National Mall
From Open Encyclopedia
The National Mall is an open-area national park in downtown Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. It is the site of gardens and other greenery along with multiple Smithsonian Institution museums and national monuments and memorials. The National Mall refers specifically to the land stretching from the grounds of the Washington Monument to the United States Capitol directly to the east. However, the term commonly includes the areas that are officially part of West Potomac Park and Constitution Gardens to the west, and often is taken to refer to the entire area between the Lincoln Memorial and the Capitol, with the Washington Monument providing a division slightly west of the center.
The idea was adopted and redesigned by the National Park Service, but originally designed by Pierre Charles L'Enfant. The Mall is one of the most popular places in the city for tourism as well as protests and demonstrations (thousands each year, including very large marches and rallies) for its civic and historical significance. The Smithsonian station of the Washington Metro system services the mall, which is administered by the National Park Service.
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Dimensions
- From the Capital Steps to the Lincoln Memorial, the Mall runs 1.9 miles.
- From the steps to the Washington Monument, the Mall spans 1.1 miles.
- From Grant Statue to Lincoln Memorial, the Mall blankets 309.17 acres. [1]
Landmarks of the National Mall
Image:National mall (east) satellite image 2.jpg
| The National Mall features the following museums and monuments: | ||
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| As popularly understood, the National Mall also includes the following west of the Washington Monument: the Lincoln Memorial and Reflecting Pool, the National World War II Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. | ||
| The Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial, scheduled for completion in 2008, will be located on a 4-acre site that borders the Tidal Basin and within the sightline of the Jefferson and Lincoln memorials. |
Further information: Constitution Gardens and West Potomac Park
Other nearby features
Image:DC mall lincoln-enhanced.jpg
Other attractions within walking distance of the Mall include the Library of Congress and the United States Supreme Court to the east behind the Capitol; the White House (on a line directly north of the Jefferson Memorial), the National Archives, the Old Post Office, the National Theater and Ford's Theater to the north; the National Postal Museum, and Union Station to the northeast; and the Jefferson Memorial (on a line directly south of the White House), the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, the George Mason National Memorial, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to the south.
The Mall, in combination with the other attractions in the Washington metropolitan area, makes the nation's capital city one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country. The Smithsonian (Washington Metro) stop can be used to get to the Mall. Parking is also available south of the mall, accessible directly south of the Lincoln Memorial.
Protests and rallies on the Mall
The Mall's status as a wide, open expanse at the heart of the capital makes it an attractive site for protests and rallies of all types. One notable example is the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, a massive rally for African-American civil rights, at which Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his famous "I have a dream" speech. The largest officially recorded rally was the Vietnam War Moratorium Rally on October 15, 1969. Although larger rallies may have occurred since that time, the United States Park Police no longer release official estimates of crowd sizes on the Mall. One later rally that is claimed to have been the largest rally on the Mall was the 2004 March for Women's Lives.
External links
- NPS Official Site of the National Mall
- Official Site of the United States Botanic Garden
- The New National Garden – Is being created between plot 9 and 10 on the satellite image.
- National mall at Google Maps
- Collection of photos of Washington DC tourism attractions around National Mallde:National Mall
