Ohio Drive (Washington, D.C.)
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Ohio Drive is a street in Southwest
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, located in
East East or Orient 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 fac ...
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 Monum ...
s and bordering the Tidal Basin,
Washington Channel The Washington Channel is a channel that parallels 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 T ...
, and the
Potomac River The Potomac River () drains the Mid-Atlantic United States, flowing from the Potomac Highlands into Chesapeake Bay. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map. Retrieved Augu ...
. 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 state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
or
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 original ...
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 in a generally n ...
is an important commuter route. Ohio Drive SW is a contributing property 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 United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
in November 1973. Accessed 2013-09-23.


Route description

Ohio Drive starts at the Lincoln Memorial 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 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 Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of track. ...
railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
tracks before ending at East Basin Drive (where that street connects to Maine Avenue). 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 an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...
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 horse and buggy (in American English) or horse and carriage (in British English and American English) refers to a light, simple, two-person carriage of the late 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries, drawn usually by one or sometimes by two h ...
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 Street lighting in the District of Columbia, "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. 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 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. 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, ...
offices on the National Mall, 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 Lincoln Memorial. This statue commemorates the contributions of
John Ericsson John Ericsson (born Johan Ericsson; July 31, 1803 – March 8, 1889) was a Swedish-American inventor. He was active in England and the United States. Ericsson collaborated on the design of the railroad steam locomotive ''Novelty'', which co ...
, a Swedish immigrant and designer of USS ''Monitor''
ironclad warship An ironclad is a steam-propelled warship protected by iron or steel armor plates, 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. Th ...
during the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...
. President Calvin Coolidge 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, 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), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...
and First Lady
Lady Bird Johnson Claudia Alta "Lady Bird" Johnson (''née'' Taylor; 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 previously served as Second Lady from 1961 to 1963 whe ...
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 agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propert ...
, "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 and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of T ...
, 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 from 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 is the urban plan developed in 1791 by Major Pierre (Peter) Charles L'Enfant for George Washington, the first president of the United States. History L'Enfant was a French engineer who served in ...
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 diagonal street in Washington, D.C., and Prince George's County, Maryland, that connects the White House and the United States Capitol and then crosses the city to Maryland. In Maryland it is also Maryland Route 4 (MD 4 ...
) until it reached a small plaza at 12th Street NW. The avenue was obliterated in the early 20th century by the Federal Triangle 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, Herbert C. Hoover Building, 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.)