The Sad History of L’Enfant Plaza in D.C.

L'Enfant Plaza in Washington D.C. has a sad history. It was once a vibrant part of the city, but it was bulldozed in the 1960s as part of an urban renewal program. Learn more about this unfortunate chapter of D.C. history.

L’Enfant Plaza has to be one of the most bleak places in D.C. It’ such a shame that an entire quadrant of the city was basically bulldozed to make way for the crappy urban renewal of the 1960s.

Southwest Washington, D.C. With South End Of L'Enfant Plaza In Foreground, April 1973
Southwest Washington, D.C. With South End Of L’Enfant Plaza In Foreground, April 1973

Source: U.S. National Archives

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