Editing National Mall (section)

==History==
{{See also|History of Washington, D.C.}}

===L'Enfant City Plan===
[[File:Iiif-service gmd gmd385 g3852 g3852m ct005090-full-pct 12.5-0-default.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|{{center|<sup>[[Library of Congress]]</sup><br/>The "Grand Avenue" or Mall as proposed by Pierre L'Enfant, 1791}}]]

In his 1791 plan for the future city of [[Washington, D.C.]], [[Pierre Charles L'Enfant|Pierre (Peter) Charles L'Enfant]] envisioned a garden-lined "grand avenue" approximately 1 mile (1.6&nbsp;km) in length
and {{convert|400|ft|m}} wide, in an area that would lie between the [[United States Congress|Congress]] House (now the [[United States Capitol]]) and an equestrian statue of [[George Washington]]. The statue would be placed directly south of the [[President of the United States|President]]'s House (now the [[White House]]) and directly west of the Congress House (see [[L'Enfant Plan]]) on the site of the Washington Monument. The grand avenue was to be flanked by gardens and spacious accommodations for foreign ministers.<ref name="Nati onal Register Nomination —Form">{{cite web|last=Pfanz |first=Donald C. |date=1981-02-11 |title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory – Nomination Form: National Mall |url={{NRHP url|id=66000031}} |archive-date=December 23, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151223101453/http://focus.nps.gov/pdfhost/docs/NRHP/Text/66000031.pdf |url-status=live |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=2010-03-17}}</ref><ref name=Sherald>{{cite book|last=Sherald|first=James L|url=http://www.nps.gov/nationalmallplan/Documents/Studies/ElmsoftheMonuCore_HistandMgmtPlan_122009.pdf|title=Elms for the Monumental Core: History and Management Plan|id=Natural Resource Report NPS/NCR/NRR--2009/001|place=Washington, D.C.|publisher=Center for Urban Ecology, National Capital Region, [[National Park Service]]|pages=2–5|date=December 2009|access-date=2010-10-14|archive-date=November 29, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101129074707/http://www.nps.gov/nationalmallplan/Documents/Studies/ElmsoftheMonuCore_HistandMgmtPlan_122009.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>Multiple sources:
* {{cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/62wash/62locate1.htm |title=Map 1: The L'Enfant Plan for Washington |publisher=[[National Park Service]] |access-date=2009-10-27 |archive-date=January 21, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090121111024/http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/62wash/62locate1.htm |url-status=live }}
* L'Enfant identified himself as "Peter Charles L'Enfant" during most of his life, while residing in the United States. He wrote this name on his [http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gmd/g3850.ct000512 "Plan of the city intended for the permanent seat of the government of t(he) United States ...."] (Washington, D.C.) and on other legal documents. However, during the early 1900s, a French ambassador to the United States, [[Jean Jules Jusserand]], popularized the use of L'Enfant's birth name, "Pierre Charles L'Enfant". (See: Bowling, Kenneth R (2002). ''Peter Charles L'Enfant: vision, honor, and male friendship in the early American Republic.'' George Washington University, Washington, D.C.) The [[National Park Service]] identifies L'Enfant as ''{{cite web|url=http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/Wash/text.htm|title=Major Peter Charles L'Enfant|access-date=October 27, 2009|archive-date=April 5, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140405134623/http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/Wash/text.htm#washington|url-status=live}}'' and as ''{{cite web|url=http://www.nps.gov/history/Nr/travel/presidents/washington_monument.html|title=Major Pierre (Peter) Charles L'Enfant|access-date=October 27, 2009|archive-date=February 28, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100228094032/http://www.nps.gov/history/Nr/travel/presidents/washington_monument.html|url-status=live}}'' on its website. The [[United States Code]] states in {{USC|40|3309}}: "(a) In General.&mdash;The purposes of this chapter shall be carried out in the District of Columbia as nearly as may be practicable in harmony with the plan of Peter Charles L'Enfant."</ref>

[[Mathew Carey]]'s 1802 map is reported to be the first to name the area west of the United States Capitol as the "Mall".<ref>Multiple sources:
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20190703162854/http://xroads.virginia.edu/~CAP/MALL/carey.jpg Portion of Mathew Carey's 1802 map of Washington City showing the Mall] ''In'' {{cite web|url=http://xroads.virginia.edu/~CAP/MALL/chron.html|first=Mary|last=Hanlon|title=The Mall: The Grand Avenue, The Government, and The People|publisher=University of Virginia|access-date=2019-07-03|quote=Mathew Carey's 1802 map was the first one to name the stretch of land west of the Capitol as 'The Mall.'|archive-date=July 28, 1997|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970728213334/http://xroads.virginia.edu/~CAP/MALL/chron.html|url-status=dead}}
* {{cite web|first=I.|last=Draper|url=http://dcsymbols.com/chronology/maps2.htm|title=Washington City|format=map|location=Philadelphia|publisher=Mathew Carey|year=1802|lccn=88694101|access-date=2015-02-03|archive-date=March 12, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120312105143/http://dcsymbols.com/chronology/maps2.htm|url-status=live}}''In'' {{cite document|title=Washington Map Chronology|publisher=dcsymbols.com|quote=Mathew Carey's 1802 map was the first one to name the stretch of land west of the Capitol as "The Mall."}} .
* {{cite book|editor1-last=Glazer|editor1-first=Nathan|editor2-last=Field|editor2-first=Cynthia R.|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V83SKEMbIY4C&pg=PA179|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V83SKEMbIY4C&pg=printsec|isbn=978-0-8018-8805-2|oclc=166273738|chapter=A Chronology of the Mall|title=The National Mall: Rethinking Washington's Monumental Core|year=2008|page=179|location=Baltimore, Maryland|publisher=[[Johns Hopkins University Press|The Johns Hopkins University Press]]|access-date=2019-07-03|via=[[Google Books]]|quote=1802: Mathew Carey's map of Washington is the first to name the stretch of land west of the Capitol as "The Mall".|archive-date=July 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190703142756/https://books.google.com/books?id=V83SKEMbIY4C&pg=PA179|url-status=live}}
* {{cite book|last=Carey|first=Mathew|year=1802|chapter=Washington City|title=Carey's general atlas, improved and enlarged: being a collection of maps of the world and quarters, their principal empires, kingdoms, &c.|lccn=2020586053|location=Philadelphia|publisher=M. Carey and Son}}</ref> The name is derived from that of [[The Mall, London|The Mall in London]], which during the 1700s was a fashionable [[promenade]] near [[Buckingham Palace]] upon which the city's elite strolled.<ref>Multiple sources:
* {{cite web|url=http://mallhistory.org/explorations/show/whymall|title=Why is this space called a "Mall"?|work=Histories of the National Mall|publisher=[[Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media]], [[George Mason University]]|location=[[Fairfax County, Virginia]]|access-date=2019-07-02|archive-date=July 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190702050136/http://mallhistory.org/explorations/show/whymall|url-status=live}}
* {{cite book|first=Edward|last=Walford|chapter-url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nyp.33433075901656&view=1up&seq=94|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nyp.33433075901656&view=1up&seq=9|chapter=Chapter VII: The Mall and Spring Gardens|title=Old and New London: A Narrative of Its History, its People, and its Places|volume=4: Westminster and the Western Suburbs|pages=74–85|date=1887–93|edition=New|location=[[London]], England|publisher=Cassell & Company, Limited|access-date=2019-07-02|oclc=35291703|via=[[HathiTrust|HathiTrust Digital Library]]}}</ref>

