Anxious Terrains

(Jersey barriers surrounding the monument. Photo courtesy of ASLA.)

The Washington Monument will open this weekend in time for Independence Day celebrations in Washington, D.C. A refurbished landscape by Laurie Olin delineates a 400-foot security perimeter with an elliptical pathways lined with a 30-inch high retaining wall, a strategy that is part English ha-ha and part medieval moat. In a post 9/11 city and country where obtrusive Jersey barriers and closed access permeate the landscape, Olin's design finds a balance between the aesthetic gaze and contemporary realities.


(Plan of the Washington Memorial. Image courtesy of OLIN.)


(Circulation plan overlaid on top of existing paths. Image courtesy of OLIN.)


(Section of pathway and retaining wall for the Washington Memorial. Image courtesy of OLIN.)

Articles:
Petula Dvorak, “Washington Monument Subtly Fortified,” The Washington Post (1 Jul 2005)
Catesby Leigh, “Balancing Security and Aesthetics,” The Wall Street Journal (30 Jun 2005)
Vernon Mays, “Invisible Barriers,” Landscape Architecture Magazine (Sep 2002)

(Spotted at The Dirt.)