Pierre "Peter" Charles L'Enfant was an American-French artist, professor, and military engineer who in 1791 designed the baroque styled plan for Washington, D.C., the capital city of the United States. His work is known today as the L'Enfant Plan which inspired plans for other world capitals such as Brasilia, New Delhi and Canberra. In the United States, plans for Detroit and Indianapolis took inspiration from the plan for Washington, DC.
Pierre Charles L'Enfant
Plan for Rebuilding the City of London After The Great Fire of 1666 by Sir Christopher Wren.
Boston Public Library Facsimile of the manuscript of Peter Charles L'Enfant's 1791 plan for the federal capital city (United States Coast and Geodetic Survey, 1887).
"Morris' Folly". Engraving from 1800 by William Russell Birch.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly called Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with Maryland to its north and east. Washington, D.C., was named for George Washington, a Founding Father and the first president of the United States. The district is named for Columbia, the female personification of the nation.
Image: National Mall, Lincoln Memorial 04448v
Image: 12 07 13 washington by Ralf R 08
Image: Washington National Cathedral Highsmith 15393v
Image: 12 07 12 wikimania wdc by Ralf R 010