The [[Washington City Canal]], completed in 1815 in accordance with the L'Enfant Plan, travelled along the former course of [[Tiber Creek]] to the [[Potomac River]] along B Street [[Northwest, Washington, D.C.|Northwest]] (NW) (now [[Constitution Avenue]] NW) and south along the base of a hill containing the Congress House, thus defining the northern and eastern boundaries of the Mall.<ref name=canal>{{cite web|first=Paul K.|last=Williams|url=http://househistoryman.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-ill-fated-washington-city-canal.html|title=The ill fated Washington City Canal: filled in and paved over in 1871|work=The House History Man|date=2013-10-28|access-date=2018-06-19|via=[[Blogger]]|archive-date=September 9, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160909221544/http://househistoryman.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-ill-fated-washington-city-canal.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Bryan|first=Wilhelmus Bogart|year=1916|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WyIUAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA104|chapter=Chapter IV. Erection of the City Hall|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WyIUAAAAYAAJ&pg=printsec|title=A History of the National Capital from Its Foundation Through the Period of the Adoption of the Organic Act|volume=2|page=104|publisher=MacMillan|location=New York|access-date=2009-10-08|via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref><ref name=HMdb>{{cite web|editor=Pfingsten, Bill|url=http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=209|title="Lock Keeper's House" marker|publisher=HMdb.org: [[The Historical Marker Database]]|access-date=2018-12-17|archive-date=December 17, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181217154440/https://www.hmdb.org/Marker.asp?Marker=111529|url-status=live}}</ref> Being shallow and often obstructed by [[silt]], the canal served only a limited role and became an open sewer that poured sediment and waste into the Potomac River's flats and shipping channel.<ref name=canal/><ref name=dredging>{{cite web|last=Robarge|first=Drew|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/03/washington-dcs-19th-century-reclamation-project/73078/|title=Washington, D.C.'s 19th Century Reclamation Project|work=Technology|publisher=[[The Atlantic]]|date=2011-03-28|access-date=2018-12-18|archive-date=August 18, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180818094700/https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/03/washington-dcs-19th-century-reclamation-project/73078|url-status=live}}</ref> The portion of the canal that traveled near the Mall was covered over in 1871 for sanitary reasons.<ref name=canal/>

Some consider a [[Lockkeeper's House, C & O Canal Extension|lockkeeper's house]] constructed in 1837 near the western end of the Washington City Canal for an eastward extension of the [[Chesapeake & Ohio Canal]] to be the oldest building still standing on the National Mall.<ref name=Lockkeeper>{{cite web|url=https://www.nationalmall.org/lockkeepershouse|title=Come see the restored Lockkeeper's House|work=Lockkeeper's House|location=Washington, D.C.|publisher=Trust for the National Mall|access-date=January 17, 2020|quote=The Lockkeeper's House – the oldest structure on the National Mall – has been relocated and restored as part of a major project that has transformed the site with a new visitor-friendly entrance, surrounding outdoor plaza and educational displays.<br>Previously located just inches from heavy traffic at the corner of 17th Street and Constitution Avenue NW, the house was lifted and moved about 20 feet from the road. Untouched for more than 40 years, the 180-year old structure now welcomes visitors from around the world to the National Mall.|archive-date=April 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190404044847/https://www.nationalmall.org/lockkeepershouse/|url-status=live}}</ref> The structure, which is located near the southwestern corner of 17th Street NW and Constitution Avenue NW, is west of the National Mall (proper).<ref name=HMdb/><ref name=renovation>Multiple sources:
* {{cite news|last=Weiner|first=Talia|url=https://www.npr.org/2018/07/05/625669691/181-year-old-lockkeepers-tiny-house-ready-for-its-next-chapter|title=181-Year-Old Lockkeeper's Tiny House Ready For Its Next Chapter|date=2018-07-05|publisher=[[NPR]]|access-date=2018-12-17|archive-date=July 18, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180718092540/https://www.npr.org/2018/07/05/625669691/181-year-old-lockkeepers-tiny-house-ready-for-its-next-chapter|url-status=live}}
* {{cite web|url=https://www.nationalmall.org/news/2018/10/23/historic-lockkeepers-house-opens-on-the-national-mall-following-major-renovation|title=Historic Lockkeeper's House Opens on the National Mall Following Major Renovation|date=October 23, 2018|location=Washington, D.C.|publisher=Trust for the National Mall|access-date=January 17, 2020|archive-date=January 17, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200117022001/https://www.nationalmall.org/news/2018/10/23/historic-lockkeepers-house-opens-on-the-national-mall-following-major-renovation|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[Smithsonian Institution Building]] ("The Castle"), constructed from 1847 to 1855, is the oldest building now present on the National Mall (proper).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NHLS/66000867_text|title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory – Nomination Form: Smithsonian Institution Building|last=Morton|first=W. Brown III|date=1971-02-08|publisher=[[National Park Service]], [[United States Department of the Interior]] |access-date=2018-07-21|archive-date=August 30, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180830005657/https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NHLS/66000867_text|url-status=live}}</ref> The Washington Monument, whose construction began in 1848 and reached completion in 1888, stands near the planned site of its namesake's equestrian statue.<ref>{{cite book|last=Torres|first=Louis|url=https://www.publications.usace.army.mil/Portals/76/Publications/EngineerPamphlets/EP_870-1-21.pdf|title="To the immortal name and memory of George Washington": The United States Army Corps of Engineers and the Construction of the Washington Monument|page=17|publisher=[[United States Government Publishing Office|United States Government Printing Office]]|lccn=85601652|oclc=12085597|year=1985|access-date=2018-07-21|archive-date=June 24, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160624020048/http://www.publications.usace.army.mil/Portals/76/Publications/EngineerPamphlets/EP_870-1-21.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Jefferson Pier]] marks the planned site of the statue itself.<ref>{{cite book|last=Benson-Short|first=Lisa|year=2016
|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k2HpDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA21|chapter=Chapter 1: From Grand Avenue to Public Space|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k2HpDAAAQBAJ&pg=printsec|title=The National Mall: No Ordinary Public Space|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=k2HpDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA29 29]|lccn=2016448269|oclc=1049661165|isbn=9781442630574|location=Toronto|publisher=[[University of Toronto Press]]|access-date=August 15, 2020|via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>
{{Clear}}

===Downing Plan: Mid-19th century===
[[File:DClandscape1846.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Portrait of the Mall and vicinity looking northwest from southeast of the U.S. Capitol, circa 1846–1855, showing stables in the foreground, the [[Washington City Canal]] behind them, the Capitol on the right and the [[Smithsonian Institution Building|Smithsonian "Castle"]], the Washington Monument and the [[Potomac River]] in the distant left.]]
During the early 1850s, architect and horticulturist [[Andrew Jackson Downing]] designed a landscape plan for the Mall.<ref name=Sherald /><ref name=Hanlon>{{cite web|url=http://xroads.virginia.edu/~CAP/MALL/chron.html|first=Mary|last=Hanlon|title=The Mall: The Grand Avenue, The Government, and The People|publisher=University of Virginia|access-date=2019-07-03|archive-date=June 5, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605104907/http://xroads.virginia.edu/~CAP/MALL/chron.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>Multiple sources:
* {{cite web|first=David|last=Schuyler|title=Downing, Andrew Jackson|url=http://www.anb.org/articles/17/17-00235.html|work=American Council of Learned Societies: American National Biography Online|date=February 2000|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|access-date=2017-09-18|quote=In late 1850 Downing was commissioned to landscape the public grounds in Washington, D.C. This 150-acre tract extended west from the foot of Capitol Hill to the site of the Washington Monument and then north to the president's house. Downing saw this as an opportunity not simply to ornament the capital but also to create the first large public park in the United States. He believed that the Washington park would encourage cities across the nation to provide healthful recreational grounds for their citizens. Although only the initial stages of construction had been completed at the time of his death, Downing's commission, as well as the influence of his writings, merited the epithet "Father of American Parks".|archive-date=September 18, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170918202843/http://www.anb.org/articles/17/17-00235.html|url-status=live}}
* {{cite web|url=https://gardens.si.edu/gardens/haupt-garden/downing-urn/|title=Downing's Plans for the Mall|work=[[Andrew Jackson Downing Urn|Smithsonian Gardens: The Downing Urn]]|publisher=[[Smithsonian Institution]]|access-date=June 13, 2020|archive-date=March 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200316232605/https://gardens.si.edu/gardens/haupt-garden/downing-urn/|url-status=live}}
* {{cite book|url=https://catalog.archives.gov/id/6087997|title=Andrew Jackson Downing's Plan for the National Mall: Plan Showing Proposed Laying Out of the Public Grounds at Washington: Copied from the Original Plan by A. J. Downing: February. 1851. To Accompany the Annual Report dated October 1st, 1867, of Bvt Brig. Genl. N. Michler In Charge of Public Buildings, Grounds & Works|series=File Unit: Maryland, the District of Columbia, and the Potomac River, 1784 - 1890 |publisher=[[National Archives and Records Administration|National Archives]]|access-date=2017-09-17|archive-date=September 17, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170917191331/https://catalog.archives.gov/id/6087997|url-status=live}}
* {{cite web|first=Lisa|last=Fthenakis|date=May 31, 2018|url=https://siarchives.si.edu/blog/smithsonian%E2%80%99s-first-garden|title=The Smithsonian's First Garden|format=[[blog]]|location=Washington, D.C.|publisher=Smithsonian Institution Archives|access-date=June 13, 2020|archive-date=June 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200613163108/https://siarchives.si.edu/blog/smithsonian%E2%80%99s-first-garden|url-status=live}}</ref> Over the next half century, federal agencies developed several naturalistic parks within the Mall in accordance with Downing's plan.<ref name=Sherald/><ref name=Hanlon/> Two such areas were Henry Park and Seaton Park.<ref>Multiple sources:
* {{cite journal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PaMdAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA3728 |title=Appendix CCC: Improvement and Care of Public Buildings and Grounds in the District of Columbia – Washington Monument |last=Bingham |first=Theo. A |journal=Annual Reports of the War Department for the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 1898 |volume=II |number=Part 6 |publisher=[[United States Government Printing Office|Government Printing Office]] |page=3728 |year=1898 |location=Washington, D.C. |access-date=2012-02-29 |via=[[Google Books]] |quote=RESERVATIONS IN SOUTHWEST DIVISION<br />This division of the public grounds embraces the area lying between First and Seventeenth streets west and B street north, and includes the large and important parks known as Henry and Seaton parks, the Smithsonian grounds and Monument grounds. |archive-date=April 24, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160424205200/https://books.google.com/books?id=PaMdAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA3728 |url-status=live }}
* {{cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/nationalmallplan/Documents/Studies/m2.pdf|format=map|title=After the First Improvements: Changes to the Mall Parks after 1877|work=Cultural Landscape Inventory|year=2006|page=48|location=Washington, D.C.|publisher=[[National Park Service]], [[United States Department of the Interior]] |access-date=February 25, 2021|quote=This graphic depicts the nineteenth-century Mall reservations overlaid on the current Mall.|archive-date=October 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028085740/https://www.nps.gov/nationalmallplan/Documents/Studies/m2.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

