Constitution Avenue
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 Charles L'Enfant's original plan for the city in 1791, B Street NW began at 6th Street NW, and ended at the river's edge at 15th Street NW. 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.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. The Washington Canal Company was incorporated in 1802, and after several false starts, substantial work began in 1810. The Washington City Canal began operation in 1815. 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. After the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad built Washington Branch into the city in 1835, competition from railroads left the canal economically unviable.
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. It remained in this condition throughout the 1860s. 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.
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. 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. 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.
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, 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. 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. Congress approved funding for design work on June 12, 1922, and authorized construction of the Arlington Memorial Bridge on February 24, 1925.The 1925 legislation specified that B Street NW be treated as a major approach to Arlington Memorial Bridge.
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, which had statutory authority to approve federal transportation construction in the city. The third was the United States Commission of Fine Arts, 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. The NCPC inspected B Street in June 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. This decision was reaffirmed by a joint meeting of the NCPC and the Office of the Supervising Architect of the U.S. Treasury. 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 Kendall 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.
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.
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. 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.
In February 1929, the D.C. Department of Roads and Highways finalized its engineering plans to widen B Street NW from 26th Street NW to Pennsylvania Avenue NW. But these plans needed approval of the NCPC as well as funding from Congress. The NCPC discussed the street widening at its March 9 meeting. It made a site visit along the roadway to see how different widths would affect the vista and the grandeur of the planned avenue. The commission agreed that B Street should be extended eastward at least to 3rd Street NW and that building setbacks should be a minimum of along the avenue. But the width of the avenue remained in dispute. Tentatively, the NCPC approved a width of between Pennsylvania Avenue NW and Virginia Avenue NW, and from Virginia Avenue NW to the Potomac River. It also said that the avenue should be no wider than from Pennsylvania Avenue NW to 3rd Street NW.