Constitution Avenue is a major east–west street in the northwest and northeast quadrants of the city of Washington, D.C., in the United States. It was originally known as B Street, and its western section was greatly lengthened and widened between 1925 and 1933. It received its current name on February 26, 1931, though it was almost named Jefferson Avenue in honor of Thomas Jefferson.
Constitution Avenue's western half defines the northern border of the National Mall and extends from the United States Capitol to the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge. Its eastern half runs through the neighborhoods of Capitol Hill and Hill East before terminating at the RFK Stadium campus. Many federal departmental headquarters, memorials, and museums line Constitution Avenue's western segment.
Creating B Street
When the District of Columbia was founded in 1790, the Potomac River was much wider than it currently is, and a major tidal estuary known as Tiber Creek flowed roughly from 6th Street NW to the shore of the river just south of the White House. In Pierre (Peter) Charles L'Enfant's original plan for the city in 1791, B Street NWCartesian designations such as "Northwest" were not used in the District of Columbia until the 1890s, but for the purposes of this article will be used throughout. began at 6th Street NW,"Plan Commission to Consider Four Parks Proposals." Washington Post. February 13, 1927. and ended at the river's edge at 15th Street NW."New Study Ordered of Memorial Bridge." Washington Post. December 29, 1926. Its eastern segment, which was unimpeded by any water obstacles, ran straight to the Eastern Branch River, now known as the Anacostia River. Along its entire length, B Street was wide."Park Commission Accepts B Street Boulevard Plans." Washington Post. August 21, 1926.
L'Enfant proposed turning Tiber Creek into a canal. His plan included cutting a new canal south across the western side of the United States Capitol grounds and converting James Creek, which ran from the Capitol south-southwest through the city, into the canal's southern leg.Heine, p. 2. The Washington Canal Company was incorporated in 1802, and after several false starts, substantial work began in 1810.Heine, p. 5-6. The Washington City Canal began operation in 1815.Heine, p. 7. The canal suffered from maintenance problems and economic competition almost immediately. Traffic on the canal was adversely affected by tidal forces, which the builders had not accounted for, which deposited large amounts of sediment in the canal. At low tide, portions of the canal were almost dry.Heine, p. 10. After the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad built Washington Branch into the city in 1835,Dilts, p. 184. competition from railroads left the canal economically unviable.Gutheim and Lee, p. 49-50; Curry, p. 233-234.
Although the Washington City Canal remained in use after the coming of the railroad, by 1855, it had filled with silt and debris to the point where it was no longer functional.Heine, p. 20-21. It remained in this condition throughout the 1860s.Heine, p. 23. In 1871, Congress abolished the elected mayor and bicameral legislature of the District of Columbia, and established a territorial government. Territorial government only lasted until 1874, when Congress imposed an appointed three-member commission on the city. During this period, the D.C. Board of Public Works enclosed the canal and turned it into a sewer. B Street NW from 15th Street to Virginia Avenue NW was constructed on top of it. Work began in October 1871 and was completed in December 1873.Harrison, p. 253.
After terrible flooding inundated much of downtown Washington, D.C., in 1881, Congress ordered the United States Army Corps of Engineers to dredge a deep channel in the Potomac to lessen the chance of flooding. Congress also ordered that the dredged material be used to fill in what remained of the Tiber Creek estuary and build up much of the land near the White House and along Pennsylvania Avenue NW by nearly to form a kind of levee.Tindall, p. 396; Gutheim and Lee, p. 94-97; Bednar, p. 47. This "reclaimed land" — which today includes West Potomac Park, East Potomac Park, the Tidal Basin — was largely complete by 1890 and designated Potomac Park by Congress in 1897.Gutheim and Lee, p. 96-97. Congress first appropriated money for the beautification of the reclaimed land in 1902, which led to the planting of sod, bushes, and trees; grading and paving of sidewalks, bridle paths, and driveways; and the installation of water, drainage, and sewage pipes.Report of the Chief of Engineers..., p. 1891. Accessed 2013-04-15.
B Street NW extended through the newly created West Potomac Park between Virginia Avenue NW and 23rd Street NW. However, since this area was considered parkland, the street narrowed to just in width.
B Street reconfiguration and renaming B Street NW as part of the Arlington Memorial Bridge
On March 4, 1913, Congress created the Arlington Memorial Bridge Commission (AMBC), whose purpose was to design and build a bridge somewhere in West Potomac Park that would link the city to Arlington National Cemetery. But Congress appropriated no money for the design or construction due to the onset of World War I.Sherrill, p. 21-25 Accessed 2013-04-15. But after President Warren G. Harding was trapped in a three-hour traffic jam on the Highway Bridge while on his way to dedicate the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on November 11, 1921, Harding began pushing Congress to move on constructing a new bridge.Kohler, p. 16. Congress approved funding for design work on June 12, 1922,"President Urges Funds for Bridge." Washington Post. January 14, 1922; Arlington Memorial Bridge Commission, p. 30. and authorized construction of the Arlington Memorial Bridge on February 24, 1925."Memorial Bridge Bill Ready for President." Washington Post. February 21, 1925; Weingroff, Richard F. "Dr. S. M. Johnson - A Dreamer of Dreams." Highway History. Office of Infrastructure and Transportation Performance. Federal Highway Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation. April 7, 2011. Accessed 2013-04-15.
