Constitution Gardens
The Constitution Gardens lie adjacent to the National Mall and is a beautiful oasis in the middle of the city as well as a testament to our engineering knowledge. Originally, the 50 acres of park land lay beneath the Potomac River. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dredged the land at the beginning of the 20th Century. The land briefly housed the Navy’s temporary office buildings during World War I and then President Nixon ordered the land be turned into a national park when the Navy demolished the buildings and relocated in the 1970s.
The Garden was dedicated in May, 1976 as a legacy to the American Revolution’s Bicentennial and a memorial dedicated to the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence was erected on the small island lying within the lake of the park. In 1986, President Reagan proclaimed the Constitution Gardens as a tribute to the Constitution of the United States and now the National Park Service holds naturalization ceremonies there each year. The Gardens are open year round.
