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March 17, 1998 The discussion of the Washington mall has prompted my curiosity, only I haven't had the time to pursue the question. Based upon Constance Green's "Washington: A History of the Capital," here are a few of the details. The L'Enfant plan did indeed include an open space running roughly along what is now the mall to a short distance past the Washington monument. The far side of the mall was a swamp, and the end point for Tiber Creek. Little was done to make the mall an attraction. The Washington Canal, originally intended as a corridor for transportation became an open sewer, further detracting from the attractiveness of the area. During the late 1850s Pennsylvania Railroad acquired a right of way across the mall, and built a railroad station on the mall, ending the open space. (I believe that this station was the site of Garfield's assassination.) During the era of "Boss" Shepherd in the 1870s the canal was filled in. The real impetus for converting the mall into its present form came with the so- called McMillan commission beginning in 1901. Under the sponsorship of Senator James McMillian, the commission included Daniel Burnham and Charles McKim (of McKim, Meade, & White). The commission advocated restoring L'Enfant's original concept of grand vistas, including an impressive mall. They even suggested such touches as fountains from Capitol Hill. Daniel Burnham made a significant contribution when he persuaded Pennsylvania Railroad to relocate, with the resulting creation of the present Union Station. For many reasons the McMillan Commission plan had a tortuous political history that is discussed in Green's book. Nevertheless, during the first three decades of the twentieth century the vision of the present mall took shape. The swamp between the Washington Monument and the Potomac River was filled in, with the creation of the Lincoln Memorial. The major buildings of the Smithsonian were constructed during the early twentieth century. Leo Hirrel
 Humanities & Social Sciences Online 
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