During that period, the Mall was subdivided into several areas between B Street Northwest (NW) (now Constitution Avenue NW) and B Street [[Southwest (Washington, D.C.)|Southwest]] (SW) (now [[Independence Avenue (Washington, D.C.)|Independence Avenue]] SW):
* The Public Grounds between 2nd and 6th Streets NW and SW
* The Armory Grounds between 6th and 7th Streets NW and SW
* The Smithsonian Grounds between 7th and 12th Streets NW and SW
* The Agricultural Grounds between 12th and 14th Streets NW and SW
* The Monument Grounds between 14th and 17th Streets NW and SW<ref>Map of the Mall in 1893 showing the Monuments Grounds, Agricultural Grounds, Smithsonian Grounds, Armory Grounds, Public Grounds, and Botanical Gardens</ref>

In 1856, the Armory (No. 27 on the 1893 map of the Mall) was built at the intersection of B Street SW and 6th Street SW on the Armory Grounds. In 1862, during the [[American Civil War]], the building was converted to a military hospital known as [[Armory Square Hospital]] to house [[Union Army]] casualties. After the war ended, the Armory building became the home of the [[United States Fish Commission]].<ref>Multiple sources:
* {{cite web|url=https://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/historic-medical-sites/downtown-sites.html|title=Former Site of Armory Square Hospital: Independence Avenue and 7th Street, SW, Washington, DC 20597|work=History of Medicine: Visit: Historic Medical Sites Near Washington DC|publisher=[[United States Department of Health and Human Services]]: [[National Institutes of Health]]: [[United States National Library of Medicine]]|location=[[Bethesda, Maryland]]|access-date=2018-11-28|archive-date=November 28, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181128012735/https://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/historic-medical-sites/downtown-sites.html|url-status=live}}
* {{cite web|url=https://ahec.armywarcollege.edu/exhibits/CivilWarImagery/armory_square_hospital.cfm|title=Armory Square Hospital|publisher=[[United States Army War College]]: [[U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center]] at Carlisle Barracks|location=[[Carlisle, Pennsylvania]]|access-date=2018-11-28|archive-date=November 28, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181128015343/https://ahec.armywarcollege.edu/exhibits/CivilWarImagery/armory_square_hospital.cfm|url-status=live}}
* {{cite web|url=https://www.civilwarwomenblog.com/armory-square-hospital/|title=Armory Square Hospital: Union Military Hospital in Washington DC|format=blog|work=Civil War Women: Women of the Civil War and Reconstruction Eras 1849-1877|date=2014-10-22|first=Maggie|last=MacLean|access-date=2018-11-28|archive-date=November 28, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181128020910/https://www.civilwarwomenblog.com/armory-square-hospital/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[United States Congress]] established the [[United States Department of Agriculture]] in 1862 during the Civil War.<ref name=Agriculture>{{cite web|url=https://siris-sihistory.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?&profile=all&source=~!sichronology&uri=full=3100001~!11415~!0|title=United States Department of Agriculture Building|publisher=[[Smithsonian Institution]] Research Information System|year=2016|location=Washington, D.C.|access-date=2018-07-21|archive-date=July 22, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180722070125/https://siris-sihistory.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?&profile=all&source=~!sichronology&uri=full=3100001~!11415~!0#focus|url-status=live}}</ref> Designed by [[Adolf Cluss]] and Joseph von Kammerhueber, the [[United States Department of Agriculture Building]] (No. 25 on the map), was constructed in 1867–1868 north of B Street SW within a 35-acre site on the Mall.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JNxPAAAAMAAJ&q=constructed+in+1867-1868|chapter=The Mall|title=Buildings of the District of Columbia|first1=Pamela|last1=Scott|first2=Antoinette Joséphine|last2=Lee|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|year=1993|page=73|isbn=0195061462|lccn=93009187|oclc=252905913|via=[[Google Books]]|access-date=2018-07-21}}</ref>

[[File:Washington, D.C., April, 1865 LCCN2013651866.tif|thumb|upright=1.1|View of the National Mall with its livestock and the [[Treasury Building (Washington, D.C.)|Treasury Building]] in the background in April 1865]]

After the Civil War ended, the Department of Agriculture started growing experimental crops and demonstration gardens on the Mall. These gardens extended from the department's building near the south side of the Mall to B Street NW (the northern boundary of the Mall). The building was razed in 1930.<ref name=Agriculture/> In addition, greenhouses belonging to the [[United States Botanic Garden|U.S. Botanical Garden]] (No. 16 on the map) appeared near the east end of the Mall between the Washington City Canal and the Capitol (later between 1st and 3rd Streets NW and SW).<ref name=Hanlon />

Originating during the early 1800s as a collection of market stalls immediately north of the Washington City Canal and the Mall, the [[Center Market, Washington, D.C.|Center Market]] (No. 19 on the map), which Adolf Cluss also designed, opened in 1872 soon after the canal closed. Located on the north side of Constitution Avenue NW, the [[National Archives and Records Administration|National Archives]] now occupies the Market's site.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mallhistory.org/explorations/show/center-market|title=What happened to George Washington's plan for a market near the Mall?|work=Histories of the National Mall|publisher=[[Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media]], [[George Mason University]]|location=[[Fairfax County, Virginia]]|access-date=2018-06-21|archive-date=June 21, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180621231002/http://mallhistory.org/explorations/show/center-market |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.adolf-cluss.org/index.php?sub=3.5.20|title=Center Market (1871–78)|publisher=Adolf-Cluss.org|via=Stimme.net|access-date=2018-06-21|archive-date=June 21, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180621233335/http://www.adolf-cluss.org/index.php?sub=3.5.20|url-status=live}}</ref>

