Lincoln Memorial: Cultural Landscapes Inventory, National Mall & Memorial Parks

Lester, Molly; Torkelson, Jacob; Randall, Mason; Chung, Christine

The Lincoln Memorial cultural landscape (Reservation 332) is a component landscape of West Potomac Park. It is located on the eastern bank of the Potomac River in the monumental core of the District of Columbia, bridging the axis between the southwest and northwest quadrants of Washington, D.C. The study area for this Cultural Landscape Inventory encompasses 83 acres and includes the Lincoln Memorial structure and circle, Reflecting Pool, the John Ericsson Monument, the Watergate Steps area, and the Belvedere at Peters Point. The Lincoln Memorial cultural landscape is managed by the National Park Service, National Mall and Memorial Parks. Beyond the boundaries of the study area, the contextual boundary for this Cultural Landscape Inventory encompasses 170 acres (inclusive of the 83-acre study area). This contextual landscape is bound by Constitution Avenue NW to the north, 17th Street NW to the east, Independence Avenue SW to the south, and the Potomac River to the west. The contextual landscape includes the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Lockkeeper’s House, Constitution Gardens, Ash Woods, JFK hockey fields, U.S. Park Police stables, and the Korean War Veterans Memorial, in addition to the Lincoln Memorial cultural landscape. Historical Overview The Lincoln Memorial cultural landscape was reclaimed from the Potomac mudflats in the late 19th century. It was formalized as part of West Potomac Park in 1897, and was a focal point of the 1901/1902 McMillan Plan, which called for the creation of a national monument at the west end of the National Mall to honor President Abraham Lincoln and commemorate the reunification of the country after the Civil War. Congress established the Commission of Fine Arts in 1910 and the Lincoln Memorial Commission in 1911; both agencies were responsible for commissioning the structure and statue that would be the centerpieces of the Lincoln Memorial itself. Architect Henry Bacon was selected to complete the design for the structure, and Daniel Chester French received the commission for the statue. The groundbreaking for the structure was on February 12, 1914, and work was substantially complete by the dedication ceremony on May 30, 1922. The landscape around the memorial structure, including the prominent Reflecting Pool feature, was designed by Henry Bacon, Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., and others. The landscape was improved throughout the 1910s and 1920s, although the areas north and south of the Reflecting Pool were commandeered for temporary war buildings starting in 1918. In 1939, Marian Anderson held a concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial for 75,000 people. Organized by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and other organizations as a rebuke to segregationist actions by the Daughters of the American Revolution, the event established the Lincoln Memorial cultural landscape as a site for civic protest and gatherings associated with the Civil Rights Movement. In August 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. extended this protest use, issuing his famous “I Have a Dream” speech from the steps of the memorial as part of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. The site’s historic use as a site of recreation, commemoration, and protest has continued to the present day.

Lincoln Memorial: Cultural Landscapes Inventory, National Mall & Memorial Parks

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