Ohio Drive is a

street A street is a public thoroughfare in a city, town or village, typically lined with Building, buildings on one or both sides. Streets often include pavements (sidewalks), pedestrian crossings, and sometimes amenities like Street light, streetligh ...

in Southwest

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, located in

East East is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fact that ea ...

and

West Potomac Park West Potomac Park is a U.S. national park in Washington, D.C., adjacent to the National Mall. It includes the parkland that extends south of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, from the Lincoln Memorial to the grounds of the Washington Monume ...

s and bordering the

Tidal Basin The Tidal Basin is a man-made reservoir located between the Potomac River and the Washington Channel in Washington, D.C. The Basin is part of West Potomac Park, is near the National Mall and is a focal point of the National Cherry Blossom Festiv ...

Washington Channel The Washington Channel is a channel parallel to the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. It is located between the Southwest Waterfront on the east side and East Potomac Park on the west side. The channel is long, receives outflow from the Tidal ...

, and the

Potomac River The Potomac River () is in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and flows from the Potomac Highlands in West Virginia to Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography D ...

. It is a central organizing feature of East Potomac Park, providing the only major vehicular route to and through the area. Unlike most roadways named after states in the District of Columbia, Ohio Drive is not an avenue, nor it is heavily used like

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

Rhode Island Avenue Rhode Island Avenue is a diagonal avenue in the Northwest and Northeast quadrants of Washington, D.C., and the capital's inner suburbs in Prince George's County, Maryland. Paralleling New York Avenue, Rhode Island Avenue was one of the origina ...

s. However, the segment from Independence Avenue to the

Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway The Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway, informally called the Rock Creek Parkway, is a parkway maintained by the National Park Service as part of Rock Creek Park in Washington, D.C. It runs next to the Potomac River and Rock Creek (Potomac River tri ...

is an important

commuter Commuting is periodically recurring travel between a place of residence and place of work or study, where the traveler, referred to as a commuter, leaves the boundary of their home community. By extension, it can sometimes be any regular o ...

route. Ohio Drive SW is a

contributing property In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic dist ...

to the East and West Potomac Parks Historic District, which was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in November 1973. Accessed 2013-09-23. It is not to be confused with Ohio Avenue, which ran between 13th and 15th streets NW until the 1920s, when it was eliminated by the construction of

Federal Triangle Federal Triangle is a Triangle, triangular area in Washington, D.C., formed by 15th Street NW, Constitution Avenue, Constitution Avenue NW, Pennsylvania Avenue, Pennsylvania Avenue NW, and E Street NW. Federal Triangle is occupied by 10 large c ...

Route description

Ohio Drive starts at the

Lincoln Memorial The Lincoln Memorial is a List of national memorials of the United States, U.S. national memorial honoring Abraham Lincoln, the List of presidents of the United States, 16th president of the United States, located on the western end of the Nati ...

and continues south on the west side of West Potomac Park. It crosses a small channel connecting the Potomac River to the Tidal Basin via the Tidal Basin Inlet Bridge, Accessed 2013-09-23. and continues under the 14th Street Bridge and the

Washington Metro The Washington Metro, often abbreviated as the Metro and formally the Metrorail, is a rapid transit system serving the Washington metropolitan area of the United States. It is administered by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority ...

Yellow Line span. The street enters and continues along the west side of East Potomac Park almost to the southern point of the island, then turns northwest up the eastern side of the island. Ohio Drive passes under 14th Street and

CSX CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Railroad classes, Class I freight railroad company operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Operating about 21,000 route miles () of trac ...

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

tracks before ending at East Basin Drive (where that street connects to

Maine Avenue Maine Avenue is a diagonal avenue in the Washington, D.C. (southwest), Southwest quadrant of Washington, D.C. Maine Avenue connects Independence Avenue (Washington D.C.), Independence Avenue with M Street (Washington, D.C.), M Street SW, and has ...

). Accessed 2013-09-23.

