Views and Vistas of the Lincoln Memorial Cultural Landscape

Photograph looking west of the Lincoln Memorial, April 2022

NPS / Gjesfjeld

Introduction

A Cultural Landscapes Inventory (CLI) is currently in progress¹ for the Lincoln Memorial. The work is being prepared by the Urban Heritage Project | PennPraxis at the University of Pennsylvania. To help support this effort, the project team used existing documentation, including a Cultural Landscape Report for the Lincoln Memorial and a recently updated National Register nomination for the National Mall that was completed in 2016. The following narrative is adapted from the draft Lincoln Memorial CLI authored by PennPraxis.

Aerial view of the Lincoln Memorial and its associated grounds at the time of the dedication ceremony on May 30, 1922.

Harris & Ewing, photographer. Library of Congress.

As a result of its association with the L’Enfant and McMillan Plans as well as its prominent location on the National Mall, views and vistas played a paramount role in the design of the Lincoln Memorial structure and grounds.

While the area included within the boundaries of the Lincoln Memorial cultural landscape had yet to be constructed as permanent land, the importance of views and vistas within the monumental core of the District of Columbia was established by Pierre Charles L’Enfant in 1791. At this time, L’Enfant identified the placement of significant landmarks along a major east-west axis that extended from the U.S. Capitol to the Washington Monument. The axis was to be lined with trees, emphasizing the reciprocal views between the monuments.

In the late 19^th century, the lands that are currently occupied by the Lincoln Memorial were reclaimed from the Potomac mudflats. It was formalized as part of West Potomac Park in 1897 and was a focal point of the 1901/1902 McMillan Plan, which called for the creation of a national monument at the west end of the National Mall to honor President Abraham Lincoln and commemorate the reunification of the country after the Civil War.

The groundbreaking for the structure was held on February 12, 1914, and work was substantially complete by the dedication ceremony on May 30, 1922. The landscape around the memorial structure, including the iconic Reflecting Pool, was designed by Henry Bacon, Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., and others. As a result of its association with the L’Enfant and McMillan Plans as well as its prominent location on the National Mall, views and vistas played a paramount role in the design of the Lincoln Memorial structure and grounds.

Views and Vistas

A view is the expansive and/or panoramic prospect of a broad range of vision that may be naturally occurring or deliberately contrived. A vista is a controlled prospect of a discrete, linear range of vision, which is deliberately contrived.
Find more cultural landscape characteristics: Cultural Landscapes 101

Historic Condition

Expanding on the views and vistas created as part of the 1791 L’Enfant Plan, the 1901/1902 McMillan Plan established the designed views and vistas of the cultural landscape. The plan called for the westward extension of the Mall, terminating in a new memorial to President Abraham Lincoln. Such a memorial would serve as the western anchor along the major east-west vista—in line with the Washington Monument and the U.S. Capitol. This included designed vistas over the Reflecting Pool and along two tree-lined allées.

The McMillan Plan also established new axes along planned circulation routes that would include similar reciprocal vistas. This included views along an extended north-south 23^rd Street, a northwest-southeast parkway along the Potomac River shoreline, and a planned southwest-northeast Arlington Memorial Bridge. In each case, the McMillan Plan focused all major viewsheds towards the Lincoln Memorial structure and circle, with reciprocal views in each direction from the structure outwards along the radial roads and their allées. For the Watergate Steps area west of the circle, the Commission called for sweeping panoramic views of Virginia, the Potomac River, and Arlington House—The Robert E. Lee Memorial.

Within Lincoln Memorial Circle, the raised terrace and rond point ensured that the memorial would feature in all designed views and vistas in the landscape and its broader context. It would be visible not only from the District of Columbia but from the Virginia shore of the Potomac River, too. From the memorial structure itself, the exterior portico of the memorial featured secondary views to the north, south, east, and west, framed by the interior walls of the structure and the perimeter columns. Landscape architects carefully placed trees and shrubs to frame the views from this portico toward Parkway Drive NW, along 23^rd Avenue NW/SW, and to the Arlington Memorial Bridge. As these plantings matured, they would form the edges of designed vistas along these circulation features. Such plantings also had the effect of screening views along the edges of the memorial’s portico—with perhaps more impact than was intended.

