Capital Sentence 1901-1931
Inspired by the City Beautiful movement, leaders in Washington D.C. believed they could foster civic pride through beautiful streets, parks, and public buildings.
The Senate Park (McMillan) Commission Plan of 1901 envisioned a unified city of white marble and monuments centered on a majestic and magnified National Mall.
"The McMillan Plan of 1901"
The McMillan Plan proposed reorienting the city of Washington D.C. along the axis extending from the Capitol to the Washington Monument.
Courtesy National Capital Planning Commission
The red brick Victorian Center Market did not match this vision of grandeur. In 1931, the building was demolished and construction began on the National Archives Building.
"Architectural Drawing of the Archives Building"
The National Archives Building, designed by John Russell Pope, exemplifies the formal neo-classical government buildings advocated by the McMillan Plan.
Courtesy National Archives and Records Administration