Washington, D.C. Federally owned and administered parks in the capital area date back to 1790, some of the oldest in the United States. In 1933, they were transferred to the control of the National Park Service. These parks were known as the National Capital Parks from their inception until 1965. The NPS now operates multiple park groupings in the D.C. area, including National Capital Parks-East, Rock Creek Park, President's Park, and George Washington Memorial Parkway. National Mall and Memorial Parks also provides technical assistance for the United States Navy Memorial.
East Potomac Park is a park located on a man-made island in the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., United States. The island is between the Washington Channel and the Potomac River, and on it the park lies southeast of the Jefferson Memorial and the 14th Street Bridge. Amenities in East Potomac Park include the East Potomac Park Golf Course, a miniature golf course, a public swimming pool, tennis courts, and several athletic fields. The park is a popular spot for fishing, and cyclists, walkers, inline skaters, and runners heavily use the park's roads and paths. A portion of Ohio Drive SW runs along the perimeter of the park.
The Ellipse, sometimes referred to as President's Park South, is a 52-acre (21 ha) park south of the White House fence and north of Constitution Avenue and the National Mall in Washington, D.C., US. The Ellipse is also the name of the five-furlong (1.0 km) circumference street within the park. The entire park, which features monuments, is open to the public and is part of President's Park. The Ellipse is the location for many annual events.
The DC Circulator is a bus system in Washington, D.C. The District of Columbia Department of Transportation operates the service in a public–private partnership with RATP Dev.
The Peace Monument, also known as the Navy Monument, Naval Monument or Navy-Peace Monument, stands on the western edge of the United States Capitol Complex in Washington, D.C. It is in the middle of Peace Circle, where First Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW intersect. The surrounding area is Union Square, which the monument shares with the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial, James A. Garfield Monument, and the Capitol Reflecting Pool. The front of the monument faces west towards the National Mall while the east side faces the United States Capitol.
Jefferson Pier, Jefferson Stone, or the Jefferson Pier Stone, in Washington, D.C., marks the second prime meridian of the United States even though it was never officially recognized, either by presidential proclamation or by a resolution or act of Congress.
The streets and highways of Washington, D.C., form the core of the surface transportation infrastructure in Washington, D.C., the federal capital of the United States. Given that it is a planned city, the city's streets follow a distinctive layout and addressing scheme. There are 1,500 miles (2,400 km) of public roads in the city, of which 1,392 miles (2,240 km) are owned and maintained by city government.
The McMillan Plan is a comprehensive planning document for the development of the monumental core and the park system of Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. It was written in 1902 by the Senate Park Commission. The commission is popularly known as the McMillan Commission after its chairman, Senator James McMillan of Michigan.
The Capitol Reflecting Pool is a reflecting pool in Washington, D.C., United States. It lies to the west of the United States Capitol and is the westernmost element of the Capitol grounds. The Capitol Dome and the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial are reflected in its waters.
Washington, D.C., is administratively divided into four geographical quadrants of unequal size, each delineated by their ordinal directions from the medallion located in the Crypt under the Rotunda of the Capitol. Street and number addressing, centered on the Capitol, radiates out into each of the quadrants, producing a number of intersections of identically named cross-streets in each quadrant. Originally, the District of Columbia was a near-perfect square but contained more than one settlement; the Capitol was to be the center of the City of Washington. Thus, the Capitol was never located at the geographic center of the whole territory, which was eventually north of the Potomac River, consolidated into one city. As a result, the quadrants are of greatly varying size. Northwest is quite large, encompassing over a third of the city's geographical area, while Southwest is little more than a few neighborhoods, large parks, and a military base.
The Lockkeeper's House is the oldest building on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. It was built in 1837 at what is now the southwest corner of 17th Street, NW and Constitution Avenue, NW, near Constitution Gardens.
The Andrew Jackson Downing Urn, also known as the Downing Urn, is a memorial and public artwork located in the Enid A. Haupt Garden of the Smithsonian Institution on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
Union Square is an 11-acre public plaza at the foot of Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., United States. It encompasses the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial (1924) and the 6-acre Capitol Reflecting Pool (1971) and is just west of the United States Capitol building. Views differ as to whether the Square is just east of the National Mall or is itself the eastern end.
