Architecture of the National Mall: An Audio Tour with Context

Washington DC’s National Mall is filled with iconic monuments that celebrate the history of the city, and the country at large. On this walking tour with Kristen Weller, an architect and Context Travel expert, you’ll explore these premier public gardens and gain insights into what the memorials mean. As you make your way from Union Square, the tour’s starting point, to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial where it ends, you’ll learn how the space has changed over the years, and who’s influenced it. You’ll hear how the park’s design mimics the Garden of Versailles in France, and how it was commissioned to be a ‘stage for American democracy’. You’ll visit iconic structures, old and new, like the Washington Monument, the Tidal Basin, and the Smithsonian Castle. You’ll also have a chance to admire the Lincoln Memorial, which was previously part of the Tidal Basin and later filled in! On this 90-minute walk around the National Mall, you’ll: • Take in views of the Capitol Building and its stunning dome structure • Hear how Joseph H Hirshhorn opened the Hirshhorn Museum to share his art collection with the people of the United States • Find out how the White House and Capitol Building both burned in the War of 1812, leaving the Dome of the Capitol incomplete until after the Civil War • Learn about James Smithson, the British chemist and mineralogist who was the founding donor of the Smithsonian Institution, and his quest to encourage the sharing of knowledge • Take in the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial, where lighting played an important role in the design of the building, which can be visited during the day or at night • Dive into the controversies surrounding the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Memorial • Find out how lawmakers in DC decided to enact the Height Act to preserve and protect their federal city • Take in the World War II Memorial and learn how Congress expedited the process of erecting it so that vets would still be alive to see it By the end of this tour, you’ll have an understanding of the architecture and planning of the National Mall. You’ll also have a deeper appreciation for the meaning behind some of its most iconic structures.

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