“The Mall” is a term used to describe a strip of park land between the Washington Memorial and the Capitol Building.
Between these two buildings and along the Mall are other famous buildings including the Smithsonian Museums, the National Archives, the Smithsonian Castle, the National Gallery of Art, National Air and Space Museum, Holocaust Memorial Museum and the Hirsborn Museum (to name a few).
Beside the Washington Memorial on one side is the Whitehouse and on the other the Thomas Jefferson Memorial. Behind it is the Lincoln Memorial.
In the area surrounding the Mall are the Supreme Court, the Canadian Embassy, the Federal Triangle, the J. Edgar Hoover (FBI) building, the Hard Rock Cafe and the National Portrait Gallery.
There is so much going on in this area; at one point I sat and watched an ultimate game in front of the National Gallery!
I’ve just been studying L’Enfant’s plan for Washington in my urban design class – and there you are!
If you’re curious, they say the city is a symbolic representation of power radiating from a central source and the plan was based on principles used in the palace and garden of Versailles where L’Enfant’s father worked.
Hi Lisa — I just read a book documenting L’Enfant’s plan; but, it had more of a historical focus and talked a lot about his arrogance. I’ve heard a lot of talk about the architects attempting to mimic elements from Rome as well.
Either way — when you are actually there it is amazing to realize that the whole area was planned out in the 1700s!