Art 314 Week 3 Research Paper

Gina Schenk

ART 314: The planning and construction of Washington, D.C.

Professor Christopher Ottinger

January 25, 2015

The Planning and Construction of Washington, D.C. President George Washington chose a 100 mile triangular piece of land between the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers to be the site of the newly formed nation’s capital (Pohl). One reason this location was chosen was because of two thriving ports already existing in nearby Georgetown, Maryland and Alexandria, Virginia (Washington.org). The shipping trade would be very important for the city’s growth and stability. Another reason, this location put the new capital between the northern states and the southern states. Some citizens were already divided so this site provided a location

Jefferson had experience and knowledge and had designed some of the most beautiful buildings during the time. He designed his own home, Monticello, in Charlottesville, Virginia as well as his plantation home, Poplar Forest, near Lynchburg, Virginia. Both of these homes are still maintained today and are open for public tours. Other architecture Jefferson designed includes Montpelier; Woodberry Forest and Belle Grove, homes to James Madison’s brother and sister respectively; the Virginia State Capital building; Farmington Estate; and The Rotunda at the University of Virginia. Thomas Jefferson founded the University of Virginia. The Rotunda and Monticello have been designated World Heritage Sites (University of

President George Washington objected to this design for the new Capital even though this design had been adopted as a standard for all new cities in the nation to follow. Instead, Washington called L’Enfant to improve upon Jefferson’s design. L’Enfant was fond of design of streets in Versailles, just outside Paris, France. Jefferson provided L’Enfant with maps of several European cities. Instead of copying design ideas from one city, L’Enfant used ideas taken from several European cities. L’Enfant designed the new city centered around a public walkway and the Capital Building (Fletcher). This plan allowed for spaces of various shapes and sizes to allow future monuments to be built at a later time (Encyclopaedia Britannica). Not all of L’Enfant’s designs were used, but one, the National Mall, remains one of the largest tourist attractions in Washington, D.C. to this day. The national Mall stretches for two miles and includes Capitol Hill, Smithsonian Museums, War Memorial Walls, the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Memorial, and the Jefferson Memorial. This was meant to show the government not as a monarchy but as a democratic government which separated the new country from England. Even though L’Enfant used ideas from European cities, the architects strived to create new American capital where all citizens were equally important (Fletcher). There