Meridian Hill/Malcolm X Park

Meridian Hill/Malcolm X Park (HMB1K)

Location: Washington, DC 20009
Buy District Of Columbia State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 38° 55.243', W 77° 2.196'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 734 views
Inscription

Roads to Diversity

— Adams Morgan Heritage Trail —

Long before Europeans arrived, Meridian Hill was a sacred place for Native Americans. As recently as 1992, a delegation of Native Americans walked across the continent to this park to mourn the 500th anniversary of Columbus's arrival. They were received by environmentalist Josephine Butler, a champion of park preservation.

Europeans named the hill for Commodore David Porter's grand Meridian Hill house (1825) which straddled the route of the prime meridian (16th Street). Americans used this meridian as a starting point for mapping the continent until 1884 when it was replaced by the Greenwich (England) Prime Meridian. President John Quincy Adams leased Porter's house in 1829.

Later landowner Mary Foote Henderson persuaded federal officials to build the elaborate, European style, 12-acre Meridian Hill Park. Its starlight performances drew citywide audiences until the park began declining in the 1950s. In the 1960s it became a staging ground for political demonstrations, and in 1970 activist Angela Davis unofficially renamed it Malcolm X Park. Then in the 1990s, Friends of Meridian Hill and others worked with the National Park Service to evict criminal activity and restore the park as a cultural center.

As you proceed to Sign 3, don't miss three landmarks: the Envoy at the corner of Crescent Place (once Meridian Mansions, home to congressmen and diplomats), and 1624 and 1630 Crescent Place, both designed by John Russell Pope, architect of the Jefferson Memorial.
Details
HM NumberHMB1K
Tags
Marker Number2 of 18
Year Placed2005
Placed ByCultural Tourism DC
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Thursday, October 2nd, 2014 at 3:12am PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)18S E 323442 N 4309950
Decimal Degrees38.92071667, -77.03660000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 38° 55.243', W 77° 2.196'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds38° 55' 14.58" N, 77° 2' 11.76" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)202
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 2300-2398 16th St NW, Washington DC 20009, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Nearby Markersshow on map
The Envoy
0.04 miles
Washington Meridian
0.06 miles
Art for the People
0.06 miles
An American Meridian
0.09 miles
College Hill
0.09 miles
James Buchanan
0.1 miles
A Gathering Place for Washingtonians
0.1 miles
Park Tower
0.1 miles
Buchanan
0.1 miles
Pitts Motor Hotel
0.1 miles
Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. Is this marker part of a series?
  2. What historical period does the marker represent?
  3. What historical place does the marker represent?
  4. What type of marker is it?
  5. What class is the marker?
  6. What style is the marker?
  7. This marker needs at least one picture.
  8. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  9. Is the marker in the median?