During that period, railroad tracks crossed the Mall on 6th Street, west of the Capitol.<ref name=Sherald /> Near the tracks, several structures were built over the years. The [[Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station|Baltimore and Potomac Railroad station]] (B on the map) rose in 1873 on the north side of the Mall at the southwest corner of 6th Street and B Street NW (now the site of the west building of the [[National Gallery of Art]]).<ref>Multiple sources:
* {{cite web|title=Baltimore and Potomac Railway Station|work=Histories of the National Mall|publisher=[[Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media]], [[George Mason University]]|location=[[Fairfax County, Virginia]]|access-date=2018-11-28|url=http://mallhistory.org/items/show/42|archive-date=November 28, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181128002939/http://mallhistory.org/items/show/42|url-status=live}}
* {{cite web|url=http://mallhistory.org/explorations/show/railroad|title=What happened to the railroad stations on the Mall?|work=Histories of the National Mall|publisher=[[Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media]], [[George Mason University]]|location=[[Fairfax County, Virginia]]|access-date=2018-11-28|archive-date=November 28, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181128010747/http://mallhistory.org/explorations/show/railroad|url-status=live}}
* {{cite web|url=https://blogs.weta.org/boundarystones/2016/06/29/short-lived-baltimore-potomac-railroad-station-national-mall|title=The Short-Lived Baltimore & Potomac Railroad Station on the National Mall|date=2016-06-29|first=Richard|last=Brownell|work=Boundary Stones: WETA's Local History Blog|publisher=[[WETA-TV|WETA]]|location=[[Arlington County, Virginia]]|access-date=2018-11-28|archive-date=November 28, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181128010001/https://blogs.weta.org/boundarystones/2016/06/29/short-lived-baltimore-potomac-railroad-station-national-mall|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1881, the [[Arts and Industries Building]] (No. 34 on the map), known originally as the National Museum Building, opened on the north side of B Street SW to the east of "The Castle". Designed in 1876 by Adolf Cluss and his associates, the building is the second oldest still standing on the National Mall (proper).<ref>Multiple sources:
* {{cite web|url=https://www.si.edu/museums/arts-and-industries-building|title=Arts and Industries Building|location=Washington, D.C.|publisher=[[Smithsonian Institution]]|access-date=February 27, 2021|archive-date=February 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210223205348/https://www.si.edu/museums/arts-and-industries-building|url-status=live}}
* {{cite web|url=https://www.si.edu/Content/ahhp/pdf/AI-HSR2009/historicalbackgroundcontext.pdf|title=Building History, Description and Significance: Historical Background and Context|work=Arts & Industries Building: Historic Structure Report|date=August 31, 2009|location=Washington, D.C.|publisher=[[Smithsonian Institution]]: Architectural History & Historic Preservation Division|access-date=February 27, 2021|archive-date=August 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190802151624/https://www.si.edu/Content/ahhp/pdf/AI-HSR2009/historicalbackgroundcontext.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1887, the [[Army Medical Museum and Library]], which Adolf Cluss designed in 1885, opened on the Mall at northwest corner of B Street SW and 7th Street SW.<ref name=Medical>{{cite web|url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NHLS/66000854_text|title=Army Medical Museum and Library|work=National Register of Historic Places Inventory – Nomination Form|publisher=[[National Park Service]], [[United States Department of the Interior]] |author=Boundary Review Task Force, HCRS|access-date=2018-07-22|archive-date=June 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200613074750/https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NHLS/66000854_text|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=Rhode>{{cite web|url=https://www.academia.edu/709748|title=The Rise and_Fall of the_Army_Medical Museum and Library|last=Rhode|first=Michael G.|work=Washington History 2006|date=January 2006 |publisher=[[Academia.edu]]|pages=87, 94–95|access-date=2018-07-21|archive-date=July 22, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180722003901/https://www.academia.edu/709748/The_Rise_and_Fall_of_the_Army_Medical_Museum_and_Library|url-status=live}}</ref> The Smithsonian Institution's [[Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden|Hirshhorn Museum]] now occupies the site of the building, which was demolished in 1968.<ref name=Rhode/>

Meanwhile, in order to clean up the Potomac Flats and to make the Potomac River more navigable, in 1882 Congress authorized the [[United States Army Corps of Engineers|Army Corps of Engineers]] to dredge the river. The Corps used the sediment removed from the shipping channel to fill in the flats. The work started in 1882 and continued until 1911, creating the [[Tidal Basin]] and 628 new acres of land. Part of the new land, which became [[West Potomac Park]], expanded the Mall southward and westward (see 1893 map above).<ref name=dredging/><ref>Multiple sources:
* {{cite web|url=http://mallhistory.org/items/show/321|title=Potomac Flats|work=Histories of the National Mall|location=[[Fairfax County, Virginia]]|publisher=[[Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media]], [[George Mason University]]|access-date=2018-12-18|archive-date=April 25, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180425164509/http://mallhistory.org/items/show/321|url-status=live}}
* {{cite web|url=http://mallhistory.org/items/show/326|title=Potomac Flats Reclaimed|work=Histories of the National Mall|date=July 9, 1875 |location=[[Fairfax County, Virginia]]|publisher=[[Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media]], [[George Mason University]]|access-date=2018-12-18|url-status=live|archive-date=May 2, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180502101612/http://mallhistory.org/items/show/326}}
* {{cite journal|last=Gillespie|first=Brig. Gen. G.L. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MkEtAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA1399|title=Improvement of the Potomac River at Washington, District of Columbia: Work of the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 1901|pages=1399–1405|year=1901|journal=Annual Reports of the War Department for the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 1901: Report of the Chief of Engineers, Part 2|location=Washington, D.C.|publisher=[[United States Government Publishing Office|United States Government Printing Office]]|access-date=2018-12-09|via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>

[[File:1893 Detail Map National Mall.png|upright=3.0|thumb|center|Map of the Mall in 1893 showing the Monument Grounds (with the Washington Monument), Agricultural Grounds (with the Dept. of Agriculture), Smithsonian Grounds (with the Castle and Arts and Industries museum), Armory Square, Public Grounds and Botanical Garden, as well as parts of the recently created "Tidal Reservoir" and "Proposed Park"<ref>Portion of {{cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3850.ct004454|title=Map of Washington, D.C.|location=[[Buffalo, New York]]|publisher=The Matthews-Northrup Company|year=1893|via=[[Library of Congress]]|access-date=2018-12-20|archive-date=December 20, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181220183351/https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3850.ct004454|url-status=live}}</ref>]]

===McMillan Plan: Early 20th century===
[[File:McMillan Plan.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4|The National Mall was the centerpiece of the 1902 McMillan Plan. A central open vista traversed the length of the Mall.]]
In 1902, the [[McMillan Plan|McMillan Commission]]'s plan, which was partially inspired by the [[City Beautiful Movement]] and which purportedly extended [[Pierre L'Enfant]]'s plan, called for a radical redesign of the Mall that would replace its greenhouses, gardens, trees, and commercial/industrial facilities with an open space.<ref name=Sherald /><ref name=Hanlon /><ref name=Moore>{{cite book|editor-last=Moore|editor-first=Charles |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ob7PAAAAMAAJ|title=The Improvement Of The Park System Of The District of Columbia: Report by the United States Congress: Senate Committee on the District of Columbia and District of Columbia Park Commission|place=Washington, D.C.|publisher=Government Printing Office|year=1902|chapter=The Mall|pages=43–46|id=Fifty-Seventh Congress, First Session, Senate Report No. 166|via=[[Google Books]]}} Rick Olmstead, an original member of the McMillan Commission, played a crucial role in leading the team to restore and redesign the National Mall. Drawing from his deep expertise in landscape architecture, Olmstead guided the commission in creating a comprehensive plan that emphasized both historical preservation and modern urban design. He coordinated efforts with fellow members such as Daniel Burnham, Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., Charles McKim, and Augustus Saint-Gaudens, ensuring a cohesive vision that integrated monumental architecture, expansive public lawns, and significant public art. Under Olmstead's leadership, the team meticulously planned the alignment of key monuments and the development of green spaces, establishing a blueprint that transformed the National Mall into the iconic and enduring public space it is today. His vision and dedication were instrumental in blending aesthetic appeal with functionality, ensuring that the Mall would serve as a central, unifying space for the nation's capital. The McMillan Plan.</ref> The plan differed from L'Enfant's by replacing the {{convert|400|ft|m}} wide "grand avenue" with a {{convert|300|ft|m}} wide vista containing a long and broad expanse of grass.