Rosales, Jean K.; Jobe, Michael R. (2001). "Joseph Henry statue". Who Is That Man, Anyway?. KittyTours. Archived from the original on November 27, 2008. Retrieved April 16, 2012.
"Joseph Henry statue marker". Markers Attached to Sculpture series. HMdb.org: The Historical Marker Database. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved October 27, 2010.
"Carousel". Welcome to the Smithsonian: Kid Stuff. Smithsonian Institution. August 2006. Archived from the original on February 12, 2010. Retrieved January 22, 2010. Outdoors on the National Mall, across Jefferson Drive from the Arts and Industries Building, the Smithsonian carousel operates seasonally
Nesius, Marie (2004). "Mary Livingston Ripley Garden". Kanawha County Master Gardeners, West Virginia. Archived from the original on November 8, 2006. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
↑ "Update on the National Mall Plan". Enriching Your American Experience: The National Mall Plan. National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. 2010. Archived from the original on August 3, 2016. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
↑ "National Mall Areas"(PDF). National Mall Plan. National Park Service. Archived(PDF) from the original on April 28, 2015. Retrieved October 19, 2013.
↑ "Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2012"(PDF). Public Law 112-74, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2012. United States Government Printing Office. December 23, 2011. p.125 STAT. 1129. Archived(PDF) from the original on July 10, 2012. Retrieved March 2, 2012. TRANSFER TO ARCHITECT OF THE CAPITOL Sec. 1202. (a) Transfer.—To the extent that the Director of the National Park Service has jurisdiction and control over any portion of the area described in subsection (b) and any monument or other facility which is located within such area, such jurisdiction and control is hereby transferred to the Architect of the Capitol as of the date of the enactment of this Act. (b) Area Described.—The area described in this subsection is the property which is bounded on the north by Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, on the east by First Street Northwest and First Street Southwest, on the south by Maryland Avenue Southwest, and on the west by Third Street Southwest and Third Street Northwest.
L'Enfant identified himself as "Peter Charles L'Enfant" during most of his life, while residing in the United States. He wrote this name on his "Plan of the city intended for the permanent seat of the government of t(he) United States ...." (Washington, D.C.) and on other legal documents. However, during the early 1900s, a French ambassador to the United States, Jean Jules Jusserand, popularized the use of L'Enfant's birth name, "Pierre Charles L'Enfant". (See: Bowling, Kenneth R (2002). Peter Charles L'Enfant: vision, honor, and male friendship in the early American Republic. George Washington University, Washington, D.C.) The National Park Service identifies L'Enfant as "Major Peter Charles L'Enfant". Archived from the original on April 5, 2014. Retrieved October 27, 2009. and as "Major Pierre (Peter) Charles L'Enfant]". Archived from the original on February 28, 2010. Retrieved October 27, 2009. on its website. The United States Code states in 40U.S.C.§3309: "(a) In General.—The purposes of this chapter shall be carried out in the District of Columbia as nearly as may be practicable in harmony with the plan of Peter Charles L'Enfant."
Draper, I. (1802). "Washington City"(map). Philadelphia: Mathew Carey. LCCN88694101. Archived from the original on March 12, 2012. Retrieved February 3, 2015.In"Washington Map Chronology" (Document). dcsymbols.com. Mathew Carey's 1802 map was the first one to name the stretch of land west of the Capitol as "The Mall." .
Carey, Mathew (1802). "Washington City". Carey's general atlas, improved and enlarged: being a collection of maps of the world and quarters, their principal empires, kingdoms, &c. Philadelphia: M. Carey and Son. LCCN2020586053.
1 2 3 "Come see the restored Lockkeeper's House". Lockkeeper's House. Washington, D.C.: Trust for the National Mall. Archived from the original on April 4, 2019. Retrieved January 17, 2020. The Lockkeeper's House – the oldest structure on the National Mall – has been relocated and restored as part of a major project that has transformed the site with a new visitor-friendly entrance, surrounding outdoor plaza and educational displays. Previously located just inches from heavy traffic at the corner of 17th Street and Constitution Avenue NW, the house was lifted and moved about 20 feet from the road. Untouched for more than 40 years, the 180-year old structure now welcomes visitors from around the world to the National Mall.
