The L'Enfant Plan is an urban plan for Washington, D.C. designed by French artist and engineer Pierre Charles L'Enfant in 1791.L'Enfant identified himself as "Peter Charles L'Enfant" during most of his life, while residing in the United States. (See: Bowling, 2002) He wrote this name on his "Plan of the city intended for the permanent seat of the government of t(he) United States ...." (Washington, D.C.) and on other legal documents. However, during the early 1900s, a French ambassador to the U.S., Jean Jules Jusserand, popularized the use of L'Enfant's birth name, "Pierre Charles L'Enfant". (See: Bowling (2002).) The National Park Service has identified L'Enfant as "Major Peter Charles L'Enfant" and as "Major Pierre (Peter) Charles L'Enfant" in its histories of the Washington Monument on its website. The United States Code states in : "(a) In General.—The purposes of this chapter shall be carried out in the District of Columbia as nearly as may be practicable in harmony with the plan of Peter Charles L'Enfant." It is regarded as a landmark in urban design and has inspired plans for other world capitals such as Brasília, New Delhi, and Canberra. In the United States, plans for Detroit, Indianapolis, and Sacramento took inspiration from the plan.

History

L'Enfant was a French artist and engineer who served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. In 1789, discussions were underway regarding a new federal capital city for the United States, and L'Enfant wrote to President Washington asking to be commissioned to plan the city. However, any decision on the capital was put on hold until July 1790 when Congress passed the Residence Act. The legislation specified that the new capital should be situated on the Potomac River, at some location between the Eastern Branch (the Anacostia River) and the Conococheague Creek near Hagerstown, Maryland. The Residence Act gave authority to President Washington to appoint three commissioners to oversee the survey of the federal district and provide public buildings to accommodate the Federal government in 1800.

In 1791, Washington appointed L'Enfant to plan the new federal city, under the supervision of three commissioners whom Washington had earlier appointed to oversee the planning and development of the territory that became the District of Columbia. Included in the new district were the riverport towns of Georgetown (formerly in Montgomery County, Maryland) and Alexandria, Virginia.

Thomas Jefferson, who was serving as Washington's secretary of state, worked with Washington in the overall planning of the nation's capital. Jefferson sent L'Enfant a letter outlining his task, which was to provide a drawing of suitable sites for the federal city and the public buildings. Jefferson had modest ideas for the capital. However, L'Enfant saw the task as far more grandiose, believing that he was also devising the city plan and designing the buildings.

L'Enfant arrived in Georgetown on March 9, 1791, and began his work from Suter's Fountain Inn.Stewart, p. 50. Washington arrived on March 28 to meet with L'Enfant and the commissioners for several days. L'Enfant was also provided a roll of maps by Jefferson depicting Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Strasbourg, Paris, Orléans, Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, Turin, and Milan.Berg, Scott. "Grand Avenues." Pantheon Books, 2007. Page 87 (A common misconception is that of these, L'Enfant was chiefly inspired by the grand boulevards and urban fabric of Paris. In reality, the Haussman Plan, which created the version of the city that is known today, was not enacted until 1853.) On June 22, L'Enfant presented his first plan for the federal city to the president.Stewart, p. 52. On August 19, he appended a new map to a letter that he sent to the president. Washington retained a copy of one of L'Enfant's plans, showed it to the Congress, and later gave it to the three commissioners. In November 1791, L'Enfant secured the lease of quarries at Wigginton Island and southeast along Aquia Creek to supply well-regarded Aquia Creek sandstone for the foundation of the Congress House.Morgan, p. 120

The Plan

L'Enfant's "plan of the city intended for the permanent seat of the government of the United States..." encompassed an area bounded by the Potomac River, the Eastern Branch, the base of the escarpment of the Atlantic Seaboard Fall Line, and Rock Creek (named on the plan as Pine Creek). His plan specified locations for two buildings, the "Congress House" (the United States Capitol) and the "President's House" (known after its 1815–1817 rebuilding and repainting of its stone walls, as the White House or Executive Mansion).

The plan specified that most streets would be laid out in a grid. To form the grid, some streets (later named for letters of the alphabet) would travel in an east–west direction, while others (named for numbers) would travel in a north–south direction. Broader diagonal grand avenues, later named after the states of the Union, crossed the north–south/east–west grid.Multiple sources:

Freedom Plaza in downtown D.C. contains an inlay of the central portion of L'Enfant's plan, an inlay of an oval that gives the title of the plan and the name of its author (identified as "Peter Charles L'Enfant") and inlays of the plan's legends. The coordinates of the inlay of the plan and its legends are: . The coordinates of the name "Peter Charles L'Enfant" are: These "grand avenues" intersected with the north–south and east–west streets at circles and rectangular plazas that would later honor notable Americans and provide open space.

