The lovely architecture of Washington DC abounds in neoclassical design, echoing Ancient Greek and Roman styles that were popular in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Many of these buildings, as well as the avenues and roads that connect them, were largely from the imagination of Pierre Charles L’Enfant, a French volunteer for the American side of the Revolutionary War. However, L’Enfant’s uncompromising ways got him kicked off the job, and it was only in the early 20th century that Washington DC took on the famous look that it has now.
Here, you see a snippet of the Mall, the long rectangular grassy area that lines the space between Congress to the White House and beyond. In the lower right image, you can see the street outline planned by L’Enfant. Inspired by the ideals of equality and democracy, L’Enfant broke from tradition by having Capitol Hill be much larger than the “President’s”(ie, White) House. L’Enfant also planned for the important diagonal avenues to radiate out from Capitol Hill — these would be named after the states, and would cut through the streets that otherwise made a grid design.
But many of the wealthiest denizens of DC grew upset when L’Enfant tore over one rich person’s house to clear space for an avenue, and resented the way he delayed creating a map for the sale of vacant lots (he was worried about a land grab). Faced with increasing hostility, the architect eventually resigned.
And so, for over 100 years, Washington DC remained mostly rustic, with cows grazing on the Mall and loud trains interrupting Congressional debates. Finally, Congress set up the McMillan Commission in 1901 to finish the job that L’Enfant began. You can see an image of the plan that the Commission created in the upper-right hand corner. These folks mostly stuck to L’Enfant’s vision of having the Mall accessible to all people. Many of the monuments and the level green space of the Mall came from this time.
However, the huge waterfall that L’Enfant had wanted to flow down Capitol Hill did not make the final cut.
Sources: _Smithsonian Magazine _ “A brief history of Pierre L’Enfant and Washington, D.C.,” Kenneth R. Fletcher. National Park Service, “The L’Enfant plan,” by Charles LeeDecker.