History

Construction

Construction on what was then known as Riverside Drive began in 1912 and was completed in 1916. A portion of it was already finished by June 1913. (President

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was the 28th president of the United States, serving from 1913 to 1921. He was the only History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democrat to serve as president during the Prog ...

walked along it to take in the view.)"President Walks Alone Along Riverside Drive." ''Washington Post.'' June 9, 1913. The road was nicknamed "The Speedway" from the informal

horse and buggy A buggy refers to a lightweight four-wheeled carriage drawn by a single horse, though occasionally by two. Amish buggies are still regularly in use on the roadways of America. The word "buggy" has become a generic term for "carriage" in Americ ...

racing that used to occur on the road."Sesqui Exhibit Opens Sunday; Speedway Renamed Ohio Drive." ''Washington Post.'' July 7, 1950. Riverside Drive in West Potomac Park was lit at night using the "Twin Twentys" lamppost. These wrought iron light standards, approved by the

United States Commission of Fine Arts The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) is an independent agency of the federal government of the United States, and was established in 1910. The CFA has review (but not approval) authority over the "design and aesthetics" of all construction wit ...

, have twin globes connected to a main pole by a decorative U-shaped bracket. The main pole is octagonal in cross-sextion and high. With the bracket and globes, the lamppost's total height is . As constructed, the road was one lane wide and consisted of

macadam Macadam is a type of road construction pioneered by Scottish engineer John Loudon McAdam , in which crushed stone is placed in shallow, convex layers and compacted thoroughly. A binding layer of stone dust (crushed stone from the original mat ...

. At some point between 1916 and 1941, the portion of the road on the east side of the island between the railroad tracks and

East Potomac Park Golf Course East Potomac Golf Links (also locally known as East Potomac Golf Course or formally as East Potomac Park Golf Center) is a golf course located in East Potomac Park in Washington, D.C., United States. The course includes an 18-hole course, two 9-ho ...

was turned into a two-lane road divided by a boulevard.

Important structures

A number of important and historic structures are located on Ohio Drive SW. Fraser Ericsson Memorial

The West Potomac Park Polo Grounds, located between Independence Avenue SW and Ohio Drive SW, were laid out in 1908. Paved over in 1942 to provide parking for the temporary

United States Department of War The United States Department of War, also called the War Department (and occasionally War Office in the early years), was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army, als ...

offices on the

National Mall The National Mall is a Landscape architecture, landscaped park near the Downtown, Washington, D.C., downtown area of Washington, D.C., the capital city of the United States. It contains and borders a number of museums of the Smithsonian Institu ...

, the southern half was restored to athletic fields in 1943. A Women Appointed to Voluntary Emergency Services (WAVES) dormitory was constructed on the remaining parking lot in 1944. The dormitory was demolished in 1965, and the area at last completely restored to athletic fields. In 1926, the John Ericsson National Memorial was erected on Riverside Drive SW near the

. This statue commemorates the contributions of

John Ericsson John Ericsson (born Johan Ericsson; July 31, 1803 – March 8, 1889) was a Swedish-American engineer and inventor. He was active in England and the United States. Ericsson collaborated on the design of the railroad steam locomotive Novelty (lo ...

, a Swedish immigrant and designer of USS ''Monitor''

ironclad warship An ironclad was a steam-propelled warship protected by steel or iron armor constructed from 1859 to the early 1890s. The ironclad was developed as a result of the vulnerability of wooden warships to explosive or incendiary shells. The firs ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. President

Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States, serving from 1923 to 1929. A Republican Party (United States), Republican lawyer from Massachusetts, he previously ...

and

Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten (Gustaf Adolf Oscar Fredrik Arthur Edmund; 22 April 1906 – 26 January 1947) was a Swedish prince who for most of his life was second in the line of succession to the Swedish throne. He was the eldest ...

, Crown Prince of

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

, attended the dedication ceremonies. Riverside Drive was renamed Ohio Drive by 1950. Cherry trees are also a defining feature of Ohio Drive. In the 1930s, a large grove of Yoshino cherry trees were planted on both sides of the street in the northwestern corner of West Potomac Park. From 1966 to 1968, more than 1,800 Yoshino cherry and other trees were planted along Ohio Drive SW in East Potomac Park. The trees were donated and planted by friends of President

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...

and First Lady

Lady Bird Johnson Claudia Alta "Lady Bird" Johnson (; December 22, 1912 – July 11, 2007) was First Lady of the United States from 1963 to 1969 as the wife of President Lyndon B. Johnson. She had previously been Second Lady of the United States from 1961 to 196 ...

in honor of Lady Bird Johnson's continuing efforts at civic beautification nationwide. A plaque commemorating the planting of these trees is located on the east shore of East Potomac Park on Ohio Drive. The cherry trees, according to the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...

