Union Square is an 11-acre public plaza at the foot of

Capitol Hill Capitol Hill, in addition to being a metonym for the United States Congress, is the largest historic residential neighborhood in Washington, D.C., stretching easterly in front of the United States Capitol along wide avenues. It is one of the ...

in Washington, D.C., United States. It encompasses the ''

Ulysses S. Grant Memorial The Ulysses S. Grant Memorial is a Presidential memorials in the United States, presidential memorial in Washington, D.C., honoring American Civil War General (United States), general and 18th President of the United States, United States Presid ...

'' (1924) and the 6-acre

Capitol Reflecting Pool The Capitol Reflecting Pool is a reflecting pool in Washington, D.C., United States. It lies to the west of the United States Capitol and is the westernmost element of the Capitol grounds (or the easternmost element of the National Mall, accordin ...

(1971) and is just west of the United States Capitol building. Views differ as to whether the Square is just east of 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 Institut ...

or is itself the eastern end. Interstate 395 transits the Third Street Tunnel just beneath Union Square. The ''

George Gordon Meade Memorial The George Gordon Meade Memorial, also known as the Meade Memorial or ''Major General George Gordon Meade'', is a public artwork in Washington, D.C. honoring George Meade, a career military officer from Pennsylvania who is best known for defeatin ...

'' (1927) formerly stood in the northwest section of Union Square; that memorial now stands near the intersection of Constitution Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.

History

The area constituting Union Square was originally part of the U.S. Capitol complex, but beginning in the 1930s the National Park Service assumed jurisdiction over the site. In 2011, the

112th United States Congress The 112th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, from January 3, 2011, until January 3, 2013. It convened in Washington, D.C. on January 3, 2011, and ended on January 3, 2013, 17 ...

enacted the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2012, which transferred to the Architect of the Capitol the NPS "property which is bounded on the north by Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, on the east by First Street Northwest and First Street Southwest, on the south by Maryland Avenue Southwest, and on the west by Third Street Southwest and Third Street Northwest". The Act removed Union Square from NPS jurisdiction. The transfer of ownership occasioned some controversy as the NPS had planned to enhance the area to accommodate political demonstrations, gatherings and entertainment events. The NPS expressed surprise at the move and some advocates for protest groups complained, asserting that the Architect of the Capitol and the United States Capitol Police (who were now responsible for security) were likely to be less tactful and accommodating to demonstrators than the Park Police. A ''Washington Post'' writer stated: "Although definitions of what constitutes the ationalMall vary, the

011 The following is a list of different international call prefixes that need to be dialled when placing an international telephone call from different countries. Countries by international prefix Countries using optional carrier selection cod ...

provision, in a sense, moves its easternmost boundary west — from First Street to Third Street."

References

{{authority control Landmarks in Washington, D.C. National Mall Squares, plazas, and circles in Washington, D.C. United States Capitol grounds