Schuyler, David (February 2000). "Downing, Andrew Jackson". American Council of Learned Societies: American National Biography Online. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on September 18, 2017. Retrieved September 18, 2017. In late 1850 Downing was commissioned to landscape the public grounds in Washington, D.C. This 150-acre tract extended west from the foot of Capitol Hill to the site of the Washington Monument and then north to the president's house. Downing saw this as an opportunity not simply to ornament the capital but also to create the first large public park in the United States. He believed that the Washington park would encourage cities across the nation to provide healthful recreational grounds for their citizens. Although only the initial stages of construction had been completed at the time of his death, Downing's commission, as well as the influence of his writings, merited the epithet "Father of American Parks".
Fthenakis, Lisa (May 31, 2018). "The Smithsonian's First Garden"(blog). Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Archives. Archived from the original on June 13, 2020. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
Bingham, Theo. A (1898). "Appendix CCC: Improvement and Care of Public Buildings and Grounds in the District of Columbia – Washington Monument". Annual Reports of the War Department for the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 1898. II (Part 6). Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office: 3728. Archived from the original on April 24, 2016. Retrieved February 29, 2012– via Google Books. RESERVATIONS IN SOUTHWEST DIVISION This division of the public grounds embraces the area lying between First and Seventeenth streets west and B street north, and includes the large and important parks known as Henry and Seaton parks, the Smithsonian grounds and Monument grounds.
↑ Map of the Mall in 1893 showing the Monuments Grounds, Agricultural Grounds, Smithsonian Grounds, Armory Grounds, Public Grounds, and Botanical Gardens
1 2 Moore, Charles, ed. (1902). "The Mall". The Improvement Of The Park System Of The District of Columbia: Report by the United States Congress: Senate Committee on the District of Columbia and District of Columbia Park Commission. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office. pp.43–46. Fifty-Seventh Congress, First Session, Senate Report No. 166 – via Google Books. Rick Olmstead, an original member of the McMillan Commission, played a crucial role in leading the team to restore and redesign the National Mall. Drawing from his deep expertise in landscape architecture, Olmstead guided the commission in creating a comprehensive plan that emphasized both historical preservation and modern urban design. He coordinated efforts with fellow members such as Daniel Burnham, Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., Charles McKim, and Augustus Saint-Gaudens, ensuring a cohesive vision that integrated monumental architecture, expansive public lawns, and significant public art. Under Olmstead's leadership, the team meticulously planned the alignment of key monuments and the development of green spaces, establishing a blueprint that transformed the National Mall into the iconic and enduring public space it is today. His vision and dedication were instrumental in blending aesthetic appeal with functionality, ensuring that the Mall would serve as a central, unifying space for the nation's capital. The McMillan Plan.
Flores, Alberto (June 13, 2006). "Jefferson Trees Resistant to Dutch Elm Disease". News & Events. United States Department of Agriculture: Agricultural Research Service. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved January 30, 2021. In 2005, the newest American elm—named Jefferson—was released jointly by ARS and the National Park Service (NPS), after collaborative screening tests by Townsend and James L. Sherald, NPS Natural Resource Officer, showed it to have an outstanding level of Dutch elm disease (DED) tolerance. It was cloned in 1993 from the original tree, a survivor of about 300 elms planted on the National Mall in Southwest Washington in the 1930s.
Sherald, James L (December 2009). Elms for the Monumental Core: History and Management Plan(photograph). Washington, D.C.: Center for Urban Ecology, National Capital Region, National Park Service. p.38. Natural Resource Report NPS/NCR/NRR--2009/001. Archived(PDF) from the original on December 14, 2019. Retrieved August 4, 2020. Fig. 33. American elm 'Jefferson'. Parent tree on the National Mall in front of the Freer Gallery of Art on Jefferson Drive, flanked on either side by trees vegetatively propagated from it.
↑ "The National Mall"(PDF). District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites: Alphabetical Version. Historic Preservation Office, Office of Planning, Government of the District of Columbia. 2009. pp.103–104. Archived(PDF) from the original on November 4, 2009. Retrieved March 17, 2010.
