National Mall
The National Mall is a landscaped park near the downtown area of Washington, D.C., the capital city of the United States. It contains and borders a number of museums of the Smithsonian Institution, art galleries, cultural institutions, and various memorials, sculptures, and statues. It is administered by the National Park Service (NPS) of the United States Department of the Interior as part of the National Mall and Memorial Parks unit of the National Park System.[4] The park receives approximately 24 million visitors each year.[5] Designed by Pierre L'Enfant, the "Grand Avenue" or Mall was to be a democratic and egalitarian space—the complete opposite of the gardens of Versailles where only royalty and nobility accessed similar spaces in size and scope. It was to be flanked by gardens and spacious accommodations for foreign ministers.
This article is about the park in Washington, D.C.. For the parkway in California, see Capitol Mall. For the shopping malls in Olympia, Washington, and Jefferson City, Missouri, respectively, see Capital Mall and Capital Mall (Missouri).Location
Between Independence and Constitution Avenues from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial
October 15, 1966
December 8, 2016
The core area of the National Mall extends between the United States Capitol grounds to the east and the Washington Monument to the west and is lined to the north and south by several museums and federal office buildings.[6] The term National Mall may also include areas that are also officially part of neighboring West Potomac Park to the south and west and Constitution Gardens to the north, extending to the Lincoln Memorial on the west and Jefferson Memorial to the south.[7]
The National Park Service states that the purposes of the National Mall are to:
Improvements and future plans[edit]
National Mall Plan[edit]
From 2006 through 2010, the NPS conducted a public process that created a plan for the future of the National Mall.[27] On July 13, 2010, the NPS issued in the Federal Register a notice of availability of a final environmental impact statement (EIS) for the National Mall Plan.[173] The two-volume final EIS responded to comments and incorporated changes to a draft EIS for the Plan.[174]
In popular culture[edit]
The National Mall is a common backdrop and setting for films, television shows, and other forms of media. The Mall is the setting for a famous scene in Forrest Gump, in which Forrest gives a speech during the 1963 March on Washington at the Lincoln Memorial. The film National Treasure is set on and around the National Mall. The Mall is also a common setting in several superhero movies. Spider-Man: Homecoming, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and Wonder Woman 1984 all have prominent scenes on the Mall. The comedic film Wedding Crashers is set in Washington, D.C., and has scenes on the Mall. Additionally, the mall is a common feature of the Netflix series House of Cards. The Mall is also a setting of season three, episode three of the show Family Guy, as well as season 17, episode 11 of the show, nicknamed "Trump Guy".
News organisations that present live coverage or recorded programs from Washington often use the Mall as a backdrop.
