Select a decade to find out relevant information on the Mall

The Tidal Basin was built by the construction firm of Alexander and Repass in 1949.

• Tidal Basin Concept Created - The concept of the Tidal Basin originated in the 1880s to serve both as a visual centerpiece and as a means for flushing the Washington Channel, a harbor separated from the Potomac River by fill lands where East Potomac Park is situated. 

• Creation of West Potomac Park - In 1882, Congress allocated money to dredge the Anacostia River to create the Washington Channel and West Potomac Park.

In 1918 contractors for the United States Navy's Bureau of Yards and Docks constructed the "Main Navy" and "Munitions" Buildings along nearly a third of a mile of the south side of Constitution Avenue.

In 1901 the McMillan Commission's plan, which was partially inspired by the City Beautiful Movement and which purportedly extended L'Enfant's plan, called for a radical redesign of the Mall that would replace its greenhouses, gardens, trees, and commercial/industrial facilities with an open space.

 A ceremonial groundbreaking for the Martin Luther King Memorial was held on November 13, 2006, in West Potomac Park.

Congressional Approval for MLK Memorial - In 1996, the United States Congress authorized the Secretary of the Interior to permit Alpha Phi Alpha to establish a memorial on Department of Interior lands in the District of Columbia, giving the fraternity until November 2003 to raise $100 million and break ground.

The Korean Veterans Memorial was confirmed by the U.S. Congress on October 28, 1986, with design and construction managed by the Korean War Veterans Memorial Advisory Board and the American Battle Monuments Commission.

On March 17, 1993, the Senate approved the act creating the World War II Memorial, and the House approved an amended version of the bill on May 4. On May 12, the Senate also approved the amended bill, and the World War II Memorial Act was signed into law by President Bill Clinton on May 25 of that year.

In 2007 the Jefferson Memorial was ranked fourth on the List of America's Favorite Architecture by the American Institute of Architects.

In August 1955 Congress formed a commission to oversee the creation of a memorial to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

In 2007, the Memorial was ranked seventh in the List of America's Favorite Architecture by the American Institute of Architects.

The Lincoln Memorial was completed in 1922. Construction commission president William H. Taft dedicated the Memorial on May 30, 1922 and presented it to President Warren G. Harding, who accepted it on behalf of the American people. 

In 1867 Congress passed the first of many bills incorporating a commission to erect a monument for the sixteenth president.

In 1940, the first floor of the building was used as rest rooms for park visitors. Currently, the Lock Keeper's House is used for storage. 

On July 4, 1928, a plaque was erected by the Office of Public Buildings and Public Parks detailing its history as the former Eastern Terminal of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. 

In 1903 the building was partially renovated, and used as Park Police headquarters.

The house was abandoned in 1855, and fell into disrepair. 

The building was constructed in 1835 as the house for the Lockkeeper of the Canal, who collected the tolls and kept records of commerce on the canal. The C & O Extension was built between 1832 and 1833 to connect the Washington City Canal with the C & O Canal.

 The 50th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech was commemorated by an all-day event featuring various speakers including President Barack Obama and John Lewis, the only speaker from the original rally to remain living.

The epic 5-week spectacular festival, unified and electrified the city, the nation, and the world. Creativity and innovation permeated signature Festival events elevating them to new heights, and ground-breaking programming was put forth.

The Virginia earthquake in 2011 extensively damaged the Washington Monument effectively closing to Monument until repairs were able to be completed

In 2011 the fully restored DC War Memorial opened showcasing views of the Mall and a cleaned, brilliant white Memorial. 

The Martin Luther King Memorial opened to the the public on October 16, 2011 after more than two decades of planning, fundraising and construction. Dr. King is the first African-American honored with a memorial on or near the National Mall and only the fourth non-president to be memorialized in such a way.

The Reflecting Pool was originally built with an asphalt and tile bottom on basically marshland, which over the years has deteriorated leading to the pool leaking 500,000 gallons of city water a week. In 2010 the Reflecting Pool began its restoration process.

