NPS
Quick Facts
- Location:
- 16th & W Streets NW, Washington, D.C.
- Significance:
- Architecture and landscape design
- Designation:
- Park
A Garden Fit for an Aristocrat, Open to the Public
In 1819, John Porter erected a mansion here on Meridian Hill so called because it was on the exact longitude of the original District of Columbia milestone marker, set down on April 15, 1791. In 1829, the mansion became departing President John Quincy Adams's home. After its conversion to a public park, Union troops encamped on the grounds during the Civil War.
The U.S. government purchased the grounds in 1910 and hired landscape architects George Burnap and Horace Peaslee who planned an Italian style garden. The structures made revolutionary use of concrete aggregate as a building material.
Notable Features
- The thirteen basin cascading fountain is the longest in North America
- Joan of Arc statue is only equestrian statue of a woman in Washington, D.C.
- Dante statue
- James Buchanan Memorial
Hours: Meridian Hill Park is open during daylight hours.
Fees: Free