![]() Meridian Hill Park today shares this view. The home faced south with a dramatic view of the White House and the Potomac River. On the brow of this prominent hill on his new estate, and close to the marker, Porter then built a large and famous mansion which he also named Meridian Hill. After the War of 1812, David Porter, a commodore and naval hero of that war, acquired the hill in 1816 as part of a 110-acre (450,000 m 2) tract of land that he had purchased he named this property Meridian Hill. Centered exactly north of the White House, this marker helped to establish a longitudinal meridian for the city and the nation: the " White House meridian". In 1804, president Thomas Jefferson had a geodetic marker placed on this large hill. The tablet states that a Washington Meridian marker stone was formerly located 52 feet 9 inches (16.1 m) west of the tablet.Īt the time of Washington, D.C.'s creation in 1791, the land beneath present-day Meridian Hill Park was owned by Robert Peter, wealthy Georgetown merchant, and was known as Peter's Hill. For more information visit the park accessibility page.Tablet facing 16th Street, NW, on west wall of Meridian Hill Park. Work in the lower terrace is being done to make the park more accessible. Due to the terracing required to overcome the terrain of the area, several of the entrances from the 16th street side have stairs and are not accessible. Meridian Hill Park is made from an aggregate concrete. Meridian Hill Park is open until 9PM in the winter and midnight in the summer. The Joan of Arc Statue is the only equestrian statue of a woman in Washington, D.C.The National Park Service is working to have it replaced. It was damaged in the 1960s and later disappeared. The Noyes Armillary Sphere was a prominent feature in the lower plaza of the park.Below the cascading fountain is a reflecting pool.The thirteen basin cascading fountain is one of the longest in North America. The Lower Plaza includes the following features: Replace/repair damaged historic concrete to matchĬreate accessible route to lower level at 16th Street with bollard lightingĬreate framework for tree-lined arched walkway (Installation scheduled to be completed by May 29) Rehabilitation of the lower plaza and various locations in the park is ongoing through Summer 2022 to: Notable Features Lower Level Closed for rehabilitation The structures made revolutionary use of concrete aggregate as a building material.įor more information about Meridian Hill Park, visit the History and Culture Page. Landscape architects George Burnap and Horace Peaslee planned an Italian style garden. The U.S. government purchased the grounds in 1910. After its conversion to a public park, Union troops encamped on the grounds during the Civil War. In 1829, the mansion became departing President John Quincy Adams' home. The site was called Meridian Hill because it was on the exact longitude of the original District of Columbia milestone marker, placed on April 15, 1791. ![]() In 1819, John Porter erected a mansion on Meridian Hill. ![]() A Garden Fit for an Aristocrat, Open to the Public
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |