
Along the Mall are a number of the nation's
most popular museums, including the National Gallery
of Art, the National Museum of Natural History and the
National Air
and Space Museum.
The Mall was originally envisioned
by French engineer and city planner Pierre Charles l'Enfant
as a grand 1,5 mile long boulevard bordered by Parisian
style houses. The plan was never realized as such and
in the 19th century the open space was a muddy area
used for markets and the exhibition of exotic animals.
Until the opening of the
Union
Station, it also contained a railway station and
tracks.
In 1902 a plan by the McMillan Commission
for 'improvement of the park system in the District
of Columbia' designated the mall as a green area surrounded
solely by museums and scientific buildings. The green
strip was

walled
on either side by Elms, trees already used on the grounds
around the Capitol. Park-like roads were created on
either side of the green strip.
The creation of the National Mall resulted
in a central axis of museums, monuments and memorials.
Below an overview of the most important
attractions found along the Mall, from east to west:
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- US Capitol
- National Gallery of Art
- National Museum of the American Indian
- National
Air and Space Museum
- National Museum of Natural History
- Hirshhorn Museum
- Smithsonian Castle
- National Museum of American History
- Washington Monument
- World War II Memorial
- Vietnam Memorial
- Korean War Veterans Memorial
- Lincoln Memorial
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