Constitution Gardens

These 50 acres in downtown Washington, D.C., were once underneath the Potomac River. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dredged part of the river, and during World War I, the government used the land for temporary buildings for the U.S. Navy and Munitions Department. The buildings were demolished in 1971, and in 1986, President Ronald Reagan issued a proclamation dedicating the gardens to the legacy of the Constitution, in honor of the document's bicentennial. Today, this willow-framed duck pond and its winding pathways provide beauty and serenity for visitors to the National Mall.