, "are a major character-defining component of the landscape of East Potomac Park" and are also considered a contributing property to the East and West Potomac Parks Historic District. In 1957, another major memorial was erected on Ohio Drive SW and West Basin Drive SW. This object is a stone Japanese Pagoda. The stone pagoda is a gift from the people of

Yokohama, Japan is the second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a population of 3.7 million in 2023. It lies on Tokyo B ...

, to the people of Washington, D.C. It arrived on June 19, 1957, in five separate pieces and was assembled on-site. Yokohama mayor Ryozo Kiranuma helped dedicate it once it was erected. This stone pagoda is also a contributing property to the East and West Potomac Parks Historic District. Another historic object on Ohio Drive SW is the First Air Mail Flight Marker. This object consists of a brass plaque attached to a boulder next to the Polo Grounds south of Ohio Drive SW. It was dedicated on May 15, 1958, by the District of Columbia to mark the spot where the aircraft took off with the first scheduled domestic air mail service. The original marker was stolen in 1969 and the plaque was replaced in 1971.

National Capital Parks structures

Two major National Capital Parks structures are located on Ohio Drive SW. The first is the headquarters of the National Capital Parks Central Office, which is at 900 Ohio Drive SW. The second is the U.S. Engineers' Storehouse, also located at 900 Ohio Drive SW. This structure was designed in 1912 by the noted local architectural firm of Wood, Donn and Deming. The

Mediterranean Revival style Mediterranean Revival is an architectural style introduced in the United States, Canada, and certain other countries in the 19th century. It incorporated references to Spanish Renaissance, Spanish Colonial, Italian Renaissance, French Colonial ...

building was constructed in 1913. This building is also a contributing property to the East and West Potomac Parks Historic District.

Confusion with Ohio Avenue

Ohio Drive should be distinguished from Ohio Avenue. Ohio Avenue was part of the original

L'Enfant Plan The L'Enfant Plan for the city of Washington, D.C. is the urban plan developed in 1791 by Major Pierre (Peter) Charles L'Enfant for George Washington, the first president of the United States. It is regarded as a landmark in urban design and h ...

for the District of Columbia. It began on 15th Street NW, halfway between C and D Streets NW, and ran southeast (parallel to

Pennsylvania Avenue Pennsylvania Avenue is a primarily diagonal street in Washington, D.C. that connects the United States Capitol with the White House and then crosses northwest Washington, D.C. to Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown. Traveling through So ...

) until it reached a small plaza at 12th Street NW. The avenue was obliterated in the early 20th century by the

complex."Plan 4 Federal Buildings." ''New York Times.'' July 8, 1926; "4 Sites Selected for U.S. Buildings in Local Program." ''Washington Post.'' July 8, 1926; "Department of Commerce Site." ''Washington Post.'' September 18, 1926. The

Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center The Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, named after former United States president Ronald Reagan, is located in downtown Washington, D.C., and was the first federal building in Washington designed for both governmental and p ...

Herbert C. Hoover Building The Herbert C. Hoover Building is the Washington, D.C. headquarters of the United States Department of Commerce. The building is located at 1401 Constitution Avenue, Northwest, Washington, D.C., on the City block, block bounded by Constitution ...

, and

Internal Revenue Service Building The Internal Revenue Service Building is a federal building which serves as the headquarters of the Internal Revenue Service. It is located at 1111 Constitution Avenue, Northwest, Washington, D.C. (corner of 12th Street), in the Federal Triangl ...

currently sit on the path of the old Ohio Avenue.

References

External links

* {{Streets in Washington, DC Streets in Washington, D.C. Historic district contributing properties in Washington, D.C. Southwest (Washington, D.C.)