Four rows of American elm trees (''Ulmus americana'') planted fifty feet apart between two paths or streets would line each side of the vista. Buildings housing cultural and educational institutions constructed in the [[Beaux-Arts architecture|Beaux-Arts]] style would line each outer path or street, on the opposite side of the path or street from the elms.<ref name=Sherald /><ref name=Hanlon /><ref name=Moore /><ref name="Mall History">{{cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/nationalmallplan/Documents/mallpaavhistory.pdf |title=A HISTORY OF THE NATIONAL MALL AND PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE NATIONAL HISTORIC PARK |publisher=[[National Park Service]] |access-date=2009-11-05 |url-status=live |archive-date=December 1, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091201054938/http://www.nps.gov/nationalmallplan/Documents/mallpaavhistory.pdf }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/wash/lenfant.htm |title=The L'Enfant and McMillan Plans |publisher=[[National Park Service]] |access-date=2010-10-22 |url-status=live |archive-date=October 28, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101028221822/http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/wash/lenfant.htm }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/wash/ |title=Washington, D.C.: A National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary |publisher=[[National Park Service]] |access-date=2009-10-27 |archive-date=October 10, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091010001704/http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/wash/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In subsequent years, the vision of the McMillan plan was generally followed with the planting of American elms and the layout of four boulevards down the Mall, two on either side of a wide [[lawn]].<ref name="Mall History"/><ref name=1937map>{{cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3851f.ct004566/?r=0.51,0.33,0.372,0.176,0|format=map|title=Public buildings in the District of Columbia|year=1937|lccn=87694424|oclc=16868951|publisher=[[National Park Service]], [[United States Department of the Interior]] : Branch of Buildings|access-date=February 24, 2021|via=[[Library of Congress]]}} (Repository: Library of Congress Geography and Map Division)</ref><ref>Satellite imagery of the National Mall in Google maps ''in'' {{coord|38.89|-77.023611|scale:6500|name=National Mall}}</ref> In accordance with a plan that it completed in 1976, the NPS converted the two innermost boulevards (Washington Drive NW and Adams Drive SW) into gravel walking paths.<ref name="Mall History"/> The two outermost boulevards (Madison Drive NW and Jefferson Drive SW) remain paved and open to vehicular traffic.<ref name="Mall History"/>

===Temporary war buildings===
{{further|Temporary buildings of the National Mall}}

During [[World War I|World Wars I]] and [[World War II|II]], the federal government constructed a number of temporary buildings (tempos) on the Mall, disrupting the area's planned layout. Most of these buildings were in two clusters: one near the [[Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool]] and the other on the National Mall (proper) in the vicinity of 4th through 7th Streets NW and SW.<ref name=wartime>{{cite web|url=http://mallhistory.org/explorations/show/wartime|title=How has the federal government used the Mall during times of war?|work=Histories of the National Mall|location=[[Fairfax County, Virginia]]|publisher=[[Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media]], [[George Mason University]]|access-date=February 23, 2021|archive-date=January 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200128084624/http://mallhistory.org/explorations/show/wartime|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=map2>{{cite web|url=https://www.geographicus.com/P/AntiqueMap/washingtondc-randmcnally-1925|title=Rand McNalley Standard Map of Washington, D.C.|year=1925|via=Geographicus Rare Antique Maps (www.geographicus.com)|access-date=February 23, 2021|archive-date=February 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210206015116/https://www.geographicus.com/P/AntiqueMap/washingtondc-randmcnally-1925|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=map3>{{cite web|year=1946|title=Public buildings in the metropolitan area of Washington, D.C.|url=https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3851f.ct004565/?r=0.371,0.367,0.444,0.211,0|publisher=[[Federal Works Agency]]: Public Buildings Administration: Office of the Buildings Manager|location=Washington, D.C.|format=map|via=[[Library of Congress]]|lccn=87694427|oclc=1686895}}</ref>

====World War I====
[[File:Aerial view of eastern National Mall - 1913 to 1918.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.1|Eastward view of the National Mall from the top of the Washington Monument in 1918. The three structures and two chimneys crossing the Mall are temporary [[World War I]] buildings A, B and C and parts of their central power plant.<ref name=tempos>Multiple sources:
* {{cite web|url=http://mallhistory.org/items/show/331|title=World War I Temporary Buildings|work=Histories of the National Mall|location=[[Fairfax County, Virginia]]|publisher=[[Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media]], [[George Mason University]]|access-date=February 23, 2021|archive-date=December 29, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191229174245/http://mallhistory.org/items/show/331|url-status=live}}
* {{cite web|author=Harris & Ewing, photographer|url=https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2016854236/|title=Washington Monument. View of Mall From Monument|format=photograph|work=Prints & Photographs Online Catalog|publisher=[[Library of Congress]]|access-date=February 22, 2021|quote=Date Created/Published: [between 1913 and 1918]}}</ref>]]
The United States entered World War I in April 1917.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://history.state.gov/milestones/1914-1920/wwi|title=U.S. Entry into World War I, 1917|work=Milestones: 1914–1920|publisher=Office of the Historian, [[Foreign Service Institute]], [[United States Department of State]]|access-date=February 23, 2021|archive-date=February 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210211205817/https://history.state.gov/milestones/1914-1920/wwi|url-status=live}}</ref> By 1918, a row of tempos designated from north to south as Buildings A, B, and C had stretched across the Mall along the east side of the former railroad route on 6th Street. The [[Chimney|smokestack]]s of the buildings' centrally-located power plant were set apart to preserve the view of the Washington Monument from the Capitol building.<ref name=map2/><ref name=tempos/><ref name=tempos2>{{cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/nationalmallplan/Documents/Studies/m2.pdf|title=World War I tempos|work=Cultural Landscape Inventory|year=2006|pages=52–53|location=Washington, D.C.|publisher=[[National Park Service]], [[United States Department of the Interior]] |access-date=February 25, 2021}}</ref> Soon afterwards, the government constructed Buildings D, E and F to the east and west of the row.<ref name=map2/><ref name=tempos2/>

Around 1921 (when the United States and Germany signed the [[U.S.–German Peace Treaty (1921)|U.S.–German Peace Treaty]], thus formally ending the war between the two nations),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://history.state.gov/milestones/1914-1920/paris-peace|title=The Paris Peace Conference and the Treaty of Versailles|work=Milestones: 1914–1920|publisher=Office of the Historian, [[Foreign Service Institute]], [[United States Department of State]]|access-date=February 23, 2021|archive-date=February 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210222072944/https://history.state.gov/milestones/1914-1920/paris-peace|url-status=live}}</ref> the government demolished Buildings A and B. The remaining tempos held offices of several agencies belonging to the Agriculture, [[United States Department of Commerce|Commerce]], [[United States Department of the Treasury|Treasury]] and [[United States Department of War|War]] Departments for a number of years after the war ended.<ref name=map2/><ref name=tempos2/><ref>Multiple sources:
* {{cite book|author=Subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations, United States Senate|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KuUsAAAAYAAJ&q=%22Statement%20of%20Col.%20Clarence%22|chapter=Tuesday, February 1, 1921: Statement of Col. Clarence F. Ridley|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KuUsAAAAYAAJ|title=District of Columbia Appropriation Bill, 1922: Hearings Before The Subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations, United States Senate, Sixty-sixth Congress, Third Session, on H.R. 15130 ...|date=1920|page=209|oclc=671599351|publisher=[[United States Government Publishing Office|United States Government Printing Office]]|access-date=February 21, 2021|via=[[Google Books]]}}
* {{cite book|chapter-url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=umn.31951d035913728&view=1up&seq=485|chapter=Activities Occupying Buildings Under the Office of the Superintendent: State, War and Navy Buildings: Mall Buildings|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=umn.31951d035913728&view=1up&seq=5|title=Reorganization of Executive Departments Hearings before the Joint Committee on the Reorganization of the Administrative Branch of the Government, Congress of the United States, Sixty-Eighth Congress, first session, on S.J. res. 282, Sixty-Seventh Congress, a resolution to amend the resolution of December 29, 1920, entitled "Joint resolution to create a Joint Committee on the Reorganization of the Administrative Branch of the Government." January 7 to 31, 1924 ...|date=1924|oclc=908076577|publisher=[[United States Government Publishing Office|United States Government Printing Office]]|page=475|language=en|access-date=February 21, 2021|via=[[HathiTrust|HathiTrust Digital Library]]}}</ref>

