The columns
A Greek temple.
Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net). — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Daveb418 — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Luca Nebuloni — CC BY 2.0 · BrianKachejian — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Erich Robert Joli Weber — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Another Believer — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Amy Davis, U.S. Department of Transportation — Public domain · Eric T. Gunther — CC BY-SA 4.0
A national memorial to Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, at the western end of the National Mall, built as a classical Greek temple ringed by Doric columns. It was designed by the architect Henry Bacon and dedicated on 30 May 1922. Inside sits a huge marble statue of the president, designed by the sculptor Daniel Chester French, with two of his famous speeches carved on the walls, the Gettysburg Address and his second inaugural address, beneath painted murals. Since it opened it has been a symbol of civil rights; from its steps Martin Luther King Jr. gave his «I Have a Dream» speech in 1963. From the top of the steps spreads the capital's most famous view: the Reflecting Pool, the Washington Monument and the Capitol dome in the distance. Visiting is free at any hour, per visitor guides. Come early in the morning before the tour buses, or in the evening when the memorial is lit and its lights shine on the pool.
A Greek temple.
From the steps.
Carved in stone.
West end of the National Mall, Washington
Tidal Basin and the Cherry BlossomsA man-made reservoir between the Potomac River and the Washington Channel, south15 minutes walk4.7
National MallThe great national park in the heart of Washington, D.C., running about three ki15 minutes walk4.7
Washington MonumentA white obelisk 169 metres tall at the centre of the National Mall, built to hon16 minutes walk4.6
Jefferson MemorialA national memorial to Thomas Jefferson, principal author of the Declaration of 18 minutes walk4.7
The White HouseThe official residence and workplace of the president of the United States, at 119 minutes walkEarly morning, or evening when it is lit; visiting is free.