![]() ![]() ![]() Jefferson Memorial and Yoshino trees / Source 8. The protest got so big that 50 women threatened to chain themselves to the trees if construction, and therefore the removal of the trees, continued.Įven though construction went on regardless of all the protests, it did help to spare a large number of these beautifully blossoming trees. These trees were donated by the government of Japan back in 1912 and had turned a swamp into a very nice area near the Tidal Basin. The reason for this was the existence of about 3000 Yoshino cherry trees at the location. Not everybody was too fond of the location the Jefferson memorial would be built at. Jefferson Memorial Pantheon building / Pixabay 7. The motivation of the commission to build the Jefferson Memorial near the Tidal Bassin was not just because of its prominent position, but also because it completed the original “four-point plan” of the McMillan Commission (the one from 1901). On the Tidal Basin, directly south of the White House.On the south side of the National Mall across from the National Archives (a building he designed as well).On the Anacostia River at the end of East Capitol Street.The only thing that was to be decided was the location of the Neoclassical building. Pope was the architect who previously won the competition held for the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial back in 1925.īecause of his studies at the American Academy in Rome and his travels through Italy and Greece, he became one of the most famous neoclassical architects in the United States.įor the Jefferson memorial, he created a large Pantheon-like structure. It was the architect John Russell Pope that was assigned by the commission in 1935 to create the building. ![]() Interesting fact: $3 million was assigned to the commission, led by chairman Boylan, to create the memorial to Thomas Jefferson. Boylan, a commission was created to help facilitate the construction of the Jefferson Memorial. He saw the chance of including a monument to Thomas Jefferson in the current construction of the Federal Triangle. During the construction of the “Federal Triangle,” a triangular area in Washington DC with 10 major buildings, he personally contacted the Commission of Fine Arts. The final decision for the Jefferson Memorialįranklin D Roosevelt had always been a big admirer of Thomas Jefferson. Here you can see one of his proposals submitted in 1912: Lincoln Memorial Proposal by John Russell Pope / Source 5. Interesting fact: Architect John Russell Pope lost another competition to build the Lincoln Memorial. The half-circle structure located next to a circular basin was never funded. To achieve this, a contest was held in which architect John Russell Pope submitted the winning proposal. The idea came about to create a monument for Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president of the United States. Nothing was planned yet for the Tidal Basin area the moment it was closed. The Tidal Basin Beach was closed permanently due to racial issues in 1925. The initial idea for the building in the Tidal Basin area was rejected by congress. Host the statues of the illustrious men of the nation, or whether the memory of some individual shall be honored by a monument of the first rank may be left to the future. The building was supposed to (according to the McMillan Commission back in 1902): They had visited Europe to get ideas, and a Pantheon-style monument was proposed for the Tidal Basin area. The McMillan Commission already proposed a building back in 1901. Tidal Basin Beach / Wiki Commons / Source 3. Result: The Tidal Basin beach got closed for everybody altogether. That wasn’t to the liking of some Southern senators. Congress had approved a plan to fund the integration of a beach for African-Americans nearby. So why close a popular spot where people can hang out in the summer? Even more interesting is that it first served as a beach, attracting over 20,000 people one summer day in July 1920. The land on which the Jefferson Memorial stands right now is actually man-made. At that time, the idea came about to create a basin to capture high tidewater from the Wahington channel. Up until the 1880s, the Tidal Basin was one big flooded area. National Mall Map / Peter Fitzgerald / 2. You can see the Jefferson Memorial is located right at the bottom (number 39) near the Tidal Basin. Here you can see a map with all the monuments and buildings that can be found in both Parks. It also lies across the National Mall, another park filled with landmarks that borders downtown Washington DC., and the U.S. West Potomac Park view from the Washington Monument / Wiki Commons The Jefferson Memorial is located in “West Potomac Park.” In the park, a lot of historical monuments can be found such as:
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