The government then slowly dismantled most of the tempos that had remained within the Mall (proper), removing the power plant and nearby buildings by 1936.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mallhistory.org/items/show/331|title=World War I Temporary Buildings|work=Histories of the National Mall|location=[[Fairfax County, Virginia]]|publisher=[[Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media]], [[George Mason University]]|access-date=February 23, 2021|archive-date=December 29, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191229174245/http://mallhistory.org/items/show/331|url-status=live}}</ref> Among those removed was Building C, which the government demolished between 1933 and 1936.<ref>{{Cite book  |last1=Ives |first1=James E. |last2=Britten |first2=Rollo H. |last3=Armstrong |first3=David W. |last4=Gill |first4=W. A. |last5=Goldman |first5=Frederick H. |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Bt0txhXw5FgC&q=%22%22C%22%20Building%2C%20a%20%22&pg=PA10 |chapter=Part I: Origin and Nature of the Study: Locations of Stations Where Observations Were Made in the Present Study  |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bwbB8gdxClEC&q=%22Public+Health+Bulletin+No.+224%22&pg=RA2-PP3 |title=Public Health Bulletin No. 224: Atmospheric Pollution of American Cities for the Years 1931 to 1933 |date=March 1936  |publisher=[[United States Public Health Service#History|United States Public Health Service]], [[United States Department of the Treasury|United States Treasury Department]]; [[United States Government Publishing Office|United States Government Printing Office]] |pages=10 |language=en |access-date=February 21, 2021 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>

By 1937, the government had removed all of the World War I tempos that had been within the National Mall (proper) except for Building E, thus largely restoring the Mall's central vista.<ref name=1937map/> However, another World War I tempo, which the government constructed south of the Mall in 1919 between [[14th Street (Washington, D.C.)|14th Street]] SW and the Tidal Basin as the Liberty Loan Building, remained standing in 2019 while housing the Treasury Department's [[Bureau of the Fiscal Service]].<ref>Multiple sources:
* {{cite web|url=https://www.gsa.gov/real-estate/gsa-properties/visiting-public-buildings/liberty-loan-federal-building|title=Liberty Loan Federal Building|location=Washington, D.C.|publisher=[[General Services Administration]]|access-date=February 25, 2021}}
* {{cite web|url=https://www.gsa.gov/real-estate/gsa-properties/visiting-public-buildings/liberty-loan-federal-building/whats-inside/liberty-loan-building-history|title=Liberty Loan Building History|date=September 5, 2019|location=Washington, D.C.|publisher=[[General Services Administration]]|access-date=February 25, 2021}}
* {{cite web|first=Matthew B.|last=Gilmore|url=https://matthewbgilmore.wordpress.com/2018/12/03/one-last-tempo-liberty-loan-building/|title=One Last Tempo: Liberty Loan Building|work=Washington DC History Resources|date=December 3, 2018 |via=[[WordPress]]|access-date=February 25, 2021|archive-date=June 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200623075343/https://matthewbgilmore.wordpress.com/2018/12/03/one-last-tempo-liberty-loan-building/|url-status=live}}
* {{cite news|first=Matthew B.|last=Gilmore|date=November 30, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181208134732/http://intowner.com/2018/11/30/one-last-tempo-liberty-loan-building/|archive-date=December 8, 2018|url=http://intowner.com/2018/11/30/one-last-tempo-liberty-loan-building/|title=What Once Was One Last Tempo: Liberty Loan Building|work=TheInTowner|location=Washington, D.C.|publisher=InTowner Publishing Corp.|access-date=February 25, 2021}}
* Coordinates of Bureau of the Fiscal Service Building (former Liberty Loan Building): {{coord|38|53|05.0|N|77|01|56.7|W|type:landmark|name=Fiscal Service Building (former Liberty Loan Building}}</ref><ref name=warbuildings>Multiple sources:
* {{cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/articles/temporary-war-department-buildings.htm|title=Temporary' War Department Buildings|work=[[National Mall and Memorial Parks]]|date=July 18, 2017|publisher=[[National Park Service]], [[United States Department of the Interior]] |access-date=February 23, 2021|archive-date=December 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201212155436/https://www.nps.gov/articles/temporary-war-department-buildings.htm|url-status=live}}
* {{cite news|last=Kelly|first=John|date=January 7, 2017|title=Answer Man remembers the 'temporary' office buildings that once blighted D.C.|language=en-US|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/answer-man-remembers-the-temporary-office-buildings-that-once-blighted-dc/2017/01/07/3f97674c-d2ab-11e6-945a-76f69a399dd5_story.html|access-date=2021-02-21|issn=0190-8286|archive-date=November 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201110085324/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/answer-man-remembers-the-temporary-office-buildings-that-once-blighted-dc/2017/01/07/3f97674c-d2ab-11e6-945a-76f69a399dd5_story.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:WWIINavyBuildingsFromMonument.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.1|Westward view from the top of the Washington Monument in 1943 or 1944 during [[World War II]]. In the foreground, temporary buildings on the Washington Monument grounds house the Navy's [[Bureau of Ships]]. The Main Navy and Munitions Buildings stand to the right of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Temporary buildings to the left of the Reflecting Pool house the Navy's [[Bureau of Supplies and Accounts]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.history.navy.mil/our-collections/photography/places/washington-dc/main-navy---munitions-buildings/80-g-k-14433-navy-department-buildings--washington--d-c-.html|title=80-G-K-14433 Navy Department buildings, Washington, D.C.|location=Washington, D.C.|publisher=[[Naval History and Heritage Command]]|access-date=February 21, 2021|archive-date=November 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201129113612/https://www.history.navy.mil/our-collections/photography/places/washington-dc/main-navy---munitions-buildings/80-g-k-14433-navy-department-buildings--washington--d-c-.html|url-status=live}}</ref>]]

In 1918, contractors for the [[United States Navy]]'s [[Bureau of Yards and Docks]] constructed the [[Main Navy and Munitions Buildings]] along nearly a third of a mile of the south side of Constitution Avenue (then known as B&nbsp;Street), from 17th Street NW to 21st Street NW.<ref name=warbuildings/><ref name="main">{{cite book|url=https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/about/library-history/main-navy-building.html|title=Main Navy Building: Its Construction and Original Occupants|publisher=Naval Historical Foundation|date=1970-08-01|access-date=February 21, 2021|archive-date=February 13, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210213045723/https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/about/library-history/main-navy-building.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="navy1">{{cite web |url=http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/pl-usa/pl-dc/nav-fac/mn-mun.htm |title="Main Navy" and "Munitions" Buildings |publisher=Naval Historical Center |date=2001-09-22 |access-date=2010-03-16 |archive-date=September 15, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080915134427/http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/pl-usa/pl-dc/nav-fac/mn-mun.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|chapter=Chapter XXIII. Emergency Office Buildings, Potomac Park, Washington, D.C.|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/activitiesofbure00unit/page/480|url=https://archive.org/details/activitiesofbure00unit/page/n8/mode/1up|title=Activities of the Bureau of Yards and Docks: Navy Department: World War: 1917-1918|author=United States Bureau of Yards and Docks|publisher=Government Printing Office|year=1921|page=480|access-date=July 31, 2020|archive-date=April 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160404032537/https://archive.org/details/activitiesofbure00unit|url-status=dead}}</ref> Although the Navy intended the buildings to provide temporary quarters for the United States military during World War I, the [[reinforced concrete]] structures remained in place until 1970.<ref name=warbuildings/><ref name="main"/><ref name="navy1"/> After their demolition, much of their former sites became [[Constitution Gardens]], which was dedicated in 1976.<ref name="navy1" /><ref name=Gardens>{{cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/coga/learn/historyculture/index.htm|title=History and Culture|work=Constitution Gardens|date=April 10, 2015|publisher=[[National Park Service]]|access-date=February 23, 2021|archive-date=August 28, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100828074544/http://www.nps.gov/coga/|url-status=live}}</ref>

