L'Enfant Plan

	Facsimile of 1791 L'Enfant Plan for Washington, D.C.
	U.S. National Register of Historic Places
	U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey (1887)
Location	Washington, D.C., U.S.
Coordinates	38°53′26″N 77°1′13″W / 38.89056°N 77.02028°W
NRHP reference No.	97000332
Designated	April 24, 1997

The L'Enfant Plan^[3] for the city of Washington is the urban plan developed in 1791 by Major Pierre (Peter) Charles L'Enfant for George Washington, the first president of the United States.^[2]^[4] It is regarded as one of the most amazing urban design plans in the world and has served as inspiration for the plans of Detroit, Indianapolis, Brasilia, and New Delhi.

^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
^ ^a ^b Leach, Sara Amy; Barthold, Elizabeth, HABS/HAER, NPS (July 20, 1994). "L' Enfant Plan of the City of Washington, District of Columbia" (PDF). United States Department of the Interior: National Park Service: National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. National Park Service. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 5, 2017. Retrieved November 5, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ "The L'Enfant Plan". A Monument To Democracy: History of the Mall: The 1791 L'Enfant Plan and the Mall. National Coalition to Save Our Mall. Archived from the original on February 4, 2012. Retrieved January 8, 2012.
^ L'Enfant identified himself as "Peter Charles L'Enfant" during most of his life, while residing in the United States. (See: Bowling, 2002) He wrote this name on his "Plan of the city intended for the permanent seat of the government of t(he) United States ...." (Washington, D.C.) and on other legal documents. However, during the early 1900s, a French ambassador to the U.S., Jean Jules Jusserand, popularized the use of L'Enfant's birth name, "Pierre Charles L'Enfant". (See: Bowling (2002).) The National Park Service has identified L'Enfant as "Major Peter Charles L'Enfant" and as "Major Pierre (Peter) Charles L'Enfant" in its histories of the Washington Monument on its website. The United States Code states in 40 U.S.C. § 3309: "(a) In General.—The purposes of this chapter shall be carried out in the District of Columbia as nearly as may be practicable in harmony with the plan of Peter Charles L'Enfant."

[nris-1] "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.

[Leach-2] Leach, Sara Amy; Barthold, Elizabeth, HABS/HAER, NPS (July 20, 1994). "L' Enfant Plan of the City of Washington, District of Columbia" (PDF). United States Department of the Interior: National Park Service: National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. National Park Service. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 5, 2017. Retrieved November 5, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

[3] "The L'Enfant Plan". A Monument To Democracy: History of the Mall: The 1791 L'Enfant Plan and the Mall. National Coalition to Save Our Mall. Archived from the original on February 4, 2012. Retrieved January 8, 2012.

[4] L'Enfant identified himself as "Peter Charles L'Enfant" during most of his life, while residing in the United States. (See: Bowling, 2002) He wrote this name on his "Plan of the city intended for the permanent seat of the government of t(he) United States ...." (Washington, D.C.) and on other legal documents. However, during the early 1900s, a French ambassador to the U.S., Jean Jules Jusserand, popularized the use of L'Enfant's birth name, "Pierre Charles L'Enfant". (See: Bowling (2002).) The National Park Service has identified L'Enfant as "Major Peter Charles L'Enfant" and as "Major Pierre (Peter) Charles L'Enfant" in its histories of the Washington Monument on its website. The United States Code states in 40 U.S.C. § 3309: "(a) In General.—The purposes of this chapter shall be carried out in the District of Columbia as nearly as may be practicable in harmony with the plan of Peter Charles L'Enfant."

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