L'Enfant Plaza - Constructing L'Enfant Plaza

Constructing L'Enfant Plaza

The buyer of Zeckendorf's property and leases was the L'Enfant Plaza Corp. (also known as L'Enfant Properties, Inc.). L'Enfant Plaza Corp. was a syndicate led by former United States Air Force Lieutenant General Elwood R. Quesada, and included Chase Manhattan Bank president David Rockefeller, D.C. businessman David A. Garrett, investment banker André Meyer, and the real estate investment firm of Gerry Brothers & Co. Quesada said that if the Redevelopment Land Agency approved the sale, his company would begin immediate construction of the promenade, the parking garage beneath it, and the plaza using Pei's 10-year-old plans. The agency gave its approval on January 21, 1965, and the sale was finalized on August 30.

Construction of L'Enfant plaza and promenade quickly moved forward. Site preparation began in November 1965. Air rights over 9th Street SW were granted for a rent of $500 per year for 99 years on November 23, 1965. The actual groundbreaking for L'Enfant Plaza occurred on December 9. The project still encountered delays, however. The federal government, which was building the James V. Forrestal Building at the northern end of L'Enfant promenade, was a year behind in its construction schedule by June 1967, causing the northern end of the promenade to remain incomplete. Meanwhile, over-optimistic construction schedules and labor shortages had delayed the construction of L'Enfant Plaza's North and South buildings (which were the first structures to be built by L'Enfant Plaza Corp.) by six months. The $23 million complex neared completion in January 1968, and the office buildings, plaza, and promenade opened to the public and for business in June 1968. The plaza was formally dedicated on Saturday, November 16, 1968.

Vlastimil Koubek was the architect of the West Building (475 L'Enfant Plaza SW) and East Building (or L'Enfant Plaza Hotel; 480 L'Enfant Plaza SW). In February 1969, Koubek, former First Lady Mamie Eisenhower, and developer William Zeckendorf ceremonially broke ground for the West Building, which with 640,000 square feet (59,000 m2) of interior office space was the largest private office building at the time in Washington. In June 1972, the United States Postal Service purchased the West Building for its national headquarters.

A third architect, Edwin F. Schnedl, designed the shopping mall and food court areas. Known as "La Promenade," the shopping mall connects all four buildings and the Metro station together underground.

In 1970, Benjamin Banneker Park became the southern terminus of L'Enfant Plaza. Pei had initially proposed a large pedestrian bridge lined by retail businesses and restaurants extending from the L'Enfant Promenade across Banneker Overlook and Interstate-395 down to Maine Avenue SW and the waterfront. This structure was never built for cost reasons. In June 1970, the Redevelopment Land Agency transferred the 4.7 acres (1.9 ha) which constituted Banneker Overlook to the federal government for use as a park. The park was designed by Daniel Urban Kiley, and contains a low granite wall surrounding a commemorative fountain and minimally landscaped lawns leading down to F and 9th Streets SW. The name of the park commemorates Benjamin Banneker, a free African American astronomer and author who in 1791 assisted in the initial survey of the boundaries of the District of Columbia. The park, which was dedicated on November 19, 1971, was the first public space in Washington to be dedicated to an African American.

Construction on the hotel was to have started in the spring of 1970. However, delays meant that work on the 1,000,000 square feet (93,000 m2), $23 million hotel and office building did not begin until June 1971. The Hotel opened with a three-day gala which concluded with its dedication on May 31, 1973.