Meridian Hill Park is located in northwest Washington, D.C. and is bordered by 16th, Euclid, 15th, and W Streets. It is a 12 acre site situated on an almost perfect north-south axis.

The park has had a long and varied history. In 1819, John Porter erected a mansion on the grounds and called it "Meridian Hill" because it was on the exact longitude of the original District of Columbia milestone marker, set down on April 15, 1791 at Jones Point, Virginia by Major Andrew Ellicott assisted by Benjamin Banneker, an African-American astronomer and mathematician. It was to this mansion that John Quincy Adams moved when he left the White House in 1829. At that time, the entire high ground surrounding the park was known as "Meridian Hill."

During the 19th century the environs of Meridian Hill became host to Columbia College, precursor to George Washington University. Prior to the Civil War, the mansion grounds became a pleasure park for the area. During the war, Union troops encamped there.

In 1910, the grounds were purchased by the United States government and transferred to the stewardship of the Office of Public Buildings and Grounds. In 1914 the Department of the Interior hired landscape architect George Burnap to draw plans for the general development for a grand, formal park to be modeled after the Renaissance and Italian gardens that could be found in the world's great capital cities. The plans presented were later revised by landscape architect Horace Peaslee under the watchful eye of the Fine Arts Commission of Washington, D.C.

The plan conceived by Burnap and Peaslee was one that would depict an Italian garden, composing or using garden concepts from Italy. The stepped character of the park design was somewhat reminiscent of the former King Victor Emmanuel III's gardens. The actual planting scheme was designed by New York landscape architects Vital, Brinckerhoff, and Geffert. Generally, gardens of this magnitude were reserved for aristocrats. Meridian Hill, however, was to be a product of democracy, open to all people.

Construction was begun in 1914, but it was not until 1936 that Meridian Hill reached the full status of a formal park. In 1933 the grounds were transferred to the National Park Service.

Meridian Hill Park is unique in that it served as a laboratory for experimenting with a new medium of construction -- concrete aggregate. Concrete aggregate consists of small pebbles specially selected for size and color from which forms are pulled while the surface is still susceptible to treatment. Wire brushing and acid washing are then used to expose the texture.

Entry to Meridian Hill Park can be gained at points off 16th and 15th Streets.

Halfway down the upper level facing 16th Street can be found a most unusual statue, Serenity. Serenity is the work of sculptor Jose Clara. Clara carved the reclining figure out of a solid block of white carrara marble. On March 12, 1924, Serenity was dedicated in memory of Lt. Commander William H. Scheutz, by fellow West Point classmate Charles Deering. Prior to his death in 1927, he became president of the International Harvester Company.

As one approaches the terrace overlook, one may view the beautiful statue of Joan of Arc -- the only equestrian statue of a woman in Washington, D.C. Joan of Arc is a bronze copy of the Paul Dubois statue which sits before the Cathedral of Rheims in France. The statue was given by the Ladies of France in Exile in New York and dedicated to the Nation on January 6, 1922. In attendance at the dedication were First Lady Mrs. Warren G. Harding and Mrs. Jules Jusserand, wife of the French Ambassador to the United States.

As one descends down the steps, to the left, following the concrete aggregate walkway, one will enter the poetry corner. Overlooking this special stay is the statue of Dante Allegari. Author of "The Divine Comedy," Dante is considered one of the greatest writers of fictional literature in history. His figure stands 11 1/2 feet tall, made of bronze by sculptor Ettore Ximenes of Rome. The statue stands on a pedestal of sea green granite and represents Dante in the robe of a scholar, wearing a crown of laurel. The statue was presented to the United States on the 600th anniversary of Dante's death by Carlo Barsolli, a New York editor, in recognition of Italian Americans living in New York State.

 

As one proceeds down the walkway, to the left can be found the 82 foot long memorial to James Buchanan, the 15th President of the United States. This imposing monument's focal point is the nine foot seated figure of Buchanan, flanked by two statues representing Law and Diplomacy. Buchanan, a native Pennsylvanian, was a statesman as well as United States Minister of Russia and Great Britain. He is most remembered for being the only bachelor president. The statue, which was sculptured by Hans Schuler and dedicated June 26, 1930, was a gift from Buchanan's niece, Mrs. Harriet Lane Johnston, given in his memory.

Turning toward the reflecting pool one can view a concrete aggregate chess board. One of the leisure activities of the Europeans is to hold human chess pageants.

Perhaps the single most intriguing feature of the park is the thirteen basin cascade fountains that form the center of the lower level formal garden. The fountains are designed with a recirculating water system which, through an elaborate series of pumps, supplies water to two large circular fountains on the upper level, and cascade found on the lower. Each cascade bowl flows to a larger bowl as they descend to the bottom. Water fills one bowl, overflowing into the next, until it reaches the large reflecting pool in the plaza.

Midway up the cascade to the left was once the site of a small log cabin owned by Joaquin Miller. Called the "Poet of the Sierras," Joaquin Miller was best known for his poem "Columbus." He built and occupied the log cabin during his residence in Washington from early 1883 to late 1885. Miller came to seek political office, but was disappointed in his quest. However, he remained in Washington for some years to carry on his literary work. The cabin stood in Meridian Hill Park for 30 years; when it was threatened with destruction, it was moved to Rock Creek Park by the California State Association in 1912. The cabin is now located on Beach Drive near Picnic Area 6 in Rock Creek Park.