The Unfinished City

It had to come as a culture shock when John Adams moved to Washington, D.C. on November 1, 1800. The city was little more than a cluster of shacks for the workers. The White House was little more than a shell of a building. It is, however, for this reason that Washington, D.C. was able to become such a magnificent city. Built on marshy land between Virginia and Maryland, the location would leave much to be desired. As two of the leading horticulturists in the United States at the time, both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson played vital roles in the development of the newest capital city. However, this didn't mean that they agreed on much. Washington wanted to the city to be vast and dominant. The city would look more European, but would be easy to expand and would impose Washington's vision for the city which would bear his name: this nation was formed off the classical ideals of ancient Greece and Rome.

Jefferson, on the other hand, was more interested in creating a city that reflected who the American people were. He wanted the city to be free to expand as it needed and despised the idea of creating something artificial. Jefferson believed that the Federal government, and therefore the capital city, should be limited in all aspects. In the end, Washington received the city pomp and circumstance he desired while Jefferson received the more open plan he desired in the city. Andrea Wulf emphasizes just how divided these two men were on this topic. These were men who served time together during the earliest days of the Republic and were regarded as two of the leading thinkers of their day. However, their vision of what this country should become and be represented by were two completely different things.

I believe it is safe to say that with the exception of their extreme patriotism, Washington and Jefferson shared only one interest between them: their love of agriculture and gardening. It's interesting, therefore, that in a city where neither could agree on how to properly construct a city plan, they both received monuments that forced compromise. Washington's monument is in the middle of the city, surrounded by all of the Greco-Roman architecture that makes Washington, D.C. a fantastic city. However, his monument is also surrounded by a plethora of parks and open spaces for the citizens and guests of this nation to intermingle and conduct business. Jefferson's monument was also a place of compromise. Situated along the waterfront, he is surrounded by the nature he loved so dearly. Yet he too, is in the middle of the this sprawling metropolis.