The McMillan Plan
Here's the clencher, the image that this site is using to depict the mall, what they are calling "The Mall overhead view" (above), is actually a copy of the plan of "http://dcsymbols.com/1901plan/McMillan_Plan.htm" target="blank">formulated by the McMillan Commission in 1901. This is NOT a 1901 view of DC, but only an architects plan. As you can see from a recent map of the mall area (below), most of these changes were never instituted. Take a careful look at these two images and note that the elements in the 1901 plan are not in the current DC map, meaning that any thesis that addresses the 1901 plan as a planning source is wrong. Modern day DC does not resemble that plan. Their arguement fails for two reasons, first because the tree figure does not fit the map image that they are using, and secondly because the image that they are presenting does not correlate to the current DC map layout. A webpage entitled Symbolism of Washington, DC - the Anatomy of a Fish purports to " explore the symbolism of the original geographical "Diamond" shaped perimeter of Washington, DC and the Mall area within the District that represents a fish... Pictured is a map of the Mall - Central Area of the District of Columbia. As can be seen from, the Mall area of D. C., like ancient Nineveh, is represented by the picture or image of a fish inside the enclosure of a city". Unfortunately the image that he uses on that page is the McMillan Plan and not a map of DC. The map never looked like the 1901 plan. One of the first differences that you notice is the ellipse in the current map. That is, where the McMillan Plan calls for a circle, an ellipse was substituted. Also, the Jefferson Memorial is a little bit further south. The important thing is that the plazas that were to account for points, 2, 3, 7 and 8 (on the map/tree) aren't there. Note the attempt (by the McMillan Commission) to establish symmetry and a cruciform shape (a cross). I suggest that, far from being Satanists, the people from the 1901 McMillan Commission were more likely Christians, and that may be why their plan was not instituted as it was envisioned. You may recall that the Washington Monument was positioned east of the north-south line running through the White House and south of the east-west line running through the Capitol Building, that's why the line in the 1901 plan running from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial is running "down hill". Looking a little bit closer we can see how the McMillan Commission was attempting to restore an emphasis to the point where the north-south and east-west axes cross. Looking at the recent map (above) you can see that this did not come about for some reason. [Read "hidden hands"] Below we see an artists rendering of the Wash Mmt area, and the attempt to re-establish symmetry there. Ironically, this image is identified as an aerial photograph of the actual monument at GreatBuildings.com . I repeat, Washington DC does not look like this today, this is just an artists rendering of the 1901 plan. Versailles If you read about the 1901 Plan, you will find that, "The commissioners were particularly impressed with Paris, seeing it as a 'well-articulated city--a work of civic art.' The broad Parisian avenues and gardens of Versailles were a great influence on the men, and with their predilection for the Beaux-Arts style, an understandable influence on the final plan." Note that this is speaking of the McMillan commissioners. If you compare the map of Versailles to the McMillan Plan and L'Enfant's original planning map, you will see that the McMillan Commissioners were a lot more fond of that than L'Enfant. And if you compare those three to the current DC map, you will see that neither the map of Versailles, nor the 1901 plan look like modern DC. Some people suggest that DC was influenced by Verailles because L'Enfant grew up near there in France. That is one thing, but it is another thing entirely to say that you can see the influence of the Versaille map in the McMillan Plan, and therefore DC was influenced by Versailles. Because, yes the plan does look like the Versailles map, but it does not look like the current DC map. Here is a link to a site where a person is arguing based on the fact that Versailles looks like the 1901 Plan. Note where at the bottom of the page it reads, "As far as I know no-one has tied it into Paris or Versailles yet", he means before himself. Try googling "L'Enfant Versailles" and see how many pages you see that describe how Versaille influenced the plan via L'Enfant. The weird thing is, all you have to do is look at a current map to see that the 1901 plan wasn't implimented fully. Continue HOME

The McMillan Plan

Here's the clencher, the image that this site is using to depict the mall, what they are calling "The Mall overhead view" (above), is actually a copy of the plan of "http://dcsymbols.com/1901plan/McMillan_Plan.htm" target="blank">formulated by the McMillan Commission in 1901. This is NOT a 1901 view of DC, but only an architects plan. As you can see from a recent map of the mall area (below), most of these changes were never instituted.
Take a careful look at these two images and note that the elements in the 1901 plan are not in the current DC map, meaning that any thesis that addresses the 1901 plan as a planning source is wrong. Modern day DC does not resemble that plan.

Their arguement fails for two reasons, first because the tree figure does not fit the map image that they are using, and secondly because the image that they are presenting does not correlate to the current DC map layout.
A webpage entitled Symbolism of Washington, DC - the Anatomy of a Fish purports to " explore the symbolism of the original geographical "Diamond" shaped perimeter of Washington, DC and the Mall area within the District that represents a fish... Pictured is a map of the Mall - Central Area of the District of Columbia. As can be seen from, the Mall area of D. C., like ancient Nineveh, is represented by the picture or image of a fish inside the enclosure of a city".
Unfortunately the image that he uses on that page is the McMillan Plan and not a map of DC. The map never looked like the 1901 plan.

One of the first differences that you notice is the ellipse in the current map. That is, where the McMillan Plan calls for a circle, an ellipse was substituted. Also, the Jefferson Memorial is a little bit further south. The important thing is that the plazas that were to account for points, 2, 3, 7 and 8 (on the map/tree) aren't there.
Note the attempt (by the McMillan Commission) to establish symmetry and a cruciform shape (a cross). I suggest that, far from being Satanists, the people from the 1901 McMillan Commission were more likely Christians, and that may be why their plan was not instituted as it was envisioned.
You may recall that the Washington Monument was positioned east of the north-south line running through the White House and south of the east-west line running through the Capitol Building, that's why the line in the 1901 plan running from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial is running "down hill".
Looking a little bit closer we can see how the McMillan Commission was attempting to restore an emphasis to the point where the north-south and east-west axes cross. Looking at the recent map (above) you can see that this did not come about for some reason. [Read "hidden hands"]

Below we see an artists rendering of the Wash Mmt area, and the attempt to re-establish symmetry there. Ironically, this image is identified as an aerial photograph of the actual monument at GreatBuildings.com . I repeat, Washington DC does not look like this today, this is just an artists rendering of the 1901 plan.

Versailles
If you read about the 1901 Plan, you will find that, "The commissioners were particularly impressed with Paris, seeing it as a 'well-articulated city--a work of civic art.' The broad Parisian avenues and gardens of Versailles were a great influence on the men, and with their predilection for the Beaux-Arts style, an understandable influence on the final plan." Note that this is speaking of the McMillan commissioners.
If you compare the map of Versailles to the McMillan Plan and L'Enfant's original planning map, you will see that the McMillan Commissioners were a lot more fond of that than L'Enfant. And if you compare those three to the current DC map, you will see that neither the map of Versailles, nor the 1901 plan look like modern DC.

Some people suggest that DC was influenced by Verailles because L'Enfant grew up near there in France. That is one thing, but it is another thing entirely to say that you can see the influence of the Versaille map in the McMillan Plan, and therefore DC was influenced by Versailles. Because, yes the plan does look like the Versailles map, but it does not look like the current DC map. Here is a link to a site where a person is arguing based on the fact that Versailles looks like the 1901 Plan.
Note where at the bottom of the page it reads, "As far as I know no-one has tied it into Paris or Versailles yet", he means before himself. Try googling "L'Enfant Versailles" and see how many pages you see that describe how Versaille influenced the plan via L'Enfant. The weird thing is, all you have to do is look at a current map to see that the 1901 plan wasn't implimented fully.

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