"a magnificent waterfront entranceway..."

"a magnificent waterfront entranceway..." (HM22DI)

Location: Washington, DC 20024
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Country: United States of America
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N 38° 52.791', W 77° 1.539'

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Inscription
"a magnificent waterfront entranceway..."
Pierre Charles L'Enfant
architect of the Nation's Capital City, describing the Southwest Waterfront to President George Washington

Situated at the confluence of the Potomac and Anacostia rivers, the area known as Southwest was populated by Native Americans long before its written history was first recorded when Captain John Smith mapped the area in 1608. When the District was established in 1791, the area was still rural and largely occupied by the extensive plantations of landholders Daniel Carroll and Duddington and Notley Young.

Under the direction of President George Washington, who envisioned the federal city as both a political capital and a maritime center, Pierre Chalres L'Enfant drafted plans for the Federal City of Washington and recognized the area's potential to be developed into a major inland seaport by incorporating a maritime community along the shoreline, calling it "a magnificent waterfront entranceway."

The Southwest Waterfront has been continuously used as a commercial wharf since the early 1800s, and was a prominent point of arrival for goods and materials used by the growing federal city—home to municipal piers, ice and coal docks, and fish and coastal steamship wharves. More recently, this Potomac Riverfront, the SW ArtsFest,
and the holiday boat Parade of Lights, and has served as an ideal location for celebratory fireworks on many occasions.

The views from the Southwest Waterfront during the blooming beloved cherry blossoms are unrivaled, having attracted the likes of President Wilson and Eleanor Roosevelt, and continue to draw large crows today.
Details
HM NumberHM22DI
Tags
Year Placed2017
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Monday, October 30th, 2017 at 7:03am PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)18S E 324291 N 4305393
Decimal Degrees38.87985000, -77.02565000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 38° 52.791', W 77° 1.539'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds38° 52' 47.46" N, 77° 1' 32.34" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)202, 301
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 900 Maine Ave SW, Washington DC 20024, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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