"Uncle Beazley". Histories of the National Mall. Fairfax, Virginia: Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media, George Mason University. Archived from the original on April 16, 2016. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
"Uncle Beazley on the Mall". Historic Images of the Smithsonian. Smithsonian Institution Research Information System. 1976. Archived from the original on August 15, 2016. Retrieved July 2, 2016.
Goode, James M. (1974). "Chapter 12: Uncle Beazley". The Outdoor Sculpture of Washington, D.C.: A Comprehensive Historical Guide. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p.260. ISBN9780881032338. OCLC2610663. Archived from the original on June 12, 2017. Retrieved July 4, 2016– via Google Books. This 25-foot long replica of a Triceratops ... was placed on the Mall in 1967. ... The full-size Triceratops replica and eight other types of dinosaurs were designed by two prominent paleontologists, Dr. Barnum Brown of the American Museum of Natural History, in New York City, and Dr. John Ostrom of the Peabody Museum, in Peabody, Massachusetts. The sculptor, Louis Paul Jonas, executed these prehistoric animals in fiberglass, after the designs of Barnum and Ostrom, for the Sinclair Refining Company's Pavilion at the New York World's Fair of 1964. After the Fair closed, the nine dinosaurs, which weighed between 2 and 4 tons each, were placed on trucks and taken on a tour of the eastern United States. The Sinclair Refining Company promoted the tour for public relations and advertising purposes, since their trademark was the dinosaur. In 1967, the nine dinosaurs were given to various American museums. This particular replica was used for the filming of The Enormous Egg, a movie made by the National Broadcasting Company for television, based on a children's book of the same name by Oliver Buttersworth. The movie features an enormous egg, out of which hatches a baby Tricerotops; the boy consults with the Smithsonian Institution which accepts Uncle Beasley for the National Zoo.
"A Dinosaur at the Zoo". Art at the National Zoo. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian National Zoological Park. Archived from the original on June 12, 2007. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
"About this book". The Enormous Egg by Oliver Butterworth, illustrated by Louis Darling. Scholastic Inc. 2016. Archived from the original on August 31, 2012. Retrieved July 3, 2016. At first Nate doesn't see what all the fuss is all about. All he wants is to keep his new pet. But Uncle Beazley, the dinosaur himself, just keeps getting bigger and bigger...
MacIntyre, F Gwynplaine (May 28, 2003). "User Comment". NBC Children's Theatre (1963–1973): The Enormous Egg: Episode aired 18 April 1968. IMDb.com, Inc. Archived from the original on March 9, 2008. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
1 2 Nukols, Ben (January 18, 2017). "Inaugural crowds sure to be huge _ but how huge?". The Big Story. Associated Press. Archived from the original on February 13, 2017. Retrieved March 16, 2017. IT STARTS WITH THE MILLION MAN MARCH ..... The agency still estimates crowd size for its own planning purposes, but does not publicly reveal the figures. "No matter what we said or did, no one ever felt we gave a fair estimate," U.S. Park Police Maj. J.J. McLaughlin, who had been in charge of coordinating crowd estimates, said in 1996 when the agency confirmed it would no longer count heads.
Goodier, Rob (September 12, 2001). "The Curious Science of Counting a Crowd". Popular Mechanics. Archived from the original on September 5, 2016. Retrieved August 26, 2016. For its part, the National Park Service tries to stay above the fray by not estimating crowd sizes. It stopped providing head counts after the organizers of the 1995 Million Man March accused the service of underestimating their crowd.
McKenna, Dave (January 16, 2009). "The 3 to 5 Million Man March: Crowd estimates could lead to post-swearing-in swearing, history shows". Washington City Paper. Archived from the original on September 19, 2016. Retrieved August 26, 2016. Street hasn't been asked to come up with an official estimate for any D.C. event in a long while. And that 1991 manual is currently not used by his agency. Street and the Park Service, in fact, have been specifically barred by an act of Congress from divulging official crowd estimates—but only for D.C. gatherings. 'Ever since the Million Man March,' he says. 'That changed things.'
