The Ellipse

History

18th century

In 1791, the first plan for the park was drawn up by Pierre Charles L'Enfant. The Ellipse was known as "the White Lot" due to the whitewashed wooden fence that enclosed the park.

19th century

During the American Civil War, the grounds of the Ellipse and the incomplete Washington Monument were used as corrals for horses, mules, and cattle, and as camp sites for Union troops.

In 1860, the Ellipse was the regular playing field for the Washington Senators and was the site of the first game between the Senators and the Washington Nationals. In 1865, the Nationals hosted a baseball tournament with the Philadelphia Athletics, for which viewing stands were built and admission was charged. Black baseball teams such as the Washington Mutuals and the Washington Alerts often used the White Lot until Blacks were banned from using the Ellipse in 1874.

In 1867, the Army Corps of Engineers began work on the Ellipse. The park was landscaped in 1879, and American elms were planted around the existing portion of the roadway. In 1880, grading began and the Ellipse was created from what had been a common dump. In 1894, the Ellipse roadway was lit with electric lamps.

In the 1890s, Congress authorized the use of the Ellipse grounds by special groups, including religious meetings and military encampments. As late as 1990, baseball fields and tennis courts existed in the park. Sporting events and demonstrations are still held on the Ellipse. In 1933, President's Park South came under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service.

20th century

On Christmas Eve 1923, President Calvin Coolidge started an unbroken tradition by lighting the first National Christmas Tree. The first tree, a cut balsam fir, was placed on the Ellipse by the District of Columbia Public Schools. From 1924 to 1953, live trees in locations around and on the White House grounds were lit on Christmas Eve. In 1954, the ceremony returned to the Ellipse and with an expanded focus: the "Christmas Pageant of Peace."

From 1954 to 1972, cut trees were used. In 1973, a Colorado blue spruce was planted on the Ellipse. Both the 1973 tree and its 1977 replacement died "due to damage and failure to thrive." In 1978, a replacement tree was planted and lived until it was destroyed by a wind storm on February 19, 2011. The 2011 replacement was destroyed by transplant shock in 2012.

On August 10, 1933, the Ellipse was transferred to the National Park Service, the legal successor of three federal commissioners appointed by the President under the Residence Act, signed on July 16, 1790, which directed initial construction. Their authority developed through acts of May 1, 1802; March 3, 1849; March 2, 1867; July 1, 1898; February 26, 1925; March 3, 1933; and Executive Order of June 10, 1933. Under act of September 22, 1961, "the White House shall be administered pursuant to the act of August 25, 1916 (; ), and Acts supplementary thereto and amendatory thereof." This NPS area was originally referred to simply as "The White House."

In 1942, during World War II, the National Park Service granted permission for the construction of barracks as a special emergency wartime measure. The temporary barracks were erected on the south side of the Old Executive Office Building and the entire First Division Monument grounds. In 1954, the "White House Barracks" were demolished.

21st century

Immediately prior to the January 6 United States Capitol attack, President Donald Trump delivered a speech on the Ellipse to his supporters gathered at a "Save America rally" to challenge the result November 2020 presidential election. The speech was followed by mass violence, with supporters storming the United States Capitol in an attempt to prevent the certification of President-elect Joe Biden as the winner of the election.

On October 29, 2024, in the closing days of the 2024 presidential election campaign, Vice President Kamala Harris held a rally on the Ellipse, delivering a speech to an estimated 75,000 attendees. The choice of the Ellipse as the venue for the speech was thought to be intended to draw contrast between Harris and election rival Donald Trump's rally at the Ellipse prior to the January 6 United States Capitol attack.

Memorials

• Boy Scout Commemorative Tribute by Donald De Lue
• Bulfinch Gatehouses by Charles Bulfinch
• Butt-Millet Memorial Fountain by Daniel Chester French
• Ellipse Meridian Stone, located under the surface near the center of the Ellipse, commemorates President Thomas Jefferson's idea of an American prime meridian.
• Enid Haupt Fountains
• First Division Monument by Daniel Chester French
• National Menorah (seasonal)
• National Christmas Tree
• Original Patentees Memorial, located at 38° 53.646′ N, 77° 2.03′ W (It can be reached from 15th Street Northwest north of Constitution Avenue Northwest (Route 50), on the left when traveling north) to remember the original 18 patentees "prior to 1700 whose land grants embraced the site of the federal city" (which became the District of Columbia) by National Society of the Daughters of the American Colonists
• Second Division Memorial by James Earle Fraser
• Settlers of the District of Columbia Memorial
• Zero Milestone by Horace Peaslee

Events

Annual events on the Ellipse include the Christmas Pageant of Peace and formerly the "Twilight Tattoo" military pageant. From 1992 to 2005, it was the site for the commencement 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 held by groups throughout the warmer months.

The Ellipse Visitor Pavilion, opened for visitors in May 1994, distributes free tickets for special events at the White House such as the Easter Egg Roll and the fall and spring Garden Tours. It includes an information window, concession area, restrooms, telephones, water fountains, and a first aid area, all accessible.

References

References

1. Clark Kimberling. (2004). "The Shape and History of the Ellipse in Washington, D.C.".
2. Ceresi, Frank. (2003). "The Washington Nationals and the Development of America's National Pastime". Washington History.
3. (April 28, 2008). "Smithsonian's Anacostia Community Museum Opens "Separate and Unequaled: Black Baseball in the District of Columbia"". [[Smithsonian Institution]].
4. Phifer, Evan. (November 25, 2015). "A Coolidge Christmas". [[White House Historical Association]].
5. "History of National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremonies". [[National Park Service]].
6. Vaughan, Don. (November 29, 2023). "The History of the National Christmas Tree".
7. (May 5, 2012). "National Christmas Tree Replacement". [[National Park Service]].
8. "An Act to abolish the Board of Commissioners in the City of Washington and for other purposes. May 1, 1802 (page 175)". Library of Congress.
9. {{USStat. 9. 395
10. (March 2, 1867). "Tenure of Office Act".
11. (June 30, 1898). "Bankruptcy Act of 1898 (Nelson Act)".
12. (February 26, 1925). "Proclamation 1733—Setting Aside the Glacier Bay National Monument, Alaska".
13. (November 8, 2022). "The Buy American Act and Other Federal Procurement Domestic Content Restrictions". [[United States Congress]].
14. (15 August 2016). "Executive Order 6166--Organization of executive agencies". National Archives.
15. (September 22, 1961). "Public Law 87-286".
16. Naylor, Brian. (2021-02-10). "Read Trump's Jan. 6 Speech, A Key Part Of Impeachment Trial".
17. (2021-01-13). "Capitol riots: Did Trump's words at rally incite violence?".
18. (2023-08-21). "A warrant for violence? An analysis of Donald Trump's speech before the US Capitol attack". Wiley.
19. Restuccia, Andrew. (October 29, 2024). "Harris Campaign Crowd Size Estimate: 75,000 Attend Speech at the Ellipse in DC". [[The Wall Street Journal]].
20. (2024-10-30). "Harris holds rally at Ellipse warning of Trump's threat to democracy". Washington Post.
21. (2024-10-29). "'More chaos': Harris contrasts Trump's presidency against her future one".
22. (2018). "Enid Haupt Fountains". City Walking Guide.
23. (October 29, 2020). "Patentees Monument". National Society Daughters of the American Colonists.
24. (2017). "History of GW'S Commencement". The George Washington University.
25. "Ellipse Visitor Pavilion Complex". [[United States Department of the Interior]]: [[National Park Service]].