Every visitor to Washington
becomes familiar with the National Mall. Most of the Smithsonian’s Museums and
galleries surround the Mall, and some of the best views of the Capitol and Washington
Monument are available from the Mall’s lawn.
When Pierre L’Enfant, Washington D.C
‘s original designer envisioned the city, he pictured spacious avenues and gardens
that would grace the Capitol of an emerging nation. One of the centerpieces of the city
was to be a broad avenue one-mile in length that would be bordered by private houses and
gardens. However, this vision was not realized for quite some time.
At the turn of the century the Mall reached its
nadir. Essentially a big mud patch, the Mall was in dire need of refurbishing. Union
Station was not yet built, so railroad tracks, stations and sheds criss-crossed the Mall.
Exotic live animals were even kept on the Mall because the National Zoo was not yet
opened.
At this point congress appointed the McMillan
Commission to clean up the Mall and make improvements to Washington in general. Their work
is evident throughout Washington, but their effort to fulfill L’Enfant’s vision
for the Mall is their greatest accomplishment.
Today, the broad lawn of The National Mall
stretches approximately from the Washington Monument all the way to the Capitol. It is the
site of festivals, political rallies and other events that are held in Washington.