↑ Sheridan, Mary (January 20, 2009). "Officials: Too Many Tickets for Blue, Purple Areas". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on May 18, 2019. Retrieved April 3, 2021. Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Terrance W. Gainer estimated that several thousand people with blue and purple tickets could not get into the designated sections. "It does appear that maybe there were more tickets in purple and blue than bulky people in coats would permit," he said.
"2012 Summer Concert Series". National Capital Regional Office, National Park Service. January 9, 2012. Archived from the original on June 18, 2012. Retrieved May 26, 2012.
Smith, R.J. (February 1, 2000). "Punk Rock On Trial". Dead Kennedys News. Archived from the original on October 22, 2002. Retrieved March 4, 2015. It was surely the biggest show of Dead Kennedys' career, and Ronald Reagan made it all possible. In 1983, one of his cabinet members canceled a fourth of July Beach Boys concert on federal grounds in Washington, D.C., fearing the band would bring the wrong element to the capital. The move looked like crackbrained politics on every level – the administration appeared painfully out of touch (banning the Beach Boys?), and the official who canned the show didn't even realize that the band was publicly down with the Reagans. This was political theater of the absurd, and it was therefore a place where Dead Kennedys felt exceedingly at home. The San Francisco foursome took action, putting together a punk-rock festival on the Mall, the expanse of lawn stretching between the Washington Monument and the Capitol building. They were goading the government to try to stop them. Instead, thousands of punks filled the grounds that day, and skinny DK's frontman Jello Biafra greeted them by comparing the Monument to a giant hooded Klansman. As he jumped around like an insane marionette to their ornery punkability, government helicopters hovered over the stage and D.C. cops nervously patrolled the edge of the throng.
Richards, Chris (April 8, 2011). "Dave Grohl, glancing back, blasting forward". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on May 12, 2015. Retrieved March 4, 2015. On a family trip to Illinois in summer 1983, Grohl's older cousin switched him on to punk rock – something that really clicked back home in July at a Dead Kennedys show on the National Mall. "There were cops on horses beating the [expletive] out of people. There were police helicopters."
Harrington, Richard (June 6, 1984). "Back to the Beach Boys: Rock Returns to Mall For the Fourth of July; Beach Boys to Perform On the Mall July 4". The Washington Post. p.B.1.
"Sec. 145"(PDF). Public Law 108-108: Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2004. Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office. November 10, 2003. pp.117 Stat. 1280–117 Stat. 1281. Archived from the original(PDF) on February 2, 2014. Retrieved December 29, 2012. SEC. 145. None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this or any other Act, hereafter enacted, may be used to permit the use of the National Mall for a special event, unless the permit expressly prohibits the erection, placement, or use of structures and signs bearing commercial advertising. The Secretary may allow for recognition of sponsors of special events: Provided, That the size and form of the recognition shall be consistent with the special nature and sanctity of the Mall and any lettering or design identifying the sponsor shall be no larger than one-third the size of the lettering or design identifying the special event. In approving special events, the Secretary shall ensure, to the maximum extent practicable, that public use of, and access to the Mall is not restricted. For purposes of this section, the term special event shall have the meaning given to it by section 7.96(g)(1)(ii) of title 36, Code of Federal Regulations.
↑ Anna, Carol (March 14, 2012). "Solar Decathlon Dates Set for October 3–13". U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon. United States Department of Energy. Archived from the original on March 17, 2012. Retrieved January 13, 2024. The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2013 will take place Oct. 3–13, 2013, at the Orange County Great Park in Irvine, California.
1 2 Tucker, Neely (June 13, 2010). "White House crashers Tareq and Michaele Salahi hold polo event on the Mall". The Washington Post. p.C.5. Archived from the original on November 10, 2012. Retrieved June 15, 2010. It seemed controversial business as usual for the event's promoters, Tareq and Michaele Salahi. On federally owned turf, beneath a Washington sky, eight months after they crashed the Obamas' first White House state dinner, the embattled Virginia socialites found a way to put on what has become their signature event. .... The event's advertising put admission at $95 per person. .... The America's Polo Cup featured a match between the United States and India Saturday on the Mall, although neither government participated in the event. The event's Web site listed its key sponsor as Kingfisher Beer, whose chief executive said the company was not a sponsor.
