The Mall
"Standing here, one faces a magnificent vista, opening up on the city's special beauty and history. At the end of this open mall are those shrines to the giants on whose shoulders we stand." -Ronald Reagan
The Mall is truly America’s Front Yard. It is along this 2-mile stretch of land in the heart of the nation’s capital that people from all over the country and world come to honor, mourn, protest, but most of all celebrate America’s rich history.
The Mall is the space encompassed by Constitution and Pennsylvania Avenues on the North; First Street on the East; Independence and Maryland Avenues on the South; and Fourteenth Street on the West. In other words, it is the land stretching from the Capital Building to the Lincoln Memorial and from the White House to the Jefferson Memorial.
The idea of a green space at the center of Washington, DC was originally conceived of by Pierre L’Enfant in his 1791 plans for the city. At the beginning of the 20th century, Congress established the McMillan Commission, tasked with developing an architectural plan for Washington, DC. Keeping with L’Enfant’s vision of a “monument center,” the Commission selected the location for the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials in order to complete the idea of surrounding the Mall with monuments to America’s great leaders.