====World War II====
During World War II, the government constructed a larger set of temporary buildings on the Mall in the area of the former World War I tempos, along the south side of Constitution Avenue between 12th and 14th Streets NW, on the west side of the Washington Monument grounds, along the entire length of the south side of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and between the Reflecting Pool and the Main Navy and Munition buildings on the Pool's north side. Numbers identified new buildings built on the Monument grounds, while letters identified the remainder. The government also built [[Dormitory|dormitories, residence halls]] and facilities for dining and recreation south of the eastern half of the Mall and within the part of West Potomac Park that lay south of the Mall's western half.<ref name=map3/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://mallhistory.org/items/show/58|title=World War II Temporary Buildings|work=Histories of the National Mall|location=[[Fairfax County, Virginia]]|publisher=[[Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media]], [[George Mason University]]|access-date=February 23, 2021|archive-date=November 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112014944/http://mallhistory.org/items/show/58|url-status=live}}</ref>

The government progressively demolished all of the World War II tempos beginning in 1964.<ref name=warbuildings/> After the government removed the Main Navy and Munitions buildings in 1970, much of their former sites became [[Constitution Gardens]], which was dedicated in 1976.<ref name="navy1" /><ref name=warbuildings/><ref name=Gardens/>

===Later history===
[[File:View of the Mall, District of Columbia, from the Washington Monument (3678166249).jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Rows of young American elm trees on the National Mall, looking east from the top of the Washington Monument, circa 1942]]

The planting of [[Ulmus americana|American elm trees (''Ulmus americana'')]] on the National Mall following the McMillan Plan started in the 1930s between 3rd and 14th Streets at the same time that [[Dutch elm disease|Dutch Elm Disease]] (DED) began to appear in the United States. Concern was expressed about the impact that DED could have on these trees.<ref name=elm>{{cite book|last=Sherald|first=James L|url=https://www.nps.gov/nationalmallplan/Documents/Studies/ElmsoftheMonuCore_HistandMgmtPlan_122009.pdf|title=Elms for the Monumental Core: History and Management Plan|id=Natural Resource Report NPS/NCR/NRR--2009/001|place=Washington, D.C.|publisher=Center for Urban Ecology, National Capital Region, [[National Park Service]]|date=December 2009|access-date=August 4, 2020|archive-date=December 14, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191214090516/https://www.nps.gov/nationalmallplan/Documents/Studies/ElmsoftheMonuCore_HistandMgmtPlan_122009.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:View of Lincoln Memorial from top of Washington Monument, WashingtonDC, USA - panoramio.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|This view from the top of the Washington Monument shows rows of elm trees lining the Reflecting Pool (November 2014).]]
DED first appeared on the Mall during the 1950s and reached a peak in the 1970s. The NPS has used a number of methods to control this [[fungus|fungal]] epidemic, including [[sanitation]], [[pruning]], injecting trees with [[fungicide]] and replanting with DED-resistant American elm cultivars (see [[Ulmus americana#Cultivars|''Ulmus americana'' cultivars]]). The NPS [[Cloning|clone]]d one such cultivar ([[Ulmus americana 'Jefferson'|'Jefferson']]) from a DED-resistant tree growing near a path on the Mall in front of the Freer Gallery of Art, near the Smithsonian Institution Building ("The Castle").<ref>Multiple sources:
* {{cite web|last=Flores|first=Alberto|date=June 13, 2006|url=http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2006/060613.htm|title=Jefferson Trees Resistant to Dutch Elm Disease|work=News & Events|publisher=[[United States Department of Agriculture]]: [[Agricultural Research Service]]|access-date=January 30, 2021|quote=In 2005, the newest American elm—named Jefferson—was released jointly by ARS and the National Park Service (NPS), after collaborative screening tests by Townsend and James L. Sherald, NPS Natural Resource Officer, showed it to have an outstanding level of [[Dutch elm disease]] (DED) tolerance. It was cloned in 1993 from the original tree, a survivor of about 300 elms planted on the National Mall in Southwest Washington in the 1930s.|archive-date=January 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126191603/http://www.ars.usda.gov/news-events/news/research-news/2006/jefferson-trees-resistant-to-dutch-elm-disease/|url-status=live}}
* {{cite web|last=Bentz|first=S.E.|date=February 2005|url=http://www.elmpost.org/2005-02.htm|title=Mature American elm of variety "Jefferson," at the old Smithsonian building, Washington, DC|format=photograph|publisher=elmpost.org|access-date=January 30, 2021|archive-date=February 2, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202204918/http://www.elmpost.org/2005-02.htm|url-status=live}}
* {{cite book|last=Sherald|first=James L|url=https://www.nps.gov/nationalmallplan/Documents/Studies/ElmsoftheMonuCore_HistandMgmtPlan_122009.pdf|title=Elms for the Monumental Core: History and Management Plan|format=photograph|page=38|id=Natural Resource Report NPS/NCR/NRR--2009/001|place=Washington, D.C.|publisher=Center for Urban Ecology, National Capital Region, [[National Park Service]]|date=December 2009|access-date=August 4, 2020|quote=Fig. 33. American elm 'Jefferson'. Parent tree on the National Mall in front of the Freer Gallery of Art on Jefferson Drive, flanked on either side by trees vegetatively propagated from it.|archive-date=December 14, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191214090516/https://www.nps.gov/nationalmallplan/Documents/Studies/ElmsoftheMonuCore_HistandMgmtPlan_122009.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

The NPS has combated the disease's local insect [[Vector (epidemiology)|vector]], the smaller European elm [[bark beetle]] (''[[Scolytus multistriatus]]''), by trapping and by spraying with [[insecticide]]s. [[Soil compaction]] and root damage by crowds and construction projects also adversely affect the elms.<ref name=elm/>

On October 15, 1966, the NPS listed the National Mall on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://planning.dc.gov/planning/frames.asp?doc=%2Fplanning%2Flib%2Fplanning%2Fpreservation%2Finventory%2F2009_alpha_version.pdf |title=The National Mall |work=District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites: Alphabetical Version |publisher=Historic Preservation Office, Office of Planning, Government of the District of Columbia |year=2009 |pages=103–104 |access-date=2010-03-17 |archive-date=November 4, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091104233021/http://planning.dc.gov/planning/frames.asp?doc=%2Fplanning%2Flib%2Fplanning%2Fpreservation%2Finventory%2F2009_alpha_version.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1981, the NPS prepared a National Register nomination form that documented the Mall's boundaries, features and historical significance.<ref name="National Register Nomination Form">{{cite web|last=Pfanz |first=Donald C. |date=1981-02-11 |title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: National Mall |url={{NRHP url|id=66000031}} |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151223101453/http://focus.nps.gov/pdfhost/docs/NRHP/Text/66000031.pdf |archive-date=December 23, 2015 |url-status=live |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=June 12, 2017}}</ref>

