The Ellipse (Washington, D.C.)

USA / District of Columbia / Washington / Washington, D.C.
 park, interesting place
The Ellipse is a 52 acre(210,000 m²) park located in the President's Park, in Washington, D.C., United States. The President´s Park includes the White House, a visitor center, Lafayette Park, and The Ellipse. President's Park was the original name of Lafayette Park and Square. The current President's Park is administered by the National Park Service.

The Ellipse, or President´s Park South, is located just south of the White House fence. Properly, the Ellipse is the name of the 5 furlong (1 km) circumference street within the park. The entire park is open to the public.

Annual events on the Ellipse include the Christmas Pageant of Peace, the "Twilight Tattoo" military pageant, and the graduation ceremony for The George Washington University. It is also the queueing location for the annual White House Easter Egg Roll and the White House garden tours. Under the auspices of the National Park Service, the Capital Alumni Network and a number of neighborhood and military sports leagues play softball and flag football games on the grounds of the Ellipse. A number of ultimate competitions are also held by various groups throughout the warmer months.

The Ellipse Meridian Stone, located slightly under the surface near the center of the Ellipse, commemorates President Thomas Jefferson's idea of an American prime meridian. The measurements for the small brass hole at the top the granite Meridian Stone are:

* Latitude: 38° 53' 38.17002" North of the Equator
* Longitude: 77° 02' 11.55845" West of Greenwich Meridian
* Elevation: 5.205 meters above sea level

Fictional landing site of the spaceship in "The Day the Earth Stood Still" (1951) piloted by the interstellar ambassador Klaatu and his robot Gort.
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ellipse
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   38°53'38"N   77°2'11"W
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Comments

  • The southern part of President's Park is the Ellipse, a large open area surrounded by an oval drive. Its development began in the 1850s but was cut short first by a lack of funds and then by the Civil War. The site has been used a trash dump, horse pens, and a slaughterhouse. Soldiers were housed here during the Civil War. The Ellipse is used for many community gatherings and functions, including musical performances during the summer. Recreational activities are also held in this open area. Many demonstrations take place here, as people exercise their rights of free speech and assembly.
  • The park may be open to the public but the parking is not. After 9/11, there was a parking land grab by the Federal Government under the auspices of national security. Now the entrances are barricaded and guarded.
This article was last modified 12 years ago