West Potomac Park
West Potomac Park | |
N.W. | |
Coordinates | 38°53′9.6″N 77°2′49.2″W / 38.886000°N 77.047000°W |
---|---|
Area | 394.9 acres (159.8 ha) |
Built | 1881-1912 |
Part of | East and West Potomac Parks Historic District (ID73000217[1]) |
Designated CP | November 30, 1973[2] |
West Potomac Park is a U.S. national park in Washington, D.C., adjacent to the National Mall. It includes the parkland that extends south of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, from the Lincoln Memorial to the grounds of the Washington Monument. The park is the site of many national landmarks, including the Korean War Veterans Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, George Mason Memorial, and the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial.
The park includes the surrounding land on the shore of the Tidal Basin, an artificial inlet of the Potomac River which was created in the 19th century, an inlet that links the Potomac with the northern end of the Washington Channel.
West Potomac Park is administered by National Mall and Memorial Parks, an administrative unit of the National Park Service's National Capital Parks.[3][4]
Creation of the park
Almost none of the National Mall west of the
Cherry trees
The famous
In 1906, Dr.
In 1908, Fairchild gave cherry saplings to boys from each school in the District to plant in schoolyards on Arbor Day. In closing his Arbor Day speech, Fairchild expressed a vision that the "Speedway" (the present day corridor of Independence Avenue in West Potomac Park) be transformed into a Field of Cherries. In attendance was Eliza Scidmore, who afterwards he referred to as a great authority on Japan. In 1909, Scidmore decided to try to raise the money required to purchase the cherry trees and then donate the trees to the city. Scidmore sent a note outlining her new plan to the new First Lady, Helen Herron Taft—the wife of President William Howard Taft— who had once lived in Japan and was familiar with the beauty of the flowering cherry trees. Two days later, the First Lady responded:
- The White House, Washington
- April 7, 1909
- Thank you very much for your suggestion about the cherry trees. I have taken the matter up and am promised the trees, but I thought perhaps it would be best to make an avenue of them, extending down to the turn in the road, as the other part (beyond the railroad bridge Ed.) is still too rough to do any planting. Of course, they could not reflect in the water, but the effect would be very lovely of the long avenue. Let me know what you think about this.
- Sincerely yours,
- Helen H. Taft
On April 8, the day after Taft's letter, Dr. Jōkichi Takamine, the Japanese chemist famous as the discoverer of adrenaline and takadiastase, was in Washington, D.C., with Midzuno, the Japanese consul in New York City. When told Washington was to have Japanese cherry trees planted along the Speedway, he asked whether the First Lady would accept a donation of an additional 2,000 trees. Midzuno thought it was a fine idea and suggested the trees be given in the name of Tokyo, the capital of Japan. Takamine and Midzuno met with the Helen Taft, who accepted the offer.
On April 13, five days after the First Lady's request, the Superintendent of Public Building and Grounds ordered the purchase of 90 cherry trees (Prunus serrulata) of the Fugenzo
Four months later, on August 30, the Japanese embassy informed the
Recreation
The West Potomac Rugby Football Club's match and practice pitch is located in the park.
Map of West Potomac Park
Also in the park are the District of Columbia War Memorial, George Mason Memorial, John Paul Jones Memorial, John Ericsson Memorial, The Arts of War and The Arts of Peace sculptures, the Japanese Pagoda and Lantern statues, the First Air Mail Marker, and the Cuban Friendship Urn.
See also
References
- ^ "National Register Information System – East and West Potomac Parks (#73000217)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
- ^ East and West Potomac Parks. Nomination Form for Federal Properties. Form 10-306 (Oct. 1972). National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. U.S. Department of the Interior. November 30, 1973. Retrieved April 15, 2013.
- ^ "Superintendent's Compendium: National Mall and Memorial Parks (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov/nama. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
- OCLC 953843665. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
- ^ Berg, Scott W. "The Beginning of the Road." Washington Post. August 31, 2008. Retrieved April 15, 2013.
- ^ Tindall, p. 396; Gutheim and Lee, p. 94-97; Bednar, p. 47.
- ^ "Histories of the National Mall: Babcock Lakes". mallhistory.org. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
- ^ "Histories of the National Mall: Potomac Flats Reclaimed". mallhistory.org. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
- ^ Gutheim and Lee, p. 96-97.
- ^ Report of the Chief of Engineers..., p. 1891. Retrieved April 15, 2013.
Bibliography
- Bednar, Michael J. L'Enfant's Legacy: Public Open Spaces in Washington, D.C. Baltimore, Md.: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006.
- Gutheim, Frederick A. and Lee, Antoinette J. Worthy of the Nation: Washington, D.C., From L'Enfant to the National Capital Planning Commission. Baltimore, Md.: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006.
- Report of the Chief of Engineers. War Department Annual Reports, 1917. Vol. 2. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1918.
- Tindall, William. Standard History of the City of Washington From a Study of the Original Sources. Knoxville, Tenn.: H.W. Crew & Co., 1914.
External links
- National Cherry Blossom Festival official website
- West Potomac Park bird sightings on eBird
- Geographic data related to West Potomac Park at OpenStreetMap
- U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: West Potomac Park