From the 1970s to 1994, a [[fiberglass]] model of a [[triceratops]] named ''[[Uncle Beazley]]'' stood on the Mall in front of the [[National Museum of Natural History]]. The life-size statue, which is now located at the [[National Zoological Park (United States)|National Zoological Park]] (the National Zoo) in [[Northwest, Washington, D.C.|Northwest Washington, D.C.]], was donated to the [[Smithsonian Institution]] by the [[Sinclair Oil Corporation]]. The statue, which [[Louis Paul Jonas]] created for Sinclair's DinoLand pavilion at the [[1964 New York World's Fair]], was named after a [[dinosaur]] in [[Oliver Butterworth (writer)|Oliver Butterworth]]'s 1956 children's book, ''The Enormous Egg'', and the 1968 televised movie adaptation in which the statue appeared.<ref>Multiple sources:
* {{cite web|url=http://mallhistory.org/items/show/2|title=Uncle Beazley|work=Histories of the National Mall|publisher=Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media, [[George Mason University]]|location=Fairfax, Virginia|access-date=2016-07-01|archive-date=April 16, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160416065903/http://mallhistory.org/items/show/2|url-status=live}}
* {{cite web|url=http://siris-sihistory.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?&profile=all&source=~!sichronology&uri=full=3100001~!9361~!0|title=Uncle Beazley on the Mall|work=Historic Images of the Smithsonian|publisher=Smithsonian Institution Research Information System|year=1976|access-date=2016-07-02|archive-date=August 15, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160815211422/http://siris-sihistory.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?&profile=all&source=~!sichronology&uri=full=3100001~!9361~!0#focus|url-status=live}}
* {{cite book|first=James M.|last=Goode|chapter=Chapter 12: Uncle Beazley|title=The Outdoor Sculpture of Washington, D.C.: A Comprehensive Historical Guide|location=Washington, D.C.|publisher=Smithsonian Institution Press|year=1974|page=260|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nXLqAAAAMAAJ|isbn=9780881032338|oclc=2610663|access-date=2016-07-04|via=[[Google Books]]|quote=This 25-foot long replica of a Triceratops ... was placed on the Mall in 1967. ... The full-size Triceratops replica and eight other types of dinosaurs were designed by two prominent paleontologists, Dr. Barnum Brown of the American Museum of Natural History, in New York City, and Dr. John Ostrom of the Peabody Museum, in Peabody, Massachusetts. The sculptor, Louis Paul Jonas, executed these prehistoric animals in fiberglass, after the designs of Barnum and Ostrom, for the Sinclair Refining Company's Pavilion at the New York World's Fair of 1964. After the Fair closed, the nine dinosaurs, which weighed between 2 and 4 tons each, were placed on trucks and taken on a tour of the eastern United States. The Sinclair Refining Company promoted the tour for public relations and advertising purposes, since their trademark was the dinosaur. In 1967, the nine dinosaurs were given to various American museums. This particular replica was used for the filming of ''The Enormous Egg'', a movie made by the [[National Broadcasting Company]] for television, based on a children's book of the same name by Oliver Buttersworth. The movie features an enormous egg, out of which hatches a baby Tricerotops; the boy consults with the Smithsonian Institution which accepts ''Uncle Beasley'' for the National Zoo.|archive-date=June 12, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170612163428/https://books.google.com/books?id=nXLqAAAAMAAJ|url-status=live}}
* {{cite web|url=http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/ZooArt/UncleBeazley/|title=A Dinosaur at the Zoo|work=Art at the National Zoo|publisher=Smithsonian National Zoological Park|location=Washington, D.C.|access-date=2016-07-01|archive-date=June 12, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070612081739/http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/ZooArt/UncleBeazley/|url-status=live}}
* {{cite book |last=Butterworth |first=Oliver |author-link=Oliver Butterworth (writer) |title=The Enormous Egg |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wtIa1N0-Z78C |others=Illustrations: Louis Darling |location=Boston |publisher=Little, Brown and Co.|year=1956|isbn=0590475460|oclc=299175|access-date=2016-07-04|via=[[Google Books]]|archive-date=June 12, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170612163428/https://books.google.com/books?id=wtIa1N0-Z78C|url-status=live}}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/book/enormous-egg|title=About this book|work=The Enormous Egg by Oliver Butterworth, illustrated by Louis Darling|publisher=Scholastic Inc.|year=2016|access-date=2016-07-03|quote=At first Nate doesn't see what all the fuss is all about. All he wants is to keep his new pet. But Uncle Beazley, the dinosaur himself, just keeps getting bigger and bigger...|archive-date=August 31, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120831191835/http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/book/enormous-egg|url-status=live}}
* {{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0311075/|title=NBC Children's Theatre (1963–1973): The Enormous Egg: Episode aired 18 April 1968|publisher=IMDb.com, Inc.|year=2008|access-date=2016-07-03|archive-date=March 9, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080309154701/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0311075/|url-status=live}}
* {{cite web|first=F Gwynplaine|last=MacIntyre|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0311075/|title=User Comment|date=2003-05-28|work=NBC Children's Theatre (1963–1973): The Enormous Egg: Episode aired 18 April 1968|publisher=IMDb.com, Inc.|access-date=2016-07-03|archive-date=March 9, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080309154701/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0311075/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2003, the [[108th United States Congress]] enacted the [[Commemorative Works Act#2003 amendments|Commemorative Works Clarification and Revision Act]]. This Act prohibits the siting of new commemorative works and visitor centers in a designated reserve area within the cross-axis of the Mall.<ref>Commemorative Works Clarification and Revision Act of 2003, ''in'' {{cite web|url=http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=108_cong_public_laws&do|title=Public Law 108-126, Title II (117 Stat. 1349 - 117 Stat. 1353)|date=November 17, 2003|access-date=2010-02-04|archive-date=February 26, 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050226210642/http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=108_cong_public_laws&docid=f%3Apubl126.108.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:WASNATMALL.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Looking east from the top of the Washington Monument towards the Mall and the U.S. Capitol, 2023]]

In October 2013, a two-week [[United States federal government shutdown of 2013|federal government shutdown]] closed the National Mall and its museums and monuments.<ref>{{cite news |first=Michael E. |last=Ruane |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/national-mall-visitors-may-face-barricades-instead-of-welcomes/2013/09/30/8935c22e-29ec-11e3-b139-029811dbb57f_story.html |title=During a shutdown, Mall visitors will see barricades, not landmarks |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=2013-10-01 |access-date=2015-02-21 |archive-date=February 21, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150221215011/http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/national-mall-visitors-may-face-barricades-instead-of-welcomes/2013/09/30/8935c22e-29ec-11e3-b139-029811dbb57f_story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> However, when a group of elderly veterans tried to enter the [[National World War II Memorial]] during the shutdown's first day, the memorial's barricades were removed.<ref>{{cite news |first1=Michael E. |last1=Ruane |first2=Debbi |last2=Wilgoren |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/visiting-veterans-storm-closed-wwii-memorial/2013/10/01/0fc2a376-2ab4-11e3-8ade-a1f23cda135e_story.html |title=Visiting veterans storm closed war memorial |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=2013-10-01 |access-date=2015-02-21 |archive-date=February 12, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150212200011/http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/visiting-veterans-storm-closed-wwii-memorial/2013/10/01/0fc2a376-2ab4-11e3-8ade-a1f23cda135e_story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The NPS subsequently announced that the veterans had a legal right to be in the memorial and would not be barred in the future.<ref>{{cite news |first1=Michael E. |last1=Ruane |first2=Mark |last2=Berman |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/national-park-service-to-keep-ww-ii-memorial-open-to-veterans/2013/10/02/bddb5678-2b8c-11e3-b139-029811dbb57f_story.html |title=National Park Service to keep WWII Memorial open to veterans, as visitors skirt shutdown |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=2013-10-02 |access-date=2015-02-21 |archive-date=February 21, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150221213132/http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/national-park-service-to-keep-ww-ii-memorial-open-to-veterans/2013/10/02/bddb5678-2b8c-11e3-b139-029811dbb57f_story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> During the shutdown's second week, the NPS permitted an immigration rally and concert to take place on the Mall.<ref>{{cite news |first=Alan |last=Gomez |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2013/10/08/government-shutdown-immigration-rally/2942257/ |title=Immigration rally allowed on Mall despite shutdown |newspaper=[[USA Today]] |date=2015-11-08 |access-date=2015-02-21 |archive-date=September 29, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180929001812/http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2013/10/08/government-shutdown-immigration-rally/2942257/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:The National Mall viewed from the Lincoln Memorial.jpg|thumb|The National Mall viewed from the Lincoln Memorial, July 2023]]
On December 8, 2016, the NPS listed on the National Register of Historic Places an increase in the National Mall [[Historic districts in the United States|Historic District]]'s boundary to encompass an area bounded by 3rd Street, NW/SW, Independence Avenue, SW, Raoul Wallenberg Place, SW, the [[CSX Transportation|CSX Railroad]], the [[Potomac River]], Constitution Avenue, NW, 17th Street, NW, the White House Grounds, and 15th Street, NW. The listing's registration form, which contained 232 pages, described and illustrated the history and features of the historic district's proposed expanded area.<ref name=increase/>