National Mall reflects magnificence and neglect
The sad decline of the historic promenade shows in trampled lawns and unfiltered pools. With 2 million visitors expected for the inauguration and 25 million yearly, the park service can't keep up.
Reporting from Washington — Millions will cram shoulder to shoulder to watch Barack Obama take the oath of office next month as the nation's 44th president, another indelible snapshot of American democracy in full display on the National Mall.
But beyond the reach of the camera's lens, the historic promenade that stretches from the Lincoln Memorial to the U.S. Capitol -- the place often called "America's Front Yard" -- is itself a monument to neglect.
Patches of the once-lush lawn are trampled to dust. Half of the underground sprinkler system doesn't work. The sea wall around the Jefferson Memorial is sinking, and lately, wildlife is dying in the unfiltered waterways.
National Mall map: A map of the National Mall in Thursday's Section A, highlighting areas that need repair or cleanup, labeled 12th Street as 10th Street.
Bill Line, spokesman for the National Park Service that maintains the mall, likes to say it has been "loved to death," an American treasure battered by 25 million visitors a year -- more than Yosemite and Yellowstone National Parks and the Grand Canyon combined. While the crowds have grown, the budget has shrunk, and with $350 million in overdue care, the park service cannot maintain a standard that befits what many consider a national jewel.
"This is America. This is how we show ourselves to the rest of the world," said Line, 51, an encyclopedia of mall trivia in pine tree green pants and a razor-brimmed hat.
If 700 acres in the shape of a kite can tell the story of a nation, the mall is the embodiment of America. Its major monuments honor three wars and four presidents. It hosts the July 4 celebrations, contains war protests and oversees the nation's important conversations, including immigration, abortion and civil rights. It reminds us of where we came from and who we are.
Today, though, the mall is a study in contrasts, glorious and broken all at once. The story of its place in history and its sad decline is best understood on foot. So Line, who bikes past the monuments every day and walks the grounds every chance he gets, agrees to show us 23 of the nation's most treasured and timeworn blocks.
*
A cold December wind cuts sideways as Barry Porter looks out across the historic expanse for the first time in 30 years. He used to play hooky here, ditching junior high to check out the dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum or marvel at Abe Lincoln's big concrete feet.
This isn't the way he remembers it. Straight ahead is the elegant pool that is supposed to reflect the Washington Monument It sometimes still does, when the water isn't fouled by algae and goose droppings. The grass borders around it are pitted and bald. A plastic grocery bag slaps at one edge.