The 1925 legislation specified that B Street NW be treated as a major approach to Arlington Memorial Bridge."Grant Is Told Need of Bridge Restudy By Fine Arts Group." Washington Post. December 28, 1926.
Several design problems presented themselves. The first was how to turn B Street NW into a ceremonial gateway. The second was how to link B Street NW with the bridge. This second problem was significant because the Lincoln Memorial stood at the northeastern terminus of the proposed bridge. Third, the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway was being designed to terminate at the Lincoln Memorial as well. The parkway would also interact with the B Street approaches to the bridge.
Additionally, three agencies had design approval for the bridge. The first was the AMBC, which was building it. The second was the National Capital Parks Commission (NCPC), which had statutory authority to approve federal transportation construction in the city. The third was the United States Commission of Fine Arts (CFA), which had to approve any memorial design. Since the bridge was considered a memorial, it also had to pass CFA muster.
Connecting, extending, and widening B Street NW
In April 1924, the Arlington Memorial Bridge Commission proposed extending B Street to the U.S. Capitol as part of the plan to turn the street into a major thoroughfare."Bridge to Arlington to Cost $14,750,000 Asked As Memorial." Washington Post. April 10, 1924. The NCPC inspected B Street in June 1926,"Commission Urges Numerous Bathing Pools for Capital." Washington Post. June 20, 1926. and in August, made a preliminary determination that the street should be widened to between the Potomac River and Virginia Avenue NW. This would be accomplished by moving the south curb south by and the north curb north by . However, once the street went past Virginia Avenue NW, the NCPC determined that the north curb should not be moved. In September 1926, the NCPC approved widening B Street to between 6th and 15th Streets NW (by moving the south curb south)."B Street to Become 80-Foot Boulevard." Washington Post. September 18, 1926. This decision was reaffirmed by a joint meeting of the NCPC and the Office of the Supervising Architect of the U.S. Treasury (which was overseeing the construction of the Federal Triangle office complex on the north side of B Street between 6th and 15th Streets NW)."14-Foot Widening Tentative Traffic Plan for Triangle." Washington Post. December 21, 1926. The NCPC agreed in February 1927 that B Street should extend to Pennsylvania Avenue NW, and was studying whether to extend it through the proposed Senate Park.
Architect William Mitchell KendallKendall was the lead designer for the firm designing the bridge, McKim, Mead and White. See: Kohler, p. 17.McKim, Mead and White only had responsibility for the architectural features of the bridge. The AMBC turned over the engineering aspects of the bridge to the Corps of Engineers on June 29, 1922. See: Christian, William Edmund. "The Arlington Memorial Bridge." Washington Post. November 1, 1925. proposed creating a traffic circle around the Lincoln Memorial to accommodate the bridge, B Street approach, parkway approach, and Ohio Drive SW approach. The AMBC was dissatisfied with Kendall's design, however, and ordered a major restudy of the B Street connection in December 1926.
In May 1927, Kendall presented a revised design for the B Street approach to the Lincoln Memorial traffic circle. The NCPC, concerned with the impending construction of Federal Triangle, worried that a traffic circle would not only fail to accommodate the expected increase in traffic volume but also impair the dignity of the memorial as large numbers of fast-moving automobiles whizzed around it. CFA members disagreed. For example, CFA member James Leal Greenleaf argued that the traffic issue was a red herring; future new bridges over the Potomac would completely alleviate all traffic issues within 50 years, he said.Kohler, p. 18.
By September 1927, the NCPC's vision for B Street had expanded. The agency saw B Street not just as a gateway but as one of the city's great parade avenues, similar to Pennsylvania Avenue NW."Engineers Plan Impressive Water Approach to City." Washington Post. September 6, 1927.
Connecting B Streets NW and NE B Street's renewal soon became caught up in the creation of Senate Park north of the United States Capitol building. This area, which today is bounded by Louisiana Avenue NW, Columbus Circle, 1st Street NE, and Constitution Avenue NE/NW, was home to several dilapidated office buildings and hotels. But beginning in 1910, Congress started to acquire entire city blocks in this area, with the intent of building an underground parking garage and creating a park between the Capitol and Washington Union Station, which opened in 1908. The question confronting the AMBC and NCPC was whether B Street should continue east through this area to connect with B Street NE or end at Pennsylvania Avenue NW.
To help plan and develop this area, on April 6, 1928, Congress enacted legislation establishing the Capitol Plaza Commission."Capitol Plaza Bill Goes to President." Washington Post. April 7, 1928. On April 19, the Capitol Plaza Commission issued its first preliminary plan for Senate Park. This plan assumed B Street would extend through the park."Capitol Plaza Plans Made By Commission." Washington Post. April 20, 1928.