Lafayette Square
- Address: Washington DC
- Admission: Free
- Transit: The closest Metrorail station, McPherson Square, serves the Red Line.
ATTRACTION Keywords:
Cultural Experience,
Good Place to Relax,
Plaza / Square
Set directly across the street from the White House, the park here was part of the White House grounds during Thomas Jefferson’s administration, but set apart when John Adams approved the plans for Pennsylvania Avenue. Formally landscaped in 1851, the Square features walking paths and formal hedges, as well as four horse-mounted monuments to foreign heroes of the American Revolution.
The Square’s proximity to power turned it into a fashionable 19th-century address for political luminaries like Martin van Buren, John Milton Hay, and Henry Brooks Adams; the latter two lived in adjacent row houses, which were renovated in 1927 to create the Square’s famous Hay-Adams Hotel. In the 1950s, several of the Square’s original houses were demolished to make way for proposed office buildings, but this tide was stemmed in 1970, when the park was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Since 1981, Lafayette Square has been the site of the world’s longest running peace vigil, a volunteer-driven campaign that consists of two yellow signs heavily inscribed with anti-nuclear slogans.
Latest Reviews
Review by Don C, April 2013
Doing what: Lincoln Assassination Walking Tour in Washington DC
Very very very well done!
Review by Tammy J, April 2013
Doing what: Lincoln Assassination Walking Tour in Washington DC
Guide was very knowledgeable and energetic. He gave us not only an account of what happened the night Lincoln was assassinated, but a great history lesson as well. i would definitely recommend.
Review by Lee E, March 2013
Doing what: Lincoln Assassination Walking Tour in Washington DC
This trip was very informative. Our guide Rob braved the bad weather, and even agreed to take us early. His knowledge of the D.C. area, and the historical elements was wonderful and expanded the scope of the tour. Even more, he was more than willing to address specific questions and take us to sites that benefited our discussion.
