L’Enfant & the Designing of Washington D.C.
A View of the National Mall (facing east).
The Residence Act, passed by Congress in July of 1790, decreed that a location on the Potomac River, to be chosen by President Washington, would become the permanent national capital.
1791, Washington selected the location of president-day Washington D.C. as the site of the new capital city.
However, in 1791 the area was scarcely developed and arduous labor was still required for a national capital to rise from this sleepy backwater.
But for a city planner it was the opportunity of a life-time, a blank canvas on which to erect a whole new city with a highly important purpose, from scratch.
Owing to his relationship with President George Washington, the opportunity would belong to Pierre Charles L’Enfant.
Pierre Charles L’Enfant was a Frenchman who, seeking glory as a war hero, joined the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783).
Following the War, L’Enfant became a New York City based architect and in 1788 was commissioned to remodel Federal Hall after New York was chosen as the temporary first seat of the new federal government.
L’Enfant had written to George Washington in 1789, requesting the opportunity to design the new permanent capital city, wherever it may be placed.
Upon designating the location of this new city in 1791, President George Washington obliged L’Enfant’s request, choosing him to design what would become Washington D.C.
So L’Enfant left New York City for Georgetown and set off to work on a plan for the new capital in March of 1791.
His resulting blueprint envisioned modern-day Washington D.C., including the national mall – what L’Enfant referred to as the “Grand Avenue” – flanked by Capitol Hill to the east and the White House to the west.
The plan also included numerous green spaces and public squares.
However, conflicts between L’Enfant and three commissioners President Washington had also appointed to work on the project would eventually lead L’Enfant to resign his position.
He died in 1825 having received no credit for his design or payment for his work.
And the city remained unfinished long after L’Enfant’s death, with his planned public squares sitting empty and his envisioned National Mall incomplete.
So in 1901, Congress created the McMillan Commission (1901-1902), compromised of architects and city planners, to finish development of the city.
The Commission finished designing D.C. based largely on L’Enfant’s original blueprint.
Today the National Mall - running from the Lincoln Memorial to Capitol Hill - serves as a center for civic life and public protests.
The Mall is also home to some of America’s most popular museums.
And Washington D.C. was visited by an estimated 20 million Americans in 2017.
Written By: Aiden Singh Published: July 19, 2020 Sources