A Walking Tour of Washington's National Mall
By Doug Gelbert
()
About this ebook
There is no better way to see America than on foot. And there is no better way to appreciate what you are looking at than with a walking tour. Whether you are preparing for a road trip or just out to look at your own town in a new way, a downloadable walking tour from walkthetown.com is ready to explore when you are.
Each walking tour describes historical and architectural landmarks and provides pictures to help out when those pesky street addresses are missing. Every tour also includes a quick primer on identifying architectural styles seen on American streets.
Pierre Charles L’Enfant, who laid out the street plan for the District of Columbia, Had a grand vision for the National Mall. In his view the Mall was to be the foremost avenue of the city, the so-called “Grand Avenue.” It was to run west from the Capitol to a point directly south of the President’s House where its terminus would be crowned by an equestrian statue of George Washington. According to L’Enfant’s plan, the Mall was to be “four hundred feet in breadth, and about a mile in length, bordered by gardens, ending in a slope from the houses on each side.”
To realize L’Enfant’s dream things started slowly and then petered out completely. Then the Civil War came and the Mall grounds were used for military purposes, such as bivouacking and parading troops, slaughtering cattle and producing arms. In 1872, at 6th and B Streets, a 14 acre tract was given to the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad for the construction of a depot. The railroad was also granted permission to lay tracks north to south across part of the Mall.
The National Mall was on the verge of disappearing altogether when, in 1902, Senator James McMillan of Michigan headed a commission to transform the country’s primary city park. The hundred years of unenacted grounds plans dating back to L’Enfant’s original ideas were examined. The McMillan Commission submitted their report to Congress. Their plan called for the restoration, development, and supplementation of the “Grand Avenue” ideal proposed by L’Enfant. The core of the Mall was to be a broad grass carpet, typical of those in Europe, 300 feet in breath and running the entire length of the Mall grounds, bordered on each side by four rows of American elm trees. Public buildings were to border the whole, separated from the elms by narrow roadways. The railroad station was removed from the area in 1909. Swamps would be drained; canals filled. All buildings would conform to a Neo-classical design standard calling to mind the tneets of ancient Rome and Athens.
There are nine museums on the Mall, two entrances for underground museums, and the Department of Agriculture. This walking tour begins at the east end of the mall, following along the southern edge and returning along the northern side...
Read more from Doug Gelbert
Look Up, San Diego! A Walking Tour of Balboa Park Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5A Walking Tour of The New Orleans French Quarter Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Williamsburg, Virginia Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5A Walking Tour of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Pittsburgh's Business District Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Tucson, Arizona! A Walking Tour of Tucson, Arizona Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Aiken, South Carolina Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Miami Beach, Florida Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Savannah! A Walking Tour of Savannah, Georgia Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A Walking Tour of Greensboro, North Carolina Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Long Beach! A Walking Tour of Long Beach, California Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Tampa, Florida Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Charleston! A Walking Tour of Charleston, South Carolina: The Battery Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5A Walking Tour of St. Augustine, Florida Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Nashville! A Walking Tour of Nashville, Tennessee Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Chicago! A Walking Tour of The Loop (North End) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Oakland! A Walking Tour of Oakland, California Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Staunton, Virginia Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Jacksonville, Florida Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of New Bern, North Carolina Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Phoenix, Arizona! A Walking Tour of Phoenix, Arizona Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of New York City's Upper East Side Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Austin! A Walking Tour of Austin, Texas Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Salisbury, North Carolina Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Toledo! A Walking Tour of Toledo, Ohio Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Bordentown, New Jersey Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Georgetown, South Carolina Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Look Up, Madison! A Walking Tour of Madison, Wisconsin Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A Walking Tour of Meadville, Pennsylvania Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Wilmington, North Carolina Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to A Walking Tour of Washington's National Mall
Related ebooks
A Walking Tour of Corning, New York Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Portland, Oregon! A Walking Tour East of Broadway Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Richmond, Virginia Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Memphis! A Walking Tour of Memphis, Tennessee Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Long Beach! A Walking Tour of Long Beach, California Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Washington's Capitol Hill District Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of St. Petersburg, Florida Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Alexandria, Virginia Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNorfolk and Western Railway Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5History of the Southern Yacht Club Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Roughing It Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFort Myers in Vintage Postcards Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe California Tales: A Novel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMcMinnville Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCongaree National Park Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTempe Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Hudson: America's River Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHistory of Steam on the Erie Canal Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsKnow Your Bees Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Frederick, Maryland Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLost Carson City Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhistler Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSeattle's 1962 World's Fair Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Ventura Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCatching Nature in the Act: Réaumur & the Practice of Natural History in the Eighteenth Century Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5The Encantadas Or Enchanted Isles: Short Story Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAlameda Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPassage to Wonderland: Rephotographing Joseph Stimson's Views of the Cody Road to Yellowstone National Park, 1903 and 2008 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHagerstown: Railroading Around the Hub City Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Mid-South Fair: Celebrating 150 Years Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
United States Travel For You
Reader's Digest Great American Road Trips- National Parks Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Magical Power of the Saints: Evocation and Candle Rituals Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fodor’s Alaska Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Walt Disney World Hacks: 350+ Park Secrets for Making the Most of Your Walt Disney World Vacation Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHumans of New York: Stories Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Lonely Planet Maui Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World with Kids 2023 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Dark Side of Disney Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Witch Queens, Voodoo Spirits, and Hoodoo Saints: A Guide to Magical New Orleans Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Fodor's Best Road Trips in the USA: 50 Epic Trips Across All 50 States Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Fodor's New Orleans Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Lake Superior Rocks & Minerals Field Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHow To Be Alone: an 800-mile hike on the Arizona Trail Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer: An Edgar Award Winner Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Forest Walking: Discovering the Trees and Woodlands of North America Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Fodor's Best Weekend Road Trips Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFodor's Bucket List USA: From the Epic to the Eccentric, 500+ Ultimate Experiences Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Haunted Road Atlas: Sinister Stops, Dangerous Destinations, and True Crime Tales Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Anne Rice's Unauthorized French Quarter Tour: Anne Rice Unauthorized Tours Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rockhounding & Prospecting: Upper Midwest: How to Find Gold, Copper, Agates, Thomsonite, and Other Favorites Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Looking for Alaska Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Frommer's EasyGuide to New Orleans 2020 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings50 Great American Places: Essential Historic Sites Across the U.S. Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Unofficial Guide to Las Vegas Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOne Man's Wilderness, 50th Anniversary Edition: An Alaskan Odyssey Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Driving the Green Book: A Road Trip Through the Living History of Black Resistance Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Deepest South of All: True Stories from Natchez, Mississippi Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for A Walking Tour of Washington's National Mall
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
A Walking Tour of Washington's National Mall - Doug Gelbert
Look Up, Washington DC! A Walking Tour of the National Mall
a walking tour in the Look Up, America series from walkthetown.com
by Doug Gelbert
published by Cruden Bay Books at Smashwords
Copyright 2013 by Cruden Bay Books
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the Publisher.
Pierre Charles L’Enfant, who laid out the street plan for the District of Columbia, had a grand vision for the National Mall, the so-called Grand Avenue.
It was to run west from the Capitol to a point directly south of the President’s House where its terminus would be crowned by an equestrian statue of George Washington. According to L’Enfant’s plan, the Mall was to be four hundred feet in breadth, and about a mile in length, bordered by gardens, ending in a slope from the houses on each side.
To realize L’Enfant’s dream things started slowly and then petered out