Pennsylvania Avenue Essay

1659 Words7 Pages

While not the inspiration for the Pennsylvania Avenue that can be found in the childhood classic board game of Monopoly, that one is in Atlantic City, the Pennsylvania Avenue located in Washington D.C. has had great significance in our nation’s past and continues to be a vital passageway of today. It began as the link between the Capitol Building and the White House. The Avenue grew to be the main street of Washington D.C., and given that is the capital, was granted the title “America’s Main Street”. Intersecting Pennsylvania Avenue are streets titled First Street, Second Street, and so on. The Capitol is located near First Street. The White House is betwixt Fifteenth Street and Seventieth Street. The stretch between First Street and Seventieth …show more content…

By 1803, the Avenue was fully paved in gravel and a draining system added. Trees were added as well to make the route more scenic (Washington DC Travel and Tourist Information”). At this point in time, the Capitol and the White House could view each other through this mile stretch, L’Enfant’s intention was he first designed it (Washington DC Travel and Tourist Information”). With the growth of the city of Washington D.C. and the dismissal of L’Enfant from city planning duties, change was unenviable. The next major building to be erected on Pennsylvania Avenue was the Treasury Department Building, a task that extended from 1836 to 1896 (Washington DC Travel and Tourist Information”). It blocked the sightline of the Capitol to White House and vice versa, but served as further sign of the importance of the Avenue (Washington DC Travel and Tourist Information”). More structures were added to the street as well including markets, banks, and venues for entertainment (Washington DC Travel and Tourist Information”). Pennsylvania Avenue became a lively, main street of Washington D.C. …show more content…

This is partly due to the great significance it has had in our nation’s history, in both the construction of the city of Washington D.C. and as the site of political protest. Furthermore, its popularity stems from what situated on it today. This includes a multitude of memorials and key government buildings. 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is said to be the most well known address in the nation, the address to the White House. Pennsylvania Avenue continues to serve its intended purpose, linking the legislative branch with the executive