President’s Park is the President’s neighborhood.  Its presidential connection – past and present – gives it a special élan.

The walking tour travels around the rectangular President’s Park – from the Ellipse on the south to Lafayette Park on the north; from 15th Street NW on the east to 17^th St. NW on the west.  Along the way… 41 eclectic places to discover.

It’s a lovely walk, centered by the most famous residence in the world – the White House. There are two opportunities for spectacular views of the President’s House.  One is of the South Façade, or back of the house, the location of the graceful South Portico and expansive South Lawn; the other, the North Facade, is the elegant front entrance.

President’s Park, centered by the White House, is the President’s neighborhood. It’s a wonderful, walk-able, a bit off-the-beaten path, early Federal-era pocket sometimes overlooked in a city that easily overwhelms.

It encompasses the rectangular area from the Ellipse on the south to Lafayette Park on the north; from 15^th Street NW on the east, to 17^th Street NW on the west.  The President’s Park Walking Tour takes you all the way around it.

It’s primarily a walk-by adventure, passing by an interesting, eclectic mix of sites and sights – 41 of them.

Of the 41 sites along the route:

Weather

Washington’s temperate climate is mild compared to many areas in the United States.

Seasons

A good place to start the walking tour is at the Enid Haupt fountains, mirror images of each other.

Located on each side of the small segment of 16^th Street at the Constitution Avenue entrance to the Ellipse, their placement here was part of First Lady, Lady Bird Johnson’s beautification of the capital in the late 1960s.

Stand for a moment on 16^th Street, between the fountains.  Look towards the stately Executive Mansion.  It’s perfectly centered between the two fountains, fulfilling the First Lady’s wish to “frame the White House in water.”

The Ellipse, also called President’s Park South, is the elliptically-shaped open lawn between 15^th and 17^th Streets, and the White House and Constitution Avenue.

A circular roadway defines its boundaries. The north side grazes the curving South Executive Avenue, just south of the White House grounds; the south curve dips close to Constitution Avenue. The distance across the long east/west axis is 1050 feet; the shorter, north/south axis is 900 feet, creating the elliptical shape.

Short, walkable roadways branching out at 15^th and Constitution, at 15^th and E, and at 17^th and Constitution lead to interesting statues and memorials, all passed on the walking tour.

There are two Bulfinch Gatehouses in President’s Park, one here, at the corner of Constitution Avenue at 15th Street, the other at Constitution Avenue at 17^th Street. They weren’t always here.

From 1829 until 1874, they stood at the west entrance of the Capitol grounds. They were designed by noted architect Charles Bulfinch, one of several architects of the U.S. Capitol, to keep cattle out!  Looking at Washington as it is today, it’s difficult to imagine it was once a rural, swampy area used by nearby residents for cattle grazing. The cattle naturally grazed their way onto Capitol grounds.

Along the Ellipse, at the edge of the sidewalk on 15^th Street, midway between Constitution Avenue and E Street across from the Department of Commerce Building, stands a simple granite shaft with an interesting story.

It was erected by the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) in 1936 for the specific purpose of acknowledging the 18 original owners (patentees) of the “ten miles square” selected to become the federal district. The names of these early settlers who had been given grants (patents) to the land prior to 1700 are etched in the Indiana granite base.

At first glance, the mix of figures in this memorial to the Boy Scouts of America, is unusual.

Atop a granite pedestal, two large 12-foot high, classically draped allegorical bronze figures of a man and woman overpower the 7-foot central figure of a young, uniformed Boy Scout. This juxtaposition of neoclassical and contemporary figures has a purpose.

The man represents Manhood –physical, mental and moral fitness.  The woman represents Womanhood – enlightenment, justice and freedom.

The Boy Scout, gazing resolutely ahead, represents Scouts around the world.  He hikes into the future, confident in the knowledge he has gained through scouting, whose foundation lies in the values and ideals of past generations, represented by Manhood and Womanhood.