President's Park
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| President's Park | |
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| IUCN Category III (Natural Monument) | |
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| Location: | District of Columbia, USA |
| Nearest city: | Washington, D.C. |
| Coordinates: | |
| Area: | 18.07 acres (73,130 m²) |
| Established: | July 16, 1790 |
| Visitation: | 1,333,967 (in 2004) |
| Governing body: | National Park Service |
President's Park, located in Washington, D.C., includes the White House, a visitor center, Lafayette Square, and the Ellipse. "President's Park" was the original name of Lafayette Park and Square.
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[edit] White House
The White House complex is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. It includes:
- The White House, official residence of the President of the United States. Open to the public for reserved tours, but requests must be submitted through one's Member of Congress and are accepted one to six months in advance.
- The West Wing, office of the President and staff. Closed to the public.
- The East Wing, office space for the First Lady and other staff. Closed to the public.
- White House Gardens. Open to public tours seasonally.
[edit] White House Visitor Center
The White House Visitor Center is located in the north end of the Department of Commerce Building between 14th & 15th Streets on Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. The visitor center serves as a starting point for those going on a reserved tour of the White House. The various exhibits also provide an alternate visitor experience for those who did not schedule a tour. The themes of the six permanent exhibits include First Families, Symbols & Images, White House Architecture, White House Interiors, Working White House, and Ceremonies and Celebrations. A variety of other exhibits change frequently during the year.
[edit] Lafayette Square
Lafayette Square is a 7 acre (30,000 m²) public park located directly north of the White House on H Street between 15th and 17th Streets, NW. The park and the surrounding structures were designated a National Historic Landmark District in 1970. Planned as part of the pleasure grounds surrounding the Executive Mansion, this park was originally called "President's Park," which is now the name of the larger National Park Service unit.
The park was separated from the White House grounds in 1804 when President Thomas Jefferson had Pennsylvania Avenue cut through. In 1824, the park was officially renamed in honor of General Lafayette of France.
Lafayette Square has been used as a race track, a graveyard, a zoo, a slave market, an encampment for soldiers during the War of 1812, and many political protests and celebrations. Andrew Jackson Downing landscaped Lafayette Square in 1851 in the picturesque style. Today's plan, with its five large statues, dates from the 1930s. In the center stands Clark Mills' equestrian statue of President Andrew Jackson, erected in 1853; in the four corners are statues of Revolutionary War heroes: France's General Marquis Gilbert de Lafayette and Major General Comte Jean de Rochambeau; Poland's General Thaddeus Kosciuszko; Prussia's Major General Baron Frederich Wilhelm von Steuben.
[edit] President's Park South (Ellipse)
President's Park South, commonly called the Ellipse, is a 52 acre (210,000 m²) park located just south of the White House fence. Properly, the Ellipse is the name of the 5 furlong (1 km) circumference street within the park. The entire park is open to the public.
[edit] Features
- Visitor pavilion. Location of visitor facilities and staffed by park rangers.
- Boy Scout Memorial
- Charles Bulfinch Gatehouses
- Butt–Millet Memorial Fountain
- Enid Haupt Fountains
- First Division Monument
- Second Division Memorial
- Original Patentees of District of Columbia
- National Christmas Tree
- Zero Milestone
Annual events on the Ellipse include the Easter Egg Roll, garden tours, the Christmas Pageant of Peace, and "Twilight Tattoo" military pageant.
[edit] History
In 1791, the first plan for the park was drawn up by Pierre Charles L'Enfant. The Ellipse was known as "the White Lot" due to the whitewashed wooden fence that enclosed the park.
During the American Civil War, the grounds of the Ellipse and incomplete Washington Monument were used as corrals for horses, mules, and cattle, also camp sites for Union Troops.
Work on the Ellipse was began by the Army Corps of Engineers in 1867. The park was landscaped in 1879, and American Elms were planted around the existing portion of roadway. In 1880, grading was begun and the Ellipse was created from what had been a common dump. In 1894, the Ellipse roadway was lit with electric lamps.
In the 1890s, Congress authorized the use of the Ellipse grounds to special groups including religious meetings and military encampments. As late as 1990 baseball fields and tennis courts existed in the park. Today sporting events as well as demonstrations are still held on the Ellipse. President's Park South came under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service in 1933.
On Christmas Eve, 1923, President Calvin Coolidge started an unbroken tradition by lighting the first "National Christmas Tree." The first tree, a cut balsam fir, was placed on the Ellipse by District of Columbia Public Schools. From 1924 to 1953 live trees, in various locations around and on the White House grounds, were lit on Christmas Eve. In 1954 the ceremony returned to the Ellipse and with an expanded focus: the "Christmas Pageant of Peace." From 1954 through 1972 cut trees were used, but in 1973 a Colorado blue spruce from York, Pennsylvania was planted on the Ellipse. The current tree is a replacement, planted in 1978.
In 1942, during World War II, the National Park Service granted permission for the construction of barracks as a special emergency war-time measure. The temporary barracks were erected on the south side of the Old Executive Office Building and the entire First Division Monument grounds. The "White House Barracks" were demolished in 1954.
The Ellipse Visitor Pavilion was opened for visitors in May 1994. This facility is used to distribute free tickets for special events at the White House such as the Easter Egg Roll and Fall and Spring Garden Tours. There also is an information, concession area, restrooms, telephones, water fountains, and First Aid area, all accessible.
[edit] Administrative history
Transferred on August 10, 1933, to the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, the legal successor of three Federal Commissioners appointed by the President under an act of July 16, 1790, who directed initial construction. Their authority developed through acts of May 1, 1802; April 19, 1816; March 3, 1849; March 2, 1867; July 1, 1898; February 26, 1925; March 3, 1933; and Executive Order of June 10, 1933. Under act of September 22, 1961, "the White House. . .shall be administered pursuant to the act of August 25, 1916" and supplementary and amendatory acts. This NPS area was originally referred to simply as "The White House."
[edit] Reference
- The National Parks: Index 2001-2003. Washington: U.S. Department of the Interior.
[edit] External links
- National Park Service: President's Park
- Maps and aerial photos
- WikiSatellite view at WikiMapia
- Street map from MapQuest or Google Local
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
- Satellite image from Google Maps or Microsoft Virtual Earth
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