National Mall
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, situated between the
US Capitol and the
Washington Monument, was
View towards US Capitol
lined
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 area on the west side of the
Washington Monument was planned as a parkland, with at its center a long pool and ending at the
Lincoln Memorial, at the time still in planning phase.
The creation of the National Mall resulted
in a central axis of museums, monuments and memorials. The east part between the
Ulysses S. Grant Memorial and the
Washington Monument is often considered the 'proper' part of the mall and is lined with grand museum buildings. The west part, the location of the Constitution Gardens, is home to numerous memorials.
Below an overview of the most important
attractions found along the Mall, from east to west:
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