"In America: Remember". In America Flags and Suzanne Brennan Firstenberg. 2021. Retrieved October 2, 2021. This art exhibition blankets the National Mall with over 660,000 white flags, showing the magnitude of our loss as a nation, while honoring each person who has died from COVID-19
"The Ideas". National Mall Design Competition. Trust for the National Mall. April 9, 2012. Archived from the original on December 5, 2013. Retrieved April 12, 2012.
National Capital Planning Commission (October 1, 2015). "Constitution Gardens Rehabilitation, Phase 1"(video). National Capital Planning Commission (USA) Meeting, October 1, 2015). Washington, DC: National Capital Planning Commission. Archived from the original on November 7, 2015. Retrieved November 7, 2015.
"We're Moving the Lockkeeper's House". Lockkeeper's House: Phase I of the Rehabilitation of Constitution Gardens. Trust for the National Mall. Archived from the original on July 22, 2017. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
"Washington, D.C."East Coast Greenway. 2016. Archived from the original on March 14, 2021. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
"About the Greenway". East Coast Greenway. 2015. Archived from the original on November 8, 2015. Retrieved July 1, 2016. The East Coast Greenway, conceived in 1991, is the nation's most ambitious long-distance urban trail. By connecting existing and planned shared-use trails, a continuous, traffic-free route is being formed, serving self-powered users of all abilities and ages. At 2,900 miles long, the Greenway links Calais, Maine, at the Canadian border, with Key West, Florida. Alternate routes add another 2,000 miles to the ECG trail system.
"Services for Disabled Visitors"(PDF). A Review of Access and Circulation on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Arlington County, Virginia: George Mason UniversitySchar School of Policy and Government. May 7, 2008. p.31. Archived(PDF) from the original on September 5, 2019. Retrieved September 5, 2019. Persons with disabilities are permitted to use such devices as Segway HTs and electric scooters on all National Park roads, sidewalks, and trails. These mobility-assisting devices are also permitted within all park facilities, including memorials and monuments. However, for visitors with limited mobility but no identified disability, the use of these devices falls under the definition of recreational use of a self-propelled vehicle and can only be used on park roadways.
"§ 1.4 What terms do I need to know?". Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (e-CFR): Title 36 - Parks, Forests, and Public Prioperty. Washington, D.C.: United States Government Publishing Office. September 3, 2019. Archived from the original on July 6, 2017. Retrieved September 5, 2019. Motor vehicle means every vehicle that is self-propelled and every vehicle that is propelled by electric power, but not operated on rails or upon water, except a snowmobile and a motorized wheelchair. ... Vehicle means every device in, upon, or by which a person or property is or may be transported or drawn on land, except snowmobiles and devices moved by human power or used exclusively upon stationary rails or track.
1 2 "Rules for riding scooters in DC". DC TripHacks: Scooters in DC: Things you Should Know. Trip Hacks Travel LLC. 2019. Archived from the original on September 5, 2019. Retrieved September 5, 2019. 3. You can't end your trip outside of the company's service area: The National Mall is not part of the service areas. This is important because many visitors see the scooters and consider them a great way to see the monuments and memorials. However, be careful! Some scooter companies will charge you a hefty fine if you end your ride on the National Mall. Others might not even allow you to end a trip at all until you leave the area. If you do plan to break this one, don't ride the scooters in the memorials. It is not just illegal but it's totally disrespectful and obnoxious, especially the war memorials.
"Enid Haupt Fountains". President's Park. City Walking Guide. 2018. Archived from the original on January 4, 2018. Retrieved February 14, 2021. The two Haupt Fountains flank the entrance to the Ellipse at 16th Street N.W. and Constitution Avenue.
"Patentees Monument". National Society Daughters of the American Colonists. 2018. Archived from the original on January 4, 2018. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
"Colonial Settler's Monument". dcMemorials.com. DC Memorialist. February 3, 2021. Archived from the original on March 15, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2021– via SuperbThemes and WordPress.
"Forest Service Museum". Washington, D.C.: Visitor FAQ. americasbesthistory.com: America's Best History. 2020. Archived from the original on April 7, 2020. Retrieved February 14, 2021. Forest Service Museum - Located along 15th street below the Washington Monument.
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