A Walking Tour of Washington, DC - The National Mall

A Walking Tour of Washington, DC - The National Mall

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 Lâ€™Enfant, who laid out the street plan for the District of Columbia, had a grand vision for the National Mall, the so-called â€œGrand Avenue.â€ It was to run west from the Capitol to a point directly south of the Presidentâ€™s House where its terminus would be crowned by an equestrian statue of George Washington. According to Lâ€™Enfantâ€™s plan, the Mall was to be â€œfour hundred feet in breadth, and about a mile in length, bordered by gardens, ending in a slope from the houses on each side.â€

To realize Lâ€™Enfantâ€™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 construction of a depot; the railroad was also granted permission to lay tracks across the Mall.

The National Mall was on the verge of disappearing altogether when, in 1902, Senator James McMillan of Michigan opened hearings to revisit Lâ€™Enfantâ€™s original ideas. The first thing to do was tear down the railroad station and pull up the tracks. The swamps were drained and canals filled. Grass was planted and four rows of majestic American elm trees installed on the edges the entire length of the Mall. It was decided that all public buildings to be constructed would be created in the image of ancient Rome and Athens.

Today there are nine museums on the Mall, two entrances for underground museums, and the Department of Agriculture. Our walking tour begins at the east end in the shadow of the United States Capitol, following along the southern edge and returning along the northern side...

Country	USA
Author	Doug Gelbert
Binding	Kindle Edition
Format	Kindle eBook
IsAdultProduct
Label	Cruden Bay Books
Manufacturer	Cruden Bay Books
NumberOfPages	25
PublicationDate	2009-06-01
Publisher	Cruden Bay Books
ReleaseDate	2009-06-01
Studio	Cruden Bay Books

A Walking Tour of Washington, DC - The National Mall

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