The National Mall in Southwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
The Parterre
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), November 28, 2017
1. The Parterre Marker
Inscription.
The Parterre. . Parterre, from a French term meaning "on or along the ground", originated in the 16th-century Renaissance Italy as an ornamental garden style. The style, which defines garden pace by arranging hedges, flowers, grass, water, and gravel to form a pleasing pattern, was adapted in France in the 1580s and became exceedingly popular. Parterre fell out of favor in the 18th century during a shift to more naturalistic designs. . During the Victorian era, parterre enjoyed an exuberant revival in the United States. The Sunken Garden at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia featured a parterre whose design later inspired the Smithsonian Castle's original parterre. Created for America's Bicentennial, that parterre was removed in the 1980s for the construction of the underground museum complex and rebuilt as the centerpiece of the Enid A. Haupt Garden.
Parterre—from a French term meaning "on or along the ground"—originated in the 16th-century Renaissance Italy as an ornamental garden style. The style, which defines garden pace by arranging hedges, flowers, grass, water, and gravel to form a pleasing pattern, was adapted in France in the 1580s and became exceedingly popular. Parterre fell out of favor in the 18th century during a shift to more naturalistic designs. • During the Victorian era, parterre enjoyed an exuberant revival in the United States. The Sunken Garden at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia featured a parterre whose design later inspired the Smithsonian Castle's original parterre. Created for America's Bicentennial, that parterre was removed in the 1980s for the construction of the underground museum complex and rebuilt as the centerpiece of the Enid A. Haupt Garden.
Erected by Smithsonian Gardens.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Horticulture & Forestry. A significant historical year for this entry is 1580.
Location. 38° 53.28′ N, 77° 1.559′ W. Marker is in Southwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia. It is in The National Mall. Marker can be reached from Independence Avenue Southwest west of 7th Street
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Southwest, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1050 Independence Avenue Southwest, Washington DC 20560, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Sunken Garden, Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, PA 1876 • Keystone View Co., B.L. Stagley, 1898
Smithsonian Institution, Horticulture Services Division, Archives of American Gardens
For more information about the Smithsonian gardens, visit www.gardens.si.edu
Additional keywords. Landscape architecture
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), November 28, 2017
2. The Parterre Marker
Photographed By J. Makali Bruton, September 5, 2016
3. The Parterre Marker
Photographed By J. Makali Bruton, September 5, 2016
4. The Parterre Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 28, 2017, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 342 times since then and 50 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on November 28, 2017, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 3, 4. submitted on December 12, 2017, by J. Makali Bruton of Accra, Ghana. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
