Meridan Hill Park, National Historic Landmark

Noted landscape architects George Burnap and Horace Peaslee, who worked in the Office of Public Buildings and Grounds, designed Meridian Hill Park under the guidance of the Commission of Fine Arts. By 1914, Burnap had completed his basic design: a linear series of elements that included the Mall, the Great Terrace, the Hillside Gardens with Cascades, and the Lower Plaza with the memorial to President Buchanan.

After Burnap returned to private practice in 1917, Peaslee submitted revisions that greatly simplified the Mall. As automobiles were rapidly replacing horse-drawn carriages in the city, he eliminated vehicular access into the park. He added a pedestrian entrance on 15th Street and shifted the Buchanan Memorial off the main axis to the east of the plaza.When park construction began in 1918, landscape designer Ferrruccio Vitale was hired to develop a planting plan for Meridian Hill Park. Following Peaselee's lead, Vitale greatly simplified the lower park. He eliminated the 16th Street entrance to the Great Terrace, the bridge over the Cascades and the oval amphitheater, and simplified the pathways to the Hillside Gardens.

For more information go to: www.nps.gov/mehi

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