Aerial view of the Lincoln Memorial designed landscape showing the network of circulation features and planted vegetation that helped to frame secondary views, 1934 .

War Department, Army Air Forces 1934b

In addition to planned views and vistas associated with the early design and construction of the Lincoln Memorial and grounds, later, the cultural landscape attained additional significance as a site of public assembly and protest. Beginning with Marian Anderson’s concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1939, the cultural landscape’s views and vistas have been a significant factor in numerous protest events associated with this site. With the highly visible monument as a backdrop to these events, the symbolism of the Lincoln Memorial—representing several overlapping themes, including the United States’ victory and emancipation—has been a key feature of civil rights protests in this space. The sweeping east-west axis not only provides a large, stepped platform for protests, but it also visually links the memorial—and the events’ causes—to other nationally and internationally recognized landmarks.

Photograph showing crowds along the Reflecting Pool as Marian Anderson performed a concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial after being barred from performing in the DAR’s Constitution Hall. She drew a crowd estimated at 75,000 people.

Harris & Ewing, photographer. Library of Congress.

Existing Conditions

Recent changes to the views and vistas of the cultural landscape have been limited. Most have been the result of additional circulation features and/or additional monuments. These include the addition of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the Korean War Veterans Memorials, both of which are located outside of the cultural landscape but are visible from particular areas of the Lincoln Memorial cultural landscape.

View to east of the Washington Monument and U.S. Capitol showing the axiality of the Reflecting Pool, 2021.

NPS / Torkelson

Using data derived from field investigation, photo analysis, and 2018 District of Columbia LiDAR data, the PennPraxis team used GIS and LiDAR point cloud analysis to evaluate viewsheds associated with the Lincoln Memorial. The team determined that significant views and vistas established under the McMillan Plan remain legible within the cultural landscape, despite vegetative overgrowth. This includes: the major east-west vista along the Reflecting Pool between the Capitol, Washington Monument, and Lincoln Memorial; the major east-west vistas along the elm allée walks north and south of the Reflecting Pool; reciprocal views to the west between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington House—The Robert E. Lee Memorial, across the Arlington Memorial Bridge and Potomac River; reciprocal vistas along Parkway Drive to and from the memorial; reciprocal vistas along 23^rd Street NW/SW to and from Constitution Avenue and the John Ericsson Monument; reciprocal vistas along Henry Bacon Drive NW; and reciprocal vistas along Daniel French Drive SW.

Black and white aerial photograph of the Lincoln Memorial showing a viewshed analysis in green highlighting the primary east-west axis across the reflecting pool. Observer points are noted by the black and white circles (draft CLI, 2022).

PennPraxis

The Lincoln Memorial structure’s views to the north, east, south, and west are made possible by the elevation and relative openness of the structure’s portico. However, these are also some of the most negatively impacted historic vistas in the cultural landscape. Vistas to the east remain unobstructed; however, vistas to the north, south, and west are largely blocked by the overgrowth of historic vegetation. Although many of the plantings in question are contributing, they have nevertheless matured so substantially that they now encroach on the designed open views on the north, south, and west sides of the Lincoln Memorial.

Black and white aerial photograph of the Lincoln Memorial showing a composite of the viewshed analysis in color from points around the Lincoln Memorial Circle. Observer points are noted by the black and white circles (draft CLI, 2022).

PennPraxis

Today, the Lincoln Memorial cultural landscape retains historic views and vistas, including the external views toward prominent District of Columbia landmarks and directed internal views based on various historic landscape plans. Changes to the viewsheds based on the construction of new bridges and circulation features have altered some of the historic views in these areas (particularly in the northwest corner of the cultural landscape), but do not detract from the overall integrity of the cultural landscape’s views and vistas.

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Notes and Updates

1. The Lincoln Memorial Cultural Landscape Inventory was completed in August 2022.

Resources

Documents

• Cultural Landscape Report for the Lincoln Memorial Grounds
• National Register nomination for the National Mall

Websites

• "100 Years of the Lincoln Memorial," Lincoln Memorial, National Park Service
• "The Lincoln Memorial at 100," Library of Congress
• More about NPS cultural landscapes