In 2006 the National Park Service prepared a plan to envision and define the future of the National Mall.

WWII Memorial opened to the public on April 29, 2004, the World War II Memorial was officially dedicated by President George W. Bush on May 29, 2004, two days before Memorial Day.  

The Million Man March, considered one of the most important modern events of African-American civil rights, was a gathering en masse of social activists. Called by Louis Farrakhan, it was held on and around the National Mall in Washington, D.C. on October 16, 1995.

Dedicated on May 2, 1997 by President Bill Clinton, the FDR Memorial traces 12 years of the history of the United States through a sequence of four outdoor rooms, one for each of FDR's terms of office. 

President George H. W. Bush conducted the groundbreaking for the Memorial on June 14, 1992, Flag Day.The memorial was dedicated on July 27, 1995, the 42nd anniversary of the armistice that ended the war, by President Bill Clinton and Kim Young Sam, President of the Republic of Korea, to the men and women who served during the conflict.

Vietnam Women's Memorial is a memorial dedicated to the women of the United States who served in the Vietnam War, most of whom were nurses. The Memorial was opened in 1993. 

In July 1982, the 56 Signers of the Declaration of Independence Memorial was dedicated on the small island in the lake. President Ronald Reagan proclaimed the park a "living legacy tribute" to the Constitution on September 17, 1986.

On November 13, 1982, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is dedicated after a march to its site by thousands of Vietnam War veterans. As a National Memorial it was administratively listed on the National Register of Historic Places the same day.

In 1976, Constitution Gardens was finally dedicated as a "living legacy American Revolution Bicentennial tribute" by President Nixon.  

Nation’s Bicentennial Celebration - The Bicentennial was a series of celebrations and observances during the mid-1970s that paid tribute to the founding of the United States as an independent republic, culminating on Sunday, July 4, 1976, with the 200th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. 

In 1970 the Sylvan Theater was renovated to accommodate the ever increasing crowds for the popular concerts, plays and events held at the theater. 

1967 marked the inaugural year of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. The Festival is an international exhibition of living cultural heritage presented annually in the summer stretched out on the Mall.

 On the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963 Martin Luther King called for an end to racism in the United States in his powerful "I Have A Dream Speech." The speech was delivered to over 250,000 civil rights supporters during the March on Washington.

In 1947, the bronze statue of Thomas Jefferson was added to the Memorial. The statue was installed later because it could not be completed in bronze due to World War II material shortages. 

In 1943, the Jefferson Memorial completed its construction and was dedicated by President Roosevelt, the 200th anniversary of Jefferson's birthday. 

In 1939, the Daughters of the American Revolution refused permission for Marian Anderson to sing to an integrated audience in their Constitution Hall. Instead, President Roosevelt persuaded Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes to arrange an open air concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on Easter Sunday, April 9th.  

In 1938, the Jefferson Memorial began construction. The neoclassical building was designed by the architect John Russell Pope and built by the Philadelphia contractor John McShain.

In 1935, the inaugural "Cherry Blossom Festival" was sponsored jointly by many civic groups and became an annual event in subsequent years.

In 1917, the Sylvan Theater was cronstucted and was dedicated in the presence of President Woodrow Wilson and his Cabinet. Sylvan Theater was the first federally funded theater. 

In 1912 1,800 cherry trees were planted around the Tidal Basin. The trees were given as a gift of friendship to the People of the United States from the People of Japan. 

The Washington Monument was finally completed in 1884. The Monument was dedicated on February 21, 1885 and opened to the public on October 9, 1888.

Construction on the Washington Monument resumes in 1877 through an approporiation of funds from Congress. 

The Washington Monument construction was halted in 1854 due to insufficent funds.

The Washington Monument cornerstone was laid in 1848 as part of an elaborate Fourth of July ceremony.