L'Enfant Plan
Encyclopedia
The L'Enfant Plan of the City of Washington, District of Columbia
, was the urban plan developed in 1791 by Pierre Charles L'Enfant
for George Washington
.
Major L'Enfant was a French engineer who served in the American Revolutionary War
.
L'Enfant produced a map of radiating avenues with large open spaces at intersections.
It was delivered by Washington to Congress on December 13, 1791.
After arguing with the city commissioners about payment, he was fired on March 1, 1792, by George Washington.
Andrew Ellicot used the map to guide the city survey.
The design influenced urban planning and the McMillan Plan
. A lecture at the National Building Museum
is named for him.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, was the urban plan developed in 1791 by Pierre Charles L'Enfant
Pierre Charles L'Enfant
Pierre Charles L'Enfant was a French-born American architect and civil engineer best known for designing the layout of the streets of Washington, D.C..-Early life:...
for George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
.
Major L'Enfant was a French engineer who served in the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
.
L'Enfant produced a map of radiating avenues with large open spaces at intersections.
It was delivered by Washington to Congress on December 13, 1791.
After arguing with the city commissioners about payment, he was fired on March 1, 1792, by George Washington.
Andrew Ellicot used the map to guide the city survey.
The design influenced urban planning and the McMillan Plan
McMillan Plan
The McMillan Plan was an architectural plan for the development of Washington, D.C., formulated in 1902 by the Senate Park Improvement Commission of the District of Columbia which had been formed by Congress the previous year.-United States Park Commission:...
. A lecture at the National Building Museum
National Building Museum
The National Builders Museum, in Washington, D.C., United States, is a museum of "architecture, design, engineering, construction, and urban planning"...
is named for him.
List of contributing parks
- Reservation 1 President's ParkPresident's ParkPresident's Park, located in Washington, D.C., encompasses the White House, a visitor center, Lafayette Square, and The Ellipse. President's Park was the original name of Lafayette Square. The current President's Park is administered by the National Park Service.-White House:Washington, D.C...
- Reservation 2–6 National MallNational MallThe 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...
; U.S. Capitol Grounds - Reservation 7 Judiciary SquareJudiciary SquareJudiciary Square is a neighborhood in Northwest Washington, D.C., the vast majority of which is occupied by various federal and municipal courthouses and office buildings...
- Reservation 8 Mount Vernon SquareMount Vernon SquareMount Vernon Square is a city square in the Northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C. It is located where the following streets would otherwise intersect: Massachusetts Avenue, New York Avenue, K Street, and 8th Street NW....
- Reservation 9 Franklin SquareFranklin Square (Washington, D.C.)Franklin Square is a square in downtown Washington, D.C.. Named after Benjamin Franklin, it is bounded by K Street Northwest to the north, 13th Street NW on the east, I Street NW on the south, and 14th Street NW on the west. It is served by the McPherson Square station of the Washington Metro,...
- Reservation 10 Lafayette Square
- Reservation 11 McPherson SquareMcPherson SquareMcPherson Square is a square in downtown Washington, D.C.. It is bound by K Street Northwest to the north, Vermont Avenue NW on the East, Eye Street NW on the south, and 15th Street NW on the West; it is one block northeast of Lafayette Park. It is served by the McPherson Square station of the...
- Reservation 12 Farragut SquareFarragut SquareFarragut Square is a city square in Washington, D.C.'s Ward 2. It is bordered by K Street NW on the north, I Street NW to the south, and on the east and west by segments of 17th Street NW, and it interrupts Connecticut Avenue NW...
- Reservation 13 Rawlins SquareGeneral John A. RawlinsGeneral John A. Rawlins is a statue by Joseph A. Bailly. Installed in 1874, it was relocated in 1880 and 1886.It is now located at Rawlins Park, E Street between 18th and 19th Streets, N.W. Washington, D.C....
- Reservation 14 Lincoln ParkLincoln ParkLincoln Park is an urban park in Chicago, which gave its name to the Lincoln Park, Chicago community area.Lincoln Park may also refer to:-Urban parks:*Lincoln Park , California*Lincoln Park, San Francisco, California...
