Freedom Plaza
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Freedom Plaza, originally known as Western Plaza, is an open plaza in Northwest Washington, D.C., United States, located at the corner of 14th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, adjacent to Pershing Park. Designed in 1980, the plaza is mostly composed of stone, inlaid with a depiction of parts of Pierre (Peter) Charles L'Enfant's plan for the City of Washington.[1] Most of the plaza is raised above street level. The western end of the plaza contains a large fountain, while the eastern end of the plaza contains an equestrian statue of Kazimierz Pułaski.
The plaza was renamed in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr., who worked on his "I Have a Dream" speech in the nearby Willard Hotel. In 1988, a time capsule containing a Bible, a robe, and other relics of King's was planted at the site. It will be reopened in 2088.[2]
The John A. Wilson Building, the seat of the District of Columbia government, faces the plaza, as does the historic National Theatre, which has been visited by every U.S. President since Andrew Jackson.[3] Three large hotels are to the north and west.
Freedom Plaza is a popular place for political protests and civic events. It is also one of the settings in Dan Brown's 2009 novel The Lost Symbol,[4][5] in part because of the Plaza's location at the intersection of Metro lines. The Federal Triangle Metro station, which sits on the Blue and Orange Lines, is across Pennsylvania Avenue from the plaza. The Metro Center station on the Red, Blue, and Orange lines is two blocks north on 13th Street.
[edit] References
- ^ Freedom Plaza. In website of Cultural Tourism DC, 1250 H Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005. Accessed August 20, 2009.
- ^ "King's Nobel Speech Put In Time Capsule", Michael Kilian, Chicago Tribune, Jan 15, 1988, Chicago Tribune - Chicago, Ill.
- ^ Miller, Richard E. (April 15, 2009). "Freedom Plaza Marker". Historical Marker Database. http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=17943. Retrieved October 2, 2009.
- ^ Ray, Rachel (September 29, 2009). "Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol and Washington DC". Daily Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/northamerica/usa/washingtondc/6242944/Dan-Browns-The-Lost-Symbol-and-Washington-DC.html. Retrieved October 2, 2009.
- ^ "The Lost Symbol". washington.org. http://washington.org/visiting/experience-dc/the-lost-symbol. Retrieved October 2, 2009.
Coordinates: 38°53′45″N 77°1′50.6″W / 38.89583°N 77.030722°W
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