L'Enfant's plan additionally laid out a system of canals (later designated as the Washington City Canal) that would pass the Congress House and the President's House. One branch of the canal would empty into the Potomac River south of the President's House at the mouth of Tiber Creek, which would be channelized and straightened. The other branch of the canal would channelize James Creek and would divide and empty into the Eastern Branch at two separate points near the Eastern Branch's confluence with the Potomac River. The scale and complexity of the canals in the 1791-92 plan and its revisions suggested the importance of the canals within the grand design of the city, with important structures located along its banks—the proposed National Pantheon, Judiciary Square, a market/exchange complex, a national bank and theater, as well as a grand church complex.

"Congress House" The Congress House (known as the United States Capitol) would be built on Jenkins Hill (later to be known as Capitol Hill), which L'Enfant described as a "pedestal awaiting a monument". Emphasizing the importance of the new nation's legislature, the Congress House would be located on a longitude designated as 0:0.

"President's House" The President's House would be situated on a ridge parallel to the Potomac River north of the mouth of Tiber Creek, which L'Enfant proposed to canalize. L'Enfant envisioned the President's House to have public gardens and monumental architecture. Reflecting his grandiose visions, he specified that the President's House (occasionally referred to as the President's Palace) would be five times the size of the building that was actually constructed, even then becoming the largest residence then constructed in America.

National Mall A prominent geometric feature of L'Enfant's plan was a large right triangle whose hypotenuse was a wide avenue (now part of Pennsylvania Avenue, NW) connecting the President's House and the Congress House.Partridge, p. 30. To complete the triangle, a line projecting due south from the center of the President's House intersected at a right angle a line projecting due west from the center of the Congress House. A garden-lined grand avenue containing a public walk (which became the National Mall) would travel for about along the east–west line.

In 1793, a wooden marker was placed at the triangle's southwest corner (the intersection of the cross axis of the White House and the Capitol).Robinson and Associates, p. 12. A small stone obelisk, the Jefferson Pier, replaced the marker in 1804.Multiple sources:

Coordinates of Jefferson Pier:

Squares and public spaces The 15 states at the time were each allocated a square to build on and decorate as they saw fit. They would be located along the avenues and were to be easily visible from each other to engender friendly competition. The plan identified some of the circles and rectangular plazas as numbered reservations. The plan's legends identified uses for other open spaces that letters in the alphabet identified. Other legends specified the widths of grand avenues and streets.

Plan References Along the margins of the plan and map was a key of references that L'Enfant authored. They are listed as follows:

Reference A "THE equestrian figure of George Washington, a monument voted in by the late Continental Congress."Multiple sources:

Reference B “An historic column – also intended for a mile or itinerary column, from whose station, (a mile from the Federal house) all distances of places through the Continent, are to be calculated” (now the site of Lincoln Park)

Reference C "A Naval itinerary Column, proposed to be erected to celebrate the first prize of a Navy and to stand a ready Monument to consecrate its progress and achievements. . . ."

Reference D "The Church is intended for national purposes such as public prayer, Thanksgiving, funeral orations, and assigned to no special sect or denomination, but equally open to all. It will be likewise a proper shelter as were voted by the late Continental Congress, for those heroes that fell in the cause of liberty, as for such others as may hereafter by decreed by the voice of a grateful nation." (Now the site of the National Portrait Gallery)

Reference E "Five grand fountains intended with a constant spout of water. N. B. There are within the limits of the City above 25 good springs of excellent water abundantly supplied in the driest season of the year."

Reference F "Grand Cascade, formed of water from the sources of the Tiber."

Reference G "Public walk, being a square of 1200 feet, through which carriages may ascend to the upper Square of the Federal House."

Reference H "Grand Avenue, 400 feet in breadth, and about a mile in length, bordered with gardens, ending in a slope from the houses on each side. This Avenue leads to Monument A and connects the Congress Garden with the...

Reference I President’s park and the...

Reference K Well improved field being part of the public walk from the President’s house, of about 1800 feet in breadth, and ¾ a mile in length. Every lot deep colored red with green plots, designates some of the situations, which command the most agreeable prospects, and which are the best calculated for spacious houses and gardens, such as may accommodate foreign ministers &

Reference L Around this square, and all along the avenue

Reference M Around the square [to the east] of the Capitol [and] along the Avenue from the two bridges to the Federal house, the pavement on each side will pass under an arched way, under whose cover Shops will be most conveniently and agreeably situated. This street is 160 feet in breadth and a mile long."

Additional References "The squares colored yellow, being fifteen in number, are proposed to be divided among the several states, in the Union for each of them to improve or subscribe in additional value to the land that purpose and improvements round the Squares are to be completed in a limited time."