16th street NW, from the 2100 block to the 2600 block, is home to Meridian Hill Park, a formerly dilapidated park that has recently been renovated by the local community with help from the National Park Service.

According to "Washington Seen: A Photographic History, 1875-1965" by F.M. Miller and H. Gillette Jr. (1995) at 107, Meridian Hill Park was conceived by Mary Henderson who was married to U.S. Senator John Henderson (Missouri) and owned the land on which the park rests. In 1910 she transferred ownership of 11 acres of this land the the federal government for a half million dollars and construction of the park continued on and off until 1936. The park was to be the crowning jewel of what Mary Henderson envisioned as an "Avenue of the Presidents" that - at the south end - terminated in the White House.

While not as grand as originally planned, the whole of 16th street still retains a strong 1920's and 1930's latinate feeling to it; - I like to think of it as D.C.'s version of New York City's Avenue of the America's. And with its' trees only now approaching maturity, Meridian Hill Park is, in one sense, even grander today than it was in its' pre-war incarnation.

This is a pair of shots through a canopy of trees leading to a fountain and an impressive view of the Washington Monument. I call this first photo, shot in August 2000:

I call this second photo, also shot in the summer of 2000:

Further details about Meridian Hill Park can be found in "The City of Washington" by the Junior League of Washington, D.C. (1977) at 282. According to this book, Senator Henderson is best remembered as the drafter of the Constitutional amendment that abolished slavery.

Mary Henderson took a dim view of the aesthetic merits of the White House, which she hoped would be moved to a more regal residence on 16th street. She also hoped to create an embassy row on Meridian Hill. In 1912 her efforts culminated in Congress renaming 16th street "The Avenue of the Presidents." However by 1916, this grand appellation had been downgraded back to plain old 16th street. Strangely enough, over time 16th street has developed more character than its more famous rival Pennsylvania Avenue, which - while usually referred to as "America's Main Street", - is today primarily a business artery and not a part of residential D.C.

(4/29/07) The National Park Service has removed more than a third of the Canopy allee as part of a major construction project in the park.

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First posted: 8/22/2000