Map Images
The Mc Millan Plan The 1901 McMillan Commission focused itself on the area south of the White House and west of the Capitol Building. It was proposed that the tidal flats be filled in and that new monuments be placed south of the WH and west of the CB. It is easy to see why Pennsylvania and Maryland Avenues form two of the prime lines in the plan. Note that they form two right triangles, not just one. Had the Lincoln Mml been located further to the west, it would have completed a rhombus. The location of the Jefferson Memorial is aluded to in L'Enfant's plan by extending the 16th Street axis and extending Maryland Avenue. The purple lines from the WH and Jeff Mml are New York and Virginia Aveunes, which as you can see converge 'off screen'. The location for a monument that the map suggests is on the west bank of the Potomac, opposite to the Capitol, not where the Lincoln Memorial was placed. As you can see, the McMillan Plan attempts to 1)return the symmetry to the map that was disrupted by the move of the monument, and 2)make the mall a cruciform shape. An artists rendering of the McMilan Plan, looking east toward the Capitol. Note that since the monument is not due west of the CB, the line running from the CB through the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial is running about 1 degree downhill. The point on which the McMillan Plan centers is actually about 150m feet south of the crossing of the axes. Versailles There is a big difference between saying that something was based on something else and that it was influenced by the other thing. It is common to read that L'Enfant's plan was probably based on the Versailles and Paris of his day, which implies a physical similarity. It is quite another thing to say that L'Enfant was influenced by Baroque city planning which emphasizes lines of sight between monumental structures. If you read about the 1901 Plan, you will find that, "The commissioners were particularly impressed with Paris, seeing it as a 'well-articulated city--a work of civic art.' The broad Parisian avenues and gardens of Versailles were a great influence on the men, and with their predilection for the Beaux-Arts style, an understandable influence on the final plan." Note that this is speaking of the McMillan commissioners. As part of the preparation for the committee work, the commissioners traveled to places presumed to have influenced L'Enfant, meaning Paris and Versailles. If you compare the map of Versailles to the McMillan Plan and L'Enfant's original planning map, you will see that the McMillan Commissioners were a lot more fond of that than L'Enfant. And if you compare those three to the current DC map, you will see that neither the map of Versailles, nor the 1901 plan look like modern DC. People are fond of comparing the 1901 plan image to the Versailles map and proclaiming that L'Enfant fashioned DC after that; and while it is true that certain elements in the plan do look a lot like the Versailles map, Neither of them look much like modern day DC. Though they were sucessful at placing a square of buildings around the Capitol as well as locating the Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials, much of the rest of the plan was never implimented. Note that what was a circle in that plan is now an ellipse. Jefferey Meyer in "Myths in Stone" announces from "the west terrace of the Capitol" that L'Enfant had "recreated the commnading view of Versailles. Note the equestrian statue in front of the Palace. Looking NW from the Palace. Here is a sattelite image of the current Versailles layout. Note that the main axis is not east-west as at DC but is declined about 20 degrees to that. Actually the line running from the CB through the Wash Mmt is 1 degree south of due west. Actually the azimuth of the view from the Palace, 290 degrees, is just about the same as the section of Penn Ave between the WH and CB. Curiously, the view to the east is almost exactly the same as that at the CB, except for the angle of the alignment. Continue

Map Images

The Mc Millan Plan
The 1901 McMillan Commission focused itself on the area south of the White House and west of the Capitol Building. It was proposed that the tidal flats be filled in and that new monuments be placed south of the WH and west of the CB. It is easy to see why Pennsylvania and Maryland Avenues form two of the prime lines in the plan. Note that they form two right triangles, not just one. Had the Lincoln Mml been located further to the west, it would have completed a rhombus.

The location of the Jefferson Memorial is aluded to in L'Enfant's plan by extending the 16th Street axis and extending Maryland Avenue. The purple lines from the WH and Jeff Mml are New York and Virginia Aveunes, which as you can see converge 'off screen'. The location for a monument that the map suggests is on the west bank of the Potomac, opposite to the Capitol, not where the Lincoln Memorial was placed.

As you can see, the McMillan Plan attempts to 1)return the symmetry to the map that was disrupted by the move of the monument, and 2)make the mall a cruciform shape.

An artists rendering of the McMilan Plan, looking east toward the Capitol.

Note that since the monument is not due west of the CB, the line running from the CB through the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial is running about 1 degree downhill. The point on which the McMillan Plan centers is actually about 150m feet south of the crossing of the axes.

Versailles
There is a big difference between saying that something was based on something else and that it was influenced by the other thing. It is common to read that L'Enfant's plan was probably based on the Versailles and Paris of his day, which implies a physical similarity. It is quite another thing to say that L'Enfant was influenced by Baroque city planning which emphasizes lines of sight between monumental structures.
If you read about the 1901 Plan, you will find that, "The commissioners were particularly impressed with Paris, seeing it as a 'well-articulated city--a work of civic art.' The broad Parisian avenues and gardens of Versailles were a great influence on the men, and with their predilection for the Beaux-Arts style, an understandable influence on the final plan." Note that this is speaking of the McMillan commissioners.
As part of the preparation for the committee work, the commissioners traveled to places presumed to have influenced L'Enfant, meaning Paris and Versailles.
If you compare the map of Versailles to the McMillan Plan and L'Enfant's original planning map, you will see that the McMillan Commissioners were a lot more fond of that than L'Enfant. And if you compare those three to the current DC map, you will see that neither the map of Versailles, nor the 1901 plan look like modern DC.
People are fond of comparing the 1901 plan image to the Versailles map and proclaiming that L'Enfant fashioned DC after that; and while it is true that certain elements in the plan do look a lot like the Versailles map,

Neither of them look much like modern day DC.

Though they were sucessful at placing a square of buildings around the Capitol as well as locating the Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials, much of the rest of the plan was never implimented. Note that what was a circle in that plan is now an ellipse.

Jefferey Meyer in "Myths in Stone" announces from "the west terrace of the Capitol" that L'Enfant had "recreated the commnading view of Versailles. Note the equestrian statue in front of the Palace.

Looking NW from the Palace.

Here is a sattelite image of the current Versailles layout. Note that the main axis is not east-west as at DC but is declined about 20 degrees to that. Actually the line running from the CB through the Wash Mmt is 1 degree south of due west.

Actually the azimuth of the view from the Palace, 290 degrees, is just about the same as the section of Penn Ave between the WH and CB. Curiously, the view to the east is almost exactly the same as that at the CB, except for the angle of the alignment.

Continue