National Geographic: National Mall - America's Front Yard

The history of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., from its conception in 1791 by French-born architect Pierre Charles L'Enfant to the present. Included: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial; and the 1963 March on Washington. Also: the Mall's near-4000 Japanese cherry trees, which include some 100 that are more than a century old; and the AIDS Memorial Quilt, which was first brought to the National Mall in 1987.