Select Page

The Jefferson Memorial is located at the edge of the Potomac River Tidal Basin and is directly south of the White House.  The Jefferson Memorial and the White House from the north south axis of the National Mall, while the Lincoln Memorial and the Capitol Building from the east west axis.  The Washington Monument was supposed to be located at the intersection of the axes, however boggy ground necessitated its construction some 350 feet to the east.  The Jefferson Memorial was dedicated on Jefferson’s 200th birthday, April 13, 1943 by President Roosevelt and is now ranked fourth on the list of America’s favourite architecture (after the Empire State Building, The White House and the Washington Cathedral). The neoclassical design of the memorial resembles a mini Pantheon with a shallow domed rotunda entered through a portico, all supported by iconic Greek columns.  The 19′ bronze statue of Jefferson was not added to the memorial until 1947 due to the interruption of its construction by WWII.  The walls of the rotunda contain excerpts of four of his famous speeches, one of which is shown below and I’ve tried to compose the image to make it appear as if Jefferson is reading the words inscribed into the white marble walls.

The Memorial taken from across the tidal basin.

Jefferson Memorial 2

The main entrance through the portico.

Jefferson Memorial 5

A side view of the rotunda with Jefferson in the middle.

Jefferson Memorial 4

Jefferson reading one of his speeches 🙂

Jefferson Memorial 6

Not sure if I like the processing of this shot, but nevertheless it is a profile of Thomas Jefferson.

Jefferson Memorial 1

Classic Greek Columns.

Jefferson Memorial 7

And finally a pano crop of a 16mm shot of the Washington and Jefferson Monuments taken from across the Tidal Basin (Near the FDR Memorial).