The surveyor visionaries who created Washington DC
Major Peter Charles L'Enfant; redrawn from woodcut. Retrieved from the Library of Congress,
On this President’s Day, we traditionally honor our founding presidential surveyors. This important training laid the foundation of more than our boundary lines — it contributed to the creation of our beautiful Federal City - Washington, D.C.
After the Revolutionary War in 1789, the constitution established a 10 square mile district as the site of the new capitol for the United States. Subsequently, after much haggling in Congress, the “Residence Act” was passed and set the site of the new city on the northern and southern shores of the Potomac River at a location to be determined by President Washington. It also gave Washington the power to appoint three commissioners to oversee the survey of the ten square mile federal district.
After appointing the commissioners, Washington then appointed Pierre Charles L’Enfant to plan the new “Federal City” under the supervision of the three commissioners. L’Enfant had been a member of Washington’s staff at Valley Forge where he received a commission as captain of engineers in 1778. He left this position because it lacked the opportunity for him to distinguish himself in combat. He asked to be transferred further south where the battles were raging. He engaged in many skirmishes and was wounded and captured after the Siege of Charleston in 1780. After recovering from the injury and regaining his freedom in a prisoner exchange, he rejoined Washington as a member of his staff for the rest of the war. During his time serving in the army, he used his well-developed artistic skill to paint military encampments and battlefields. His encampment paintings depicted several of America’s largest cities at the time – the military camps were equal in size to actual cities.
West Point - Tents and Trees Panoramic View of West Point. Painted by Pierre Charles L’Enfant, August 1782. Watercolor, Ink, Graphite, and Paper. Courtesy of the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.
L’Enfant - the early years
L’Enfant was born in Paris in 1754 to an aristocratic family. His father was a “Painter in Ordinary” to King Louis XV, which meant he had an official position to paint portraits for the king or queen. The younger Pierre carried on the artistic tradition. L’Enfant the younger was educated at the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture in Paris, based at the Louvre. When he was just 23, he, and several other educated minor nobility were hired as part of an effort by the French government to provide material support to the Continental Army during the Revolutionary war. Unfortunately, L’Enfant didn’t have military training, but, according to General du Coudray, L’Enfant had “some talent for drawing figures . . . but nothing of use for an engineer.”[1]
After the war, L’Enfant eventually settled in New York City, where he worked as an architect. When Washington called on him in 1791 to design the Federal City, he immediately began work.
Presidential surveyors lead the way
Partridge, W. T., L'Enfant, P. C., Ellicott, A. & United States National Capital Park And Planning Commission. (1791) Design of the federal city, comparative plans of L'Enfant and Ellicott: Washington D.C. [Washington: National Capital Park and Planning Commission, 190-?] [Map] Retrieved from the Library of Congress,
Thomas Jefferson worked with Washington to oversee the plans for the new capital. Jefferson saw the task as surveying and mapping out suitable sites for the city and public buildings, but L’Enfant interpreted the undertaking to include a comprehensive city plan with buildings. His vision was to re-create the harmonious beauty of the Gardens of Versailles while emulating the grandeur of the great cities of Europe. Fortunately, Washington agreed with his vision of a world-class metropolis sited in a rural area, so the plan was approved and L’Enfant started work.
Fortunately he had the benefit of a great staff to make his ambitious plans a reality. Andrew Ellicott, a surveyor and military veteran, was recommended by Thomas Jefferson for his exacting work and extreme accuracy. Ellicott recruited his friend and fellow surveyor / mathematician – Benjamin Bannaker to handle the complex calculations required for such a detailed project. Alexander Ralston, a Scottish-born surveyor added his renowned expertise in city planning. Stephen Hallet, an architect, served as draftsman and Issac Roberdeau, a civil engineer, served as L’Enfant’s assistant.
The plan he created was a grid of irregular rectangular blocks bisected by broad diagonal avenues. It focused on the Capitol building and the presidential mansion from which broad boulevards radiated. The triangular intersections were designed to accommodate statues and fountains that would highlight people and events crucial to the new country. He also included canals and the Washington Mall in the plans.
The city was built – without L’Enfant
Plan of part of the city of Washington shewing the situation of the buildings belonging to Mr. Dan'l Carroll of Duddington. Library of Congress.
Today, Washington D.C. is built very close to what L’Enfant planned, thanks to the hard work of his staff and the enslaved people who did the actual construction. Unfortunately, L’Enfant was dismissed before the project was finished because he had offended the commissioners and other influential people while working on the project due to his arrogance and inability to compromise. In particular, he demolished the recently-built home of the nephew of commissioner Daniel Carroll because it stood in the way of a new road[2]. He also delayed producing a map for the sale of city lots (fearing that real estate speculators would buy up land and leave the city vacant).[2] Andrew Ellicott, the city’s surveyor took over and produced the needed map with details for lot sales.
Despite the tumultuous start to the Federal City, the hard work and precision of early surveyors ensured that L’Enfant’s vision would become reality.
L'Enfant’s career never recovered from the dismissal. He was later offered some payment for his work as well as opportunities for significant design commissions, and even a teaching position at West Point, but he was too proud to accept them. It is likely that his aristocratic honor was wounded, especially because he was not even credited with the capitol design on engravings of the published plan.[3] Major Pierre L’Enfant died on June 15, 1825, in Prince George’s County, Maryland. A modest obituary in the National Intelligencer did credit him as being the “author” of the plan of Washington DC.
A Capitol Realization
It took another 100 years before L’Enfant’s plans for the Capitol City were fully realized. In the 1800s, the National Mall remained a partially wooded cow pasture. Visitors ridiculed the city for its idealistic pretensions in a bumpkin setting and there was even talk after the Civil War of moving the capital to Philadelphia or the Midwest. In 1901, the McMillian Commission, a team of architects and planners, updated the capital based on L’Enfant’s original design. They built an extensive park system, and the Mall was cleared and straightened. Land dredged from the river expanded the park to make room for the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials. The Commission's work finally created the famous green center and plentiful monuments of today's Washington.[1]
Today, the National Capital Planning Commission continues to take L’Enfant’s plan into consideration for everything they do. Few cities in the world are truer to an original plan as is Washington, D.C. Thanks to two visionary presidential surveyors, Washington DC has grown into it’s role as the leading city of the United States of America.
For more than 50 years, Berntsen has helped out nation’s surveyors mark the boundaries of our nation, survey our properties, lay out our infrastructure and help set the foundations of our buildings. We’re proud to support the surveying community that continues to play an essential role in the growth of our nation.