The National Mall & Memorial Parks, Part 1

During my trip to Washington, DC back in July, I visited the National Mall & Memorial Parks. Maintained by the National Park Service, this massive urban park contains monuments to Americans who made a difference to the country, especially political leaders and soldiers. The Mall is so big that I am dividing this adventure into two sections. Additionally, since most of my readers know about the Mall and have likely visited, I will keep the text more brief than usual and allow you to enjoy a selection of my many pictures.

A wide, sandy walking path cutting through an enormous lawn lined with trees and leading to a tall white obelisk. A memorial containing many pillars and a round, shallow pool. In the background is a tall, white obelisk. Metal sculptures of 1940s soldiers with the white obelisk in the back right.
In the foreground, a large stone tablet explains the monument in the background, which contains concrete pillars surrounding a round, shallow pool. A short inscription into a concrete block wall describing the contribution of women during World War II Embedded in a concrete block wall is a flat metal sculpture of soldiers wearing 1940s gear.

The Washington Monument is named for George Washington, the first General of the U.S. Army, along with the first President of the United States. The white marble obelisk is 555 feet tall and visible from nearly anywhere on the Mall. Because of its prominence, this is a great wayfinding marker. I decided not to climb the stairs to the monument on this trip, although I have done so in the past, as entering the obelisk now requires a timed ticket. On the other side of the reflecting pool is the Lincoln Memorial, named for sixteenth United States President Abraham Lincoln, best known for leading the country through the American Civil War. The interior of this monument features a large statue of the president and has been described as a temple or shrine to the widely beloved leader.

A concrete block tower with dramatic arches and the word Atlantic inscribed near the top. In the center is a tall concrete block pillar with the word Massachusetts inscribed near the top. A bronze-coated grate with slits shaped like a star
Across a lush green lawn is a three story building with each story appearing like a golden bowl in a stack. A long flight of stairs leading up to a neoclassical temple-like building A large white marble statue of Abraham Lincoln inside a neoclassical temple-like building

Many monuments on the Mall are dedicated to ordinary soldiers and medical personnel. The beautiful World War II Memorial could be its own history lesson with a pillar for each state and territory, larger pillars for the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and even star-shaped grates to improve drainage on the memorial floor. The Korean War Veterans Memorial focuses on the experience of the soldiers sent to the Korean peninsula, rather than those in Japan. A group of soldiers wearing 1950s helmets and ponchos marches through an irregularly shaped piece of land surrounded by sidewalks and close to a line of trees. A small wall is inscribed with the names of those who did not make it home. The famous Vietnam Veterans Memorial includes the famous wall of names plus statues of three soldiers. The atmosphere at this memorial is especially solemn, since many of those honored would still be alive if not for the war. Also honored here were women who served in a range of crucial roles during this war. A statue of three women and a fallen male soldier stands near the better recognized wall.

Viewed from the top of many steps, in the distance is a reflecting pool and a tall white marble obelisk. Statues of soldiers wearing 1950s helmets and ponchos marches through an irregularly shaped piece of land surrounded by sidewalks and close to a line of trees. Statue of three soldiers in 1970s military gear standing close together
Statues of three women and a fallen male soldier. A long black wall inscribed with names of soldiers who died during the Vietnam War A long, shallow, rectangular pool with a neoclassical temple-like building in the background.

Moving away from the Mall, I took a quick stop at the tiny District of Columbia War Memorial. Designed like a little neoclassical temple, the monument would have stood out in any other city but its home. I soon began moving around the Tidal Basin, a creative solution for keeping ocean water off the Mall. Every day, 250 million gallons of water flow in and out of the basin. Besides this amazing architectural feat, I was impressed by the design of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. ROMA Design Group created a literal interpretation of the line “Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope” from Dr. King’s I Have a Dream speech. Since this monument was unveiled fourteen years ago in 2011 and requires a steady walk to get there from the Reflecting Pool, I had not seen it on my past two trips to the capital.

A paved area with black metal tables near an urban pond. The Washington Monument peeps over the trees in the background. The obelisk is shaded by a cloud and lit by dramatic sunbeams A tiny little neoclassical temple surrounded by trees.
A tall stone statue of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a powerful African American man, emerging from a roughly hewn rock Metal statue of an older man in a self-propelled wheelchair A sign with visual text, photographs, Braille, and a mini-statue to touch

My final stop to describe in this first part is the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, which honors the longest-serving president in U.S. history. Roosevelt was elected for four consecutive terms, dying during his fourth term, as he led the country through the Great Depression and World War II. His job could not have been done without the significant work of his wife, Eleanor Roosevelt, who receives her own memorial within the large memorial complex. Statues and signage describe the people who lived during the Roosevelt administrations and do not shy away from the lowest times in his career, including bread lines and declaration of war on Japan. The area is filled with man-made waterfalls, bringing a peaceful ambiance to the space. Additionally, the memorial depicts Roosevelt as a man with disabilities, as he used a wheelchair. The memorial is disabilities friendly with flat open spaces, signs with Braille and touchable mini-statues, ample seating, and areas of both shade and sunlight for sensory control. Perhaps the favorite part of the memorial is a larger-than-life statue of Fala, the Roosevelt’s Scottie dog, whose ears and nose are being slowly rubbed away by the loving hands of visitors.

Metal statues of people waiting in bread lines. Water tumbles from rectangular rocks. Many distinct waterfalls tumble from rectangular man-made rocks.
Green oversized statues of a man wearing a long cloak and his little Scottie dog at his feet A green metal statue of a Scottie dog with its nose and ears rubbed bronze A statue of a middle-aged woman wearing a 1940s overcoat standing in an alcove made of rectangular blocks.
Location: National Mall, Washington, DC, USA