- Reservation 15 Stanton SquareStanton SquareStanton Park is a national capitol park located at the intersection of Maryland Avenue and Massachusetts Avenue in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Northeast Washington, D.C. It is bounded by 4th Street to the west and 6th Street to the east. North and south of the park are the respective westbound...
- Reservation 16 Folger ParkFolger ParkFolger Park is a public park named after former Secretary of the Treasury Charles J. Folger. It is located at 2nd Street and D Street, Southeast, Washington, D.C., in the Capitol Hill neighborhood....
- Reservation 17 Garfield Park
- Reservation 18 Marion ParkMarion ParkMarion Park is a public park named after Revolutionary War leader Francis Marion.It is located at 4th Street, 6th Street, and E Street, Southeast, Washington, D.C., in the Capitol Hill neighborhood.A Large Hilton Iron Vase was removed in 1963...
- Reservation 25–27 Washington CircleWashington CircleWashington Circle is a traffic circle in the Northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C., United States. It is the intersection of 23rd Street, K Street, New Hampshire Avenue, and Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., on the border of the Foggy Bottom and West End neighborhoods. The through lanes of K Street...
- Reservation 32–33 Freedom PlazaFreedom PlazaFreedom Plaza, originally known as Western Plaza, is an open plaza in Northwest Washington, D.C., United States, located at the corner of 14th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, adjacent to Pershing Park. Constructed in 1980, the plaza is mostly composed of stone, inlaid with a depiction of parts...
- Reservation 35–36 Market Square
- Reservation 38–43 Seward SquareSeward SquareSeward Square is a square and park maintained by the National Park Service located at the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and North Carolina Avenue in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Southeast Washington, D.C. The square is bounded by 4th Street to the west and 6th Street to the east. North...
- Reservation 44–49 Eastern Market MetroEastern Market, Washington, D.C.The Eastern Market is a public market in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington, D.C., housed in a 19th century brick building. It is located on 7th Street SE, a few blocks east of the U.S. Capitol between North Carolina Avenue SE and C Street SE. The Eastern Market is on the National...
- Reservation 59–61 Dupont CircleDupont CircleDupont Circle is a traffic circle, park, neighborhood, and historic district in Northwest Washington, D.C. The traffic circle is located at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue NW, Connecticut Avenue NW, New Hampshire Avenue NW, P Street NW, and 19th Street NW...
- Reservation 62–64 Scott CircleScott CircleScott Circle is a traffic circle in the northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C., at the junction of Massachusetts Avenue, Rhode Island Avenue, and 16th Street, N.W...
- Reservation 65–67 Thomas CircleThomas CircleThomas Circle is a traffic circle in Northwest Washington, D.C., United States at the junction of Massachusetts Avenue, Vermont Avenue, 14th Street, and M Street, N.W.The through lanes of Massachusetts Avenue pass under Thomas Circle...
- Reservation 68–69 Gompers ParkSamuel Gompers MemorialThe Samuel Gompers Memorial is a bronze statue in Washington, D.C., listed on the National Register of Historic Places.It is located at intersection of 10th Street, L Street, and Massachusetts Avenue, Northwest, Washington, D.C.-External links:...
- Reservation 152–154; 163–164 Logan Circle
- Reservation 332 West Potomac ParkWest Potomac ParkWest Potomac Park is a U.S. national park in Washington, D.C., adjacent to the National Mall. It includes the parkland that extends south of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, from the Lincoln Memorial to the grounds of the Washington Monument...
- Reservation 333 East Potomac ParkEast Potomac ParkEast Potomac Park is a section of Potomac Park in Washington, D.C., located south of the Jefferson Memorial and the 14th Street Bridge. Located between the Washington Channel and the Potomac River, the park is home to the East Potomac Park Golf Course, a miniature golf course, a public swimming...
- Reservation 334 Columbus Plaza
- Reservation 617 Pershing ParkPershing ParkPershing Park is a memorial park dedicated to General John J. Pershing located at 14th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., in the United States....
