Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Fig. 4.4
Boulevards extending eastward and westward from Tian An Men Square respectively—
East and West Chang An Streets
residents lived there, though grid-like streets were shown on the map drawn in the
primary survey. Georgetown, located at the northwestern corner opposite to Rock
Creek, was the largest settlement of the time (Fig.
4.5
).
The primary survey of the chosen site had been undertaken by Andrew Ellicott,
and Pierre Charles L'Enfant responsible for the design and plan of the capital.
L'Enfant was a French-born American engineer and architect, possessing great bril-
liance and passion. He was 37 years old at that time. L'Enfant's father had been the
imperial artist at Versailles, and there he had lived when he was a boy. Later he
obtained his education at the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture in Paris,
where his father taught. In 1777 L'Enfant and other French volunteers crossed the
Atlantic Ocean to go to America and offer help to the people of the British colonies
in their struggle against the British rulers for their independence. His achievements
in military engineering won him high esteem from the Commander-in-Chief George
Washington so that he was promoted to the rank of Major in the army. In 1791 he
was assigned the duty of designing the plan of the capital. With enormous energy
