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THE NATIONAL MALL: An Illustrated History |
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 The National Mall in Washington, D.C. — the 2-mile-long expanse of National Park extending from the U.S. Capitol to the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial, and from the White House to the Jefferson Memorial -- is a unique symbol of our American democracy and a national gathering place for civic celebrations and demonstrations. |
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The L'Enfant Plan of 1791. Click on map for higher resolution (236k). |
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 The L'Enfant Plan laid out the Nation's Capital as a physical embodiment of the newly ratified U.S. Constitution. |
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The 1901-1902 McMillan Plan for the Mall. Click on map for higher resolution (180k). |
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 In 1901 Senator James McMillan of Michigan organized the Senate Park Commission, better known as the McMillan Commission, to undertake a new plan for the Mall. The McMillan Plan revived and extended the L'Enfant concept of the Mall as a broad and open vista. |
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The 1902 McMillan Commission Report
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 In this report, Commission Secretary Charles Moore describes the Mall's problems and needs at the turn of the twentieth century, the European models that inspired Commissioners, and the design treatment proposed for the Mall and for the entire park system for Washington, D.C.
For an edited version of the Report, prepared by Professor John W. Reps of Cornell University, click here.
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Photo Gallery: Visitors to Washington, D.C. find themselves navigating around fences and other obstacles from one end of the Mall to the other.
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