Blog Posts from December 2014

  • From the CFA Archive: Photos of Washington, D.C. by F. L. Olmsted, Jr.

    We recently found in the CFA library a folder containing 44 black-and-white photographs dating from 1900 to 1930 that are attributed to landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. (1870–1957). The photos depict areas of central Washington—among them the Mall, the Washington Monument Grounds, the Tidal Basin—that were redeveloped following Olmsted’s...
  • The Eisenhower Memorial: Does it harm DC’s planning legacy?

    In the design review process for major national memorials in Washington—a process that almost always takes a decade or more—proposals are inevitably scrutinized for their compatibility with the two fundamental plans for the city, the L’Enfant plan of 1791 and the Senate Park (McMillan) Commission Plan of 1901. The design...
  • 2024 Olympics in DC: Everybody Wins

    The U.S. Olympic Committee will decide soon whether to promote an American city to host the 2024 Summer Olympics, and Washington, D.C. is an inspirational contender: a beautiful, living city with tremendous physical and cultural assets. With multiple existing or planned sports venues, some 50 miles of waterfront, a walkable...