Comparing and contrasting William Penn’s plan for Philadelphia and Pierre L’Enfant’s plan for Washington D.C.
When early colonial America began to form, a city plan was not always drafted in order to begin building, but when city plans were created, they reflected the needs of those who planned to settle the area. The city plan for Washington D.C. as well as the plan for Philadelphia serve as good examples because of the early documentation available from the architects, which details the feelings and ideas that the architects have about the cities they are planning. In the depiction of Washington D.C. by Pierre L’Enfant and the depiction of Pennsylvania by William Penn, differences in the motivations for building the cities, priorities of …show more content…
Since L’Enfant was motivated by a less dire need for a town, and since he has personal experiences in the revolution, serving as a military engineer for general Lafayette, and even being wounded during the Siege of Savannah, his city plan reflected the great glory that he has seen in the United States as well as the great respect for those who which he was working. He wants to create a place that recognizes the great potential that he has seen for the nation: “,it will be obvious that the plan should be drawn on such a scale as to leave room for that aggrandizement and embellishment which the increase of the wealth of the nation will permit it to pursue at any period however remote” (L’Enfant 381). While Penn on the other hand states, “I am sure that I have not turned my back on any Offer that tended to [Philadelphia’s] prosperity” (Penn 241). Penn, when writing this, revealed that his idea for the city was one that he would have to work hard for it to be invested in and supported in the new colonies. Alternatively, the idea for Washington D.C. was the capitol of the country so the need to attract people to the city was not nearly as dire as it was in Penn’s case. It was very clear that the two men had different ideas for the necessity and scale of each
When early colonial America began to form, a city plan was not always drafted in order to begin building, but when city plans were created, they reflected the needs of those who planned to settle the area. The city plan for Washington D.C. as well as the plan for Philadelphia serve as good examples because of the early documentation available from the architects, which details the feelings and ideas that the architects have about the cities they are planning. In the depiction of Washington D.C. by Pierre L’Enfant and the depiction of Pennsylvania by William Penn, differences in the motivations for building the cities, priorities of …show more content…
Since L’Enfant was motivated by a less dire need for a town, and since he has personal experiences in the revolution, serving as a military engineer for general Lafayette, and even being wounded during the Siege of Savannah, his city plan reflected the great glory that he has seen in the United States as well as the great respect for those who which he was working. He wants to create a place that recognizes the great potential that he has seen for the nation: “,it will be obvious that the plan should be drawn on such a scale as to leave room for that aggrandizement and embellishment which the increase of the wealth of the nation will permit it to pursue at any period however remote” (L’Enfant 381). While Penn on the other hand states, “I am sure that I have not turned my back on any Offer that tended to [Philadelphia’s] prosperity” (Penn 241). Penn, when writing this, revealed that his idea for the city was one that he would have to work hard for it to be invested in and supported in the new colonies. Alternatively, the idea for Washington D.C. was the capitol of the country so the need to attract people to the city was not nearly as dire as it was in Penn’s case. It was very clear that the two men had different ideas for the necessity and scale of each