The landmarks found in Washington D. C. include the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Building, and the Capitol building. The Washington plan, which comprises streets and roads, forms the surface transportation infrastructure of the city. Pierre Charles L’Enfant designed the plan of Washington to make it a permanent seat of the US government. His model was based on the Baroque style, which integrated open space and landscaping. L’Enfant then split the district into four uneven quarters that formed the basis for identifying roads, houses, and streets in Washington (Proctor 1930, p. 12). In his designs of Washington D. C., L’Enfant identified the need for a prominent statue, in honor of President Washington, between the Capitol and the White House (Yeats 2001), but due to instability of the ground, the Jefferson Pier was constructed there in its place.
Architect Robert Mills designed the Washington monument after he emerged victorious in a competition that sought the best structure to honor President George Washington. The monument comprises a tall, upright obelisk, or tapered shaft with four sides, and a relatively flat top, which has a nine-inch tall aluminum pyramid. The monument rises to a height of just over 555 feet. The width of the base is 55 feet and is surrounded by a circular colonnade. The construction materials used on the monument include granite, marble, and bluestone gneiss (Bowling 2002, p. 121). Once inside the monument, there is an elevator, an 897-step stairway, and a 500 feet observation deck.
The Jefferson Memorial was constructed in the 1930s in honor of President Thomas Jefferson. Architect John Russell Pope designed the memorial based on the preferences of President Jefferson, who was a scholar and architect. The design of the Jefferson Memorial was inspired by the architecture of ancient Rome, as well as, the work of Andréa Palladio, an Italian architect. The monument has similar features to buildings designed by Jefferson, such as the Monticello and the Rotunda (Savage 2009, p. 73). It is modeled after the Pantheon in Rome, as seen from the circular marble steps, a portico with a colonnade of Ionic order columns, an open space surrounded with Vermont marble columns, and a shallow dome. The ionic columns support a triangular pediment with carvings of Jefferson and four other famous men who were involved in preparing the declaration of independence. There is also a 19-foot, 10,000-pound bronze statue of Thomas Jefferson situated under the dome (Savage 2009, p. 75).
The Capitol building is one of the most symbolically significant and architecturally remarkable buildings in the US. It has undergone numerous changes from the initial design, which comprised the Rotunda and a wooden dome. The wooden dome was later demolished due to fear of fire, and replaced with one made from cast iron. During the extension phase, the material used to construct the exterior was changed from sandstone to marble. The cast-iron dome of the Great rotunda rises to a height of 180 feet. It has a large fresco decoration made by Constantino Brumidi. The decorations on the walls include the works of prominent artists like John Trumbull and Gilbert Stuart (Ovaso, 2002, p. 54).
Reference List
Bowling, K 2002, Peter Charles L’Enfant: vision, honor, and male friendship in the early American Republic, George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
Ovason, D 2002, The Secret Architecture of Our Nation’s Capital: The Masons and the Building of Washington, Harper Perennial, New York.
Proctor, J 1930, Washington Past and Present, Lewis Historical Publishing Company Inc, New York.
Savage, K 2009, Monument Wars: Washington, D.C., the National Mall, and the Transformation of the Memorial Landscape, University of California Press, California.
Yeats, C 2001, Washingtonople: The secret history of America’s capital, Web.