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Slanted Wayside Exhibit: McMillan Plan 535 words / Total Audio Description: 2 minutes, 58 seconds Site Information 164 words / 54 seconds This is an audio description of an interpretive sign titled A Man with a Plan. The sign is divided into 2 parts. On the left is a graphic panel measuring 3 feet (1 meter) wide by 2 feet (0.5 meters) tall. On the right, a tactile map panel is 1 foot (0.3 meters) wide by 2 feet (0.5 meters) tall. An audio speaker with push buttons and two solar panels separates the graphic panel from the map. All parts are set within an angled black metal frame with two legs that raise the sign 3 feet (1 meter) off the ground. Immediately beyond the panel is a light red granite wall, 3 feet (0.9 meters) tall, which extends left 6 feet (1.8 meters) and right 50 feet (15.2 meters). Behind the wall is a black metal-edged display fountain 75 feet (22.3 meters) wide by 50 feet (15.2 meters) deep. Beyond the fountain, in the distance, is Pennsylvania leading up towards the US Capitol Building. Exhibit Panel Content 314 words / 1 minute, 44 seconds The title reads “Make No Little Plans.”This panel features an aerial view of downtown Washington, DC, as if flying above the Potomac River and looking down toward the National Mall. The grid of city streets designed by Pierre L’Enfant are shown in darker orange, while the unified park system of the McMillan Plan is highlighted in light green in the center of the map. Key aquatic features of the park’s design are highlighted in light blue, including the Potomac River and the cruciform reflecting pool by the Lincoln Memorial, and a lake. A black You Are Here label indicates that the visitor is in approximately the center of the McMillan Plan. White text on a medium blue background reads: Daniel Burnham’s motto embodies the grand ideals of the McMillan Plan to develop the new lands created by changing the path of the Potomac River. Senator James McMillan appointed Burnham, a city planner and architect, to lead the Senate Park Commission. The Commission’s report, dubbed the McMillan Plan, created the commemorative space you see today: a sweeping National Mall surrounding the Washington Monument, anchored by memorials to Presidents Lincoln, Grant, and Jefferson. A small inset photo of the Ulysses S. Grant memorial is in the top right corner of this panel. The bronze memorial shows Grant on horseback, holding the reins and wearing a thick coat and hat. The photo is taken from the ground looking up, with a light blue sky in the background. White text reads: The Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials steal most of the limelight, but the Ulysses S. Grant memorial anchors the east end of the National Mall. Grant’s statue stands below the Capitol Building, with another reflecting pool at his feet.In the bottom right-hand corner of the panel, a light blue circle lined in dark blue with dark text reads:What memorial do you relate to the most? Tactile Map 57 words / 19 seconds The title reads The McMillan Plan. A tactile map to the right of the panel and audio description buttons outlines the McMillan Plan. The plan is a zoomed-in section of the map depicted on the graphic panel. A legend with raised letters below the map contains text that reads: You Are Here North White House Grass Water [End of description.] |
Last updated: February 27, 2025