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The National Mall is an open-area national park in downtown Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. The National Mall is a unit of the National Park Service, and is administered by the National Mall and Memorial Parks unit.[2] The term "National Mall" commonly includes areas that are officially part of West Potomac Park and Constitution Gardens to the west, and often is taken to refer to the entire area between the Lincoln Memorial and the Capitol, with the Washington Monument providing a division slightly west of the center. The National Mall receives approximately 24 million visitors each year.[3]
[edit] HistorySee also: History of Washington, D.C.  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 (1.6 km) in length and 400 feet (120 m) wide, in an area that would lie between the Capitol building and an equestrian statue of George Washington that would be placed directly south of the White House.[4][5] The National Mall occupies the site of this planned "grand avenue", which was never constructed. The Washington Monument stands near the planned site of its namesake's equestrian statue. During the early 1850s, horticulturist Andrew Jackson Downing designed a landscape plan for the Mall. Over the next half century, federal agencies developed several naturalistic parks within the Mall in accordance with Downing's plan. In addition, railroad tracks crossed the Mall west of the Capitol. Near the tracks, a large market (Central Market) and a railroad station rose on the north side of the Mall. Greenhouses belonging to the U.S. Botanic Garden appeared near the east end of the Mall.[6] In 1901, the McMillan Commission's plan, which was partially inspired by the City Beautiful Movement and which purportedly extended 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. The plan differed from L’Enfant’s by replacing the 400 feet (120 m) wide "grand avenue" with a 300 feet (91 m) wide expanse of grass lined on either side by symmetrical rows of American elms bordered by streets and buildings. A path reminiscent of L'Enfant's "grand avenue", but of lesser width, would traverse the length of the mall at its center.[7][8] However, in 2002, the National Mall had instead as its central feature a grassy lawn flanked on each side by unpaved tree-lined paths.[9] _satellite_image.jpg) On October 15, 1966, the National Mall was added to the National Register of Historic Places. In 2003, the United States Congress passed the Reserve Act to restrict further construction on the National Mall.[10] [edit] DimensionsSee also: Geography of Washington, D.C.
[edit] Landmarks  As popularly understood, the National Mall also includes the following areas west of the Washington Monument: the Lincoln Memorial and Reflecting Pool, the National World War II Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the District of Columbia War Memorial, and the Jefferson Pier. By such a definition, the National Sylvan Theater, southeast of the Washington Monument, is also part of the Mall. The Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial, scheduled for completion in 2009, will be located on a 4 acre (1.62 ha) site that borders the Tidal Basin and is within the sightline of the Jefferson and Lincoln memorials. The National Museum of African American History and Culture will be located at the southwest corner of Constitution Avenue and 14th Street, Northwest, adjacent to the National Museum of American History. [edit] Other nearby attractions Other attractions within walking distance of the National Mall include the Library of Congress and the United States Supreme Court Building east of the Capitol; the White House (on a line directly north of the Washington Monument), the National Archives, the Old Post Office Pavilion, the National Theatre, Ford's Theatre, and the Albert Einstein Memorial to the north; the National Postal Museum, and Union Station to the northeast; and the Jefferson Memorial, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, the George Mason Memorial, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to the south. [edit] Usage of the National MallThe National Mall, in combination with the other attractions in the Washington Metropolitan Area, makes the nation's capital city one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country. However, it has uses other than as a tourist focal point. [edit] Protests and rallies The National Mall's status as a wide, open expanse at the heart of the capital makes it an attractive site for protests and rallies of all types. One notable example is the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, a political rally for African American civil rights, at which Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. The largest officially recorded rally was the Vietnam War Moratorium Rally on October 15, 1969. Although larger rallies may have occurred since that time, the United States Park Police no longer releases official estimates of crowd sizes on the Mall. One later rally that is claimed to have been the largest rally on the Mall was the 2004 March for Women's Lives. On January 27, 2007, tens of thousands of protesters opposed to the Iraq War, converged on the Mall, drawing comparisons by participants to the Vietnam War protest.[12][13][14][15] [edit] Presidential inauguration Main article: United States presidential inauguration 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.[16] On December 4, 2008, the Presidential Inaugural Committee announced that "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."[17] This arrangement was made because of the massive turnout – projected to be as many 2 million people – expected for the inauguration of Barack Obama. [edit] Recreation The National Mall has long served as a spot for jogging, picnics, and light recreation for the Washington population. It is also host to several large annual events. The Smithsonian Folklife Festival takes place on the Mall each year for two weeks around Independence Day.[18] On that holiday, the A Capitol Fourth concert takes place in the late afternoon and early evening on the west lawn of the Capitol.[19] 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.[20] On Monday nights during July and August, the Mall hosts the annual Screen on the Green movie festival.[21] The free classic movies are projected on large portable screens and typically draw crowds of thousands of people. The National Book Festival takes place on the Mall each year during the early autumn.[22] On September 4, 2003, Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige, Aretha Franklin, Aerosmith and others performed in a nationally-televised "NFL Kickoff Live from the National Mall Presented by Pepsi Vanilla".[23] Preceded by a three-day National Football League "interactive Super Bowl theme park", the event had primarily commercial purposes, unlike earlier major activities on the Mall. On July 7, 2007, one leg of Live Earth was held outdoors at the National Museum of the American Indian on the Mall. Former Vice President Al Gore presented, and artists such as Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood performed.[24] [edit] TransportationSee also: Transportation in Washington, D.C. The National Mall is accessible via Washington Metro, with the Smithsonian station located on the south side of the Mall, near the Smithsonian Institution Building and between the Washington Monument and Capitol. The Federal Triangle, Archives–Navy Memorial–Penn Quarter, and Union Station Metro stations are also located near the Mall, to the north. L'Enfant Plaza, Federal Center Southwest and Capitol South Metro stations are located several blocks south of the Mall. Metrobus and the DC Circulator make scheduled stops around the National Mall. Parking is also available south of the Mall, accessible directly south of the Lincoln Memorial. [edit] See also[edit] Notes and references
[edit] Further reading
[edit] External links
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