The Lincoln Memorial, one of the most beloved and visited monuments on the National Mall, turns 100 on May 30th. Inside the majestic Doric temple, visitors can find inspiration from Lincoln’s quotes carved into the stone walls and sculptor Daniel Chester French’s sublime statue. They can stand on the steps where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his memorable speech, “I Have a Dream,” during one of the most important civil rights rallies in our history.
But the Lincoln Memorial is also a reminder of the Mall’s surprising evolution. The original National Mall – part of the 1791 L’Enfant Plan for the nation’s capital – ended at the Washington Monument, along what was then the banks of the Potomac River. The site of the Lincoln Memorial was in the middle of the river.
Then, in the 1880s and 90s, the US Army Corps of Engineers dredged the Potomac and dumped that soil west and south of the Washington Monument. The 1901-2 McMillan Commission Plan called for expanding the Mall onto the newly created land to include the site for the Lincoln Memorial. Our nation’s history was evolving and so was the Mall.
But today we have no updated comprehensive plan for the Mall. Where will the next Lincolnesque monument go? We need to plan ahead with a new McMillan-type plan – and seriously consider allowing the Mall to grow again to accommodate two new museums already approved by Congress with surely more monuments and museums to come.
Learn more about the 1922 dedication ceremony here.
And, read about the National Mall Coalition’s proposal for a 3rd Century Mall plan.
Lincoln Memorial under construction (Library of Congress)
Tags: Lincoln Memorial
