National Mall Third Century Initiative

The National Mall Conservancy has a proposal they call the "National Mall Third Century Initiative.". It was written up in the Post on Sunday, in "Taking an Expansive View of the Mall: Group Envisions Additions With More Major Museums To Help Keep Area Vibrant." Unfortunately, they don't have a downloadable image of the graphic used in the Post article, but there is the full report and other resources on the organization's website.

From the article:

The goal is to pick up where Washington's original architect, Pierre L'Enfant, left off in 1791, and to expand on the work of a 1901 commission led by Sen. James McMillan of Michigan. His panel of leading U.S. architects and sculptors extended the Mall west and south of the Washington Monument, selected a site for the Lincoln Memorial, established what became East and West Potomac parks and generally re-landscaped the ceremonial core of Washington and reclaimed land for waterfront parks, parkways and new memorials. Now, advocates say, it is time to enlarge by 50 percent and redefine America's front yard once again -- for a new century -- as the McMillan Commission did in its day.

No, they don't mean widening or lengthening the present space. Adding to it is what they have in mind. "The question is: Is the Mall to be now declared a monument to America as was finally achieved in the 20th century . . . or is the Mall an ever-evolving, open, public space dedicated to the expression of democracy?" said Judy Scott Feldman, chairman of the National Coalition to Save Our Mall.

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Also see the parent organization website, National Coalition to Save Our Mall, and their history of the National Mall: A monument to democracy.