I 1 I I • I I I ' •• I I • • • • • • The Federal City Jefferson's plan for the federal city. The plan did not see a city as much as a small town. One in which the nationl capitol would be town layed out in the typical Jefferson Grid Iron Plan. The Federal City public offices of the Pierre L'Enfant was born in Goverment. All of this was to France into a family of be done by December 1800 at artists, his father was a which time the goverment would member of the Royal Academy of transfer to it's new location. Painting and Sculpture, a Until that time, the act honor reserved for artist of specified that the capital note. When L'Enfant was a would be located in young man he 1 i ved in Philadelphia. (4) Versailles and there is little doubt he became very familiar The President apparently felt with the gardens and layout of an obligation to make at least the chateau. From Versailles a show of inspection along the with it's combination of grid Potomac, there seems to little and diagonal streets and its doubt, however, that the exact formal open spaces both urban site for the capital would be and landscaped, L'Enfant may chosen near Georgetown, well have acquired early in Maryland. Washington was his life the design vocabulary familiar with the location and which he used in the plan of perfered it over all other Washington. In 1771 L'Enfant because of it's location near entered the Royal Academy of Mount Vernon, only a few miles Painting and Sculpture in away. Paris. During this time, he studied the plan of Paris in On January 22, 1791 President great delail as well as other Washington anounced to the great cities of Europe. (6) public the location of the new L'Enfant joined a number of capitol. In early March, his countrymen in volunteering Washington appointed Major to fight in the American Pierre Charles L'Enfant to Revolution. In April 1777 he prepare an accurate survey of arrived in the colonies as a the proposed site. At this lieutenant. Soon after the war time there was no mentions of Congress promoted him to a the actual design of the city. Major in the Corps of It is felt, however, that Engineers. The title given is Washington did have L'Enfant misleading because L'Enfant in mind for the job. (5) was not involved in._ The Federal City engineering at all. He was a great deal smaller than the known for his drawing of final city. (8) L'Enfant may generals and leaders of the have at first been engaged American Revolution. (7) only to survey the area and find sites for the chief public buildings, he could not confine himself so narrowly. It seems that he convinced the President the plan for the city should include the entire district or a least a very While L'Enfant was surveying large part of it. In the Potomac site, Washington L'Enfant's mind a plan for and Jefferson had taken an such a city was being formed active role in the planning of into a great composition. the new city. At this time both of these men envisioned using only a small part of the 100 square miles designated for the city. Thomas Jefferson, an architect in his own right, proposed a city plan that was very simular to that of Philadelphia. The city appears as a checkerboard of square blocks, 11 blocks east and west and 3 blocks deep. The plan states that each block was to be 600 feet square and laid off in lots 60 feet wide. The space normally occupied by three blocks would be used for the President's house and gardens, with an equal area set aside for the Capitol. The total area amounted to about 2,000 acres, The Federal City As he began the task of designing the new city, L'Enfant felt the need to examine the plans of certain European cities. He asked Jefferson to send him the plans of such cities as Frankfurt, Paris, Stasbourg, ,~ .. .~..,.,.....,~,.,.. ,',! r and Orleans. Jefferson was a "'""'~.-.~·- ... /.J-.•~1 .... , .• great collector of city plans and sent the request at once. L'Enfant worked with great speed. Within three weeks he wrote of "Quays, bridges, magnificent public walks, and other projects ... " (9) On June 21, 1791 L' Enfant took to Mount Vernon a prepared plan for the city. To see the plan is to see the new government as conceived by the men who ran it. Like overlapping spider webs, street patterns mesh together several separate focal points. This was corresponding to the three brances of the new government executive, legislative, and judicial the plan's three main focal centers were separated, but linked by great avenues. The area's highest elevation, Jenkins' Hill was reserved for Congress and the Capitol. The executive department, a mile and a half to the northwest, was to be The Federal City centerred on the President's park and well improved field, House, a "palace" L'Enfant being a part of the walk from called it. The third branch, the President's house of about the judicial, was to be placed 1800 feet in breadth and 3/4 somewhere between the of a mile in lenght." (ll) 'I'he President's Palace and the original drawing indicated Capitol, away from the major building bordering the avenues, unconnected and "field," now the Washington presumably uninfluenced by Mall. These sites, according either of the other branches to the designer, were to be of government. (10) the location for such things as Ministeries and Embassys. (12) After Washington approved the plan, it was presented to Congress along with a The street which linked the memorandum for implementation. city together were to be 130 At the end of this memorandum feet wide while the remaining L'Enfant told of his landscape streets were to be 90 and 110 image: "the whole will acquire feet wide. For the center of new sweetness being laid over this composition L'Enfant the green of a field well provided a major link between level and made brilliant by the Capitol and the the shade of a few trees President's House. He artfully planted." (13) described this as a "Grand Landscaping of the city was Avenue, 400 feet in breadth, it's unifying factor. This and about a mile and a half in worked well with the way length, bordered with gardens, L'Enfant anticipated the ending in a slope from the growth of Washington. He houses on each side. This planned for strategic urban Avenue leads to the Monument development to be generated at A, and connects the Congress the same time from a number of Garden with the President's points marked by major The Federal City -buildings and notal points The growth that was expected within the city. As growth of was far in the future when the Washington occured these Congress made the move from points would join together to Philadelphia to Washington. form the city we know today. Access to the capital was still limited and difficult. When the government made the move it was a symbolic gester only. After congress met for a L'Enfant was expected to work total of 1 hour everyone under the general direction of packed and went to Baltimore. three commissioners appointed Washington was described a to oversee the building of the neither town nor village, a federal city. L'Enfant city in which one congressman considered the work to be his said, "so many are willing to personal and exclusive come to and all so anxious to responsibility, however, and leave." (15) Why after 10 repeatedly disregarded advice years was the city so and instruction given him by incomplete? The reasons do not the commissioners. In one change ... money. incident, L'Enfant ordered a new house of one of the commissioner to be torn down because it was a few feet overr the line he had plotted President Washington and the to mark out New Jersey Avenue. commissioners of the federal Because of this and many city counted upon land similar incidents, the speculation to help finance commissioners insisted to construction. Expecting the President Washington that capital to attract business L'Enfant had to go, unless he and a great population of would subordinate himself to people, the commissioner them. He refused. In February offered lots at public 1792, Washington dismissed auction. The commissioners him. (14) Although L'Enfant even tryed to change the names was gone the plan of the city of area landmarks to hid the wus to live on. area's true nature Goose The Federal City Creek became the Tiber and -Jefferson found "simple,- Jenkins• Hill became noble, beautiful, excellently Capitoline Hill nothing distributed, and moderate in helped. Only 35 lots were sold size." ( 17) This is high at the first auction. A second praise coming from someone who and a third auction was no summited his own design for more successful; by 1801 less the President's House under than one-tenth of the lots the name of XYZ. were sold. (16) Only when Congress and the state of Maryland came to the rescue with money was work able to continue. Design of the Capitol Building and the President's House went more smootly. Plans for both of these structures where conceved by a nation wide competition, a new concept at that time. The results ranged from the absurd to the classical.