List of contributing avenues
- Connecticut Avenue
- Delaware Avenue
- Indiana Avenue
- Kentucky Avenue
- Louisiana Avenue
- Maryland Avenue
- Massachusetts AvenueMassachusetts Avenue (Washington, D.C.)Massachusetts Avenue is a major diagonal transverse road in Washington, D.C., and the Massachusetts Avenue Historic District is a historic district that includes part of it....
- New Hampshire AvenueNew Hampshire AvenueNew Hampshire Avenue is a diagonal street in Washington, D.C., beginning at the Kennedy Center and extending northeast for about 5 miles and then continuing into Maryland where it is designated Maryland Route 650. New Hampshire Avenue, however, is not contiguous...
- New Jersey Avenue
- New York AvenueNew York Avenue (Washington, D.C.)New York Avenue is one of the diagonal avenues radiating from the White House in Washington, D.C. It is a major east-west route in the city's Northwest and Northeast quadrants and connects downtown with points east and north of the city via Cheverly, Maryland, the John Hanson Highway and the...
- North Carolina Avenue
- Pennsylvania AvenuePennsylvania AvenuePennsylvania Avenue is a street in Washington, D.C. that joins the White House and the United States Capitol. Called "America's Main Street", it is the location of official parades and processions, as well as protest marches...
- Georgia AvenueGeorgia AvenueGeorgia Avenue is a major north-south artery in Northwest Washington, D.C. and Montgomery County, Maryland. Within the District of Columbia and a short distance in Silver Spring, Maryland, Georgia Avenue is also U.S. Route 29...
- Rhode Island AvenueRhode Island Avenue (Washington, D.C.)Rhode Island Avenue is a diagonal avenue in the Northwest and Northeast quadrants of Washington, D.C. and the capital's inner suburbs in Prince George's County, Maryland. Paralleling New York Avenue, Rhode Island Avenue was one of the original streets in Pierre L'Enfant's plan for the capital. ...
- South Carolina Avenue
- Tennessee Avenue
- Vermont Avenue
- Virginia AvenueVirginia AvenueVirginia Avenue is a street in the Northwest, Southwest, and Southeast quadrants of Washington, D.C. Like other state-named streets in Washington, it diagonally crosses the grid pattern formed by lettered and numbered streets....
List of contributing streets
- 16th Street
- Constitution AvenueConstitution AvenueIn Washington, D.C., Constitution Avenue is a major east-west street running just north of the United States Capitol in the city's Northwest and Northeast quadrants...
- East Capitol StreetEast Capitol StreetEast Capitol Street is a major street that divides the northeast and southeast quadrants of Washington, D.C. It runs due east from the United States Capitol to the DC-Maryland border. The street is uninterrupted until Lincoln Park then continues eastward to Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium...
- Independence Avenue
- H StreetH Street (Washington, D.C.)H Street is an east-west street in Washington, D.C.. It is also used as an alternate name for the Near Northeast neighborhood, as H Street is the neighborhood's main commercial strip.-History:...
- K StreetK StreetK Street can refer to:* K Street , a street located in Washington, D.C.** By metonymy, the U.S. lobbying industry, many of whose firms have offices on this street* K Street Project, a lobbying effort by the Republican Party...
- North Capitol StreetNorth Capitol StreetNorth Capitol Street is a street in Washington, D.C. that separates the Northwest and Northeast quadrants of the city. The street begins at D Street due north of the United States Capitol and continues northward 4½ miles to Nicholson Street where it is interrupted by Fort Slocum Park and the...
- South Capitol StreetSouth Capitol StreetSouth Capitol Street is a major street dividing the southeast and southwest quadrants of Washington, D.C. It runs south from the United States Capitol to the Washington-Maryland line...
External links
- "Bridging a 138-year-old divide suits L'Enfant's spirit", Greater Washington, David Alpert, May 5, 2010
- "L'Enfant designed more than D.C.: He designed a 200-year-old controversy", DC pages, Michael Levine
- http://www.savethemall.org/mall/resource-hist02.html