{{Short description|Park in Washington, D.C., U.S.}} {{other uses|Ellipse (disambiguation)}} {{Infobox park | other_name = President's Park South | image = Aerial view of White House and the Ellipse.jpg | image_size = 300 | image_caption = A 2007 aerial view of the Ellipse with the White House visible among trees in the upper center left | map = | map_caption = Location of The Ellipse in Washington, D.C. | mapframe-zoom = 13 | type = | location = Washington, D.C., United States | coordinates = {{coord|38.8939|N|77.0366|W|region:US-DC|display=inline,title}} | area = {{cvt|52|acres}} | created = | operator = | visitation_num = | status = | open = | website = }} '''The Ellipse''', sometimes referred to as '''President's Park South''', is a {{convert|52|acre|adj=on}} park south of the White House fence and north of Constitution Avenue and the National Mall in Washington, D.C., United States. The Ellipse is also the name of the {{convert|5|furlong|km|spell=in|adj=on}} circumference street within the park. The entire park, which features monuments, is open to the public and is part of President's Park. The Ellipse is the location for many annual events.
From a mathematical point of view, the Ellipse is truly an ellipse. Its dimensions are {{convert|1058|ft}} for its major axis (east-west) and {{convert|903|ft}} for its minor axis (north-south). Its foci are {{convert|552|ft}} apart, each {{convert|276|ft}} from the center of the ellipse (east and west). Its eccentricity is thus {{sfrac|552|1058}} = 0.52.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://faculty.evansville.edu/ck6/ellipse.pdf |title= The Shape and History of the Ellipse in Washington, D.C. |author=Clark Kimberling |year=2004 |access-date=November 30, 2021 }}</ref>
==History== ===18th century=== In 1791, the first plan for the park was drawn up by Pierre Charles L'Enfant. The Ellipse was known as "the White Lot" due to the whitewashed wooden fence that enclosed the park.
===19th century=== thumb|upright=1.1|The Ellipse in the early 1900s During the American Civil War, the grounds of the Ellipse and the incomplete Washington Monument were used as corrals for horses, mules, and cattle, and as camp sites for Union troops.
In 1860, the Ellipse was the regular playing field for the Washington Senators and was the site of the first game between the Senators and the Washington Nationals. In 1865, the Nationals hosted a baseball tournament with the Philadelphia Athletics, for which viewing stands were built and admission was charged.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Ceresi|first=Frank|author2=Carol McMains |title=The Washington Nationals and the Development of America's National Pastime|journal=Washington History|year=2003|volume=15|issue=1|pages=26–41}}</ref> Black baseball teams such as the Washington Mutuals and the Washington Alerts often used the White Lot until Blacks were banned from using the Ellipse in 1874.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://newsdesk.si.edu/releases/smithsonian-s-anacostia-community-museum-opens-separate-and-unequaled-black-baseball-distri|title=Smithsonian's Anacostia Community Museum Opens "Separate and Unequaled: Black Baseball in the District of Columbia"|work=Newsdesk: News Releases|date=April 28, 2008|publisher=Smithsonian Institution|access-date=January 4, 2018|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104211323/https://newsdesk.si.edu/releases/smithsonian-s-anacostia-community-museum-opens-separate-and-unequaled-black-baseball-distri|archive-date=January 4, 2018}}</ref>
In 1867, the Army Corps of Engineers began work on the Ellipse. The park was landscaped in 1879, and American elms were planted around the existing portion of the roadway. In 1880, grading began and the Ellipse was created from what had been a common dump. In 1894, the Ellipse roadway was lit with electric lamps.
In the 1890s, Congress authorized the use of the Ellipse grounds by special groups, including religious meetings and military encampments. As late as 1990, baseball fields and tennis courts existed in the park. Sporting events and demonstrations are still held on the Ellipse. In 1933, President's Park South came under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service.
===20th century=== On Christmas Eve 1923, President Calvin Coolidge started an unbroken tradition by lighting the first National Christmas Tree.<ref name="Coolidge">{{Cite web |last=Phifer |first=Evan |date=November 25, 2015 |title=A Coolidge Christmas |url=https://www.whitehousehistory.org/a-coolidge-christmas |access-date=2025-10-24 |website=WhiteHouseHistory.org |publisher=White House Historical Association}}</ref> The first tree, a cut balsam fir, was placed on the Ellipse by the District of Columbia Public Schools.<ref name="Coolidge" /> From 1924 to 1953, live trees in locations around and on the White House grounds were lit on Christmas Eve.<ref name="Trees">{{Cite web |title=History of National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremonies |url=https://www.nps.gov/whho/learn/historyculture/national-christmas-tree-history.htm |access-date=2025-10-24 |website=NPS.gov |publisher=National Park Service}}</ref> In 1954, the ceremony returned to the Ellipse and with an expanded focus: the "Christmas Pageant of Peace."<ref name="Trees" />
From 1954 to 1972, cut trees were used. In 1973, a Colorado blue spruce was planted on the Ellipse.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Vaughan |first=Don |date=November 29, 2023 |title=The History of the National Christmas Tree |url=https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2023/11/the-history-of-the-national-christmas-tree/ |access-date=2025-10-24 |website=The Saturday Evening Post}}</ref> Both the 1973 tree and its 1977 replacement died "due to damage and failure to thrive."<ref name="TreeReplacement">{{Cite web |date=May 5, 2012 |title=National Christmas Tree Replacement |url=https://www.nps.gov/whho/learn/news/national-christmas-tree-replacement.htm |access-date=2025-10-24 |website=NPS.gov |publisher=National Park Service}}</ref> In 1978, a replacement tree was planted and lived until it was destroyed by a wind storm on February 19, 2011.<ref name="TreeReplacement" /> The 2011 replacement was destroyed by transplant shock in 2012.<ref name="TreeReplacement" />
On August 10, 1933, the Ellipse was transferred to the National Park Service, the legal successor of three federal commissioners appointed by the President under the Residence Act, signed on July 16, 1790, which directed initial construction. Their authority developed through acts of May 1, 1802;<ref name="renamed_from_1802_on_20180813083449">{{cite web|title=An Act to abolish the Board of Commissioners in the City of Washington and for other purposes. May 1, 1802 (page 175)|url=https://www.loc.gov/law/help/statutes-at-large/7th-congress/c7.pdf|publisher=Library of Congress|ref=Acts of the 7th United States Congress |access-date=2025-10-24}}</ref> March 3, 1849;<ref>{{USStat|9|395}}</ref> March 2, 1867;<ref>{{Cite act |title=Tenure of Office Act |date=March 2, 1867 |url=https://www.senate.gov/about/resources/pdf/johnson-tenure-of-office-act.pdf |legislature=39th United States Congress |access-date=2025-10-24}}</ref> July 1, 1898;<ref>{{Cite act |date=June 30, 1898 |title=Bankruptcy Act of 1898 (Nelson Act) |url=https://fraser.stlouisfed.org/title/bankruptcy-act-1898-nelson-act-5872 |legislature=55th United States Congress |access-date=2025-10-24}}</ref> February 26, 1925;<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 26, 1925 |title=Proclamation 1733—Setting Aside the Glacier Bay National Monument, Alaska |url=https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/proclamation-1733-setting-aside-the-glacier-bay-national-monument-alaska |website=The American Presidency Project |access-date=2025-10-24}}</ref> March 3, 1933;<ref>{{Cite act |date=November 8, 2022 |title=The Buy American Act and Other Federal Procurement Domestic Content Restrictions |url=https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R46748 |website=Congress.gov |publisher=United States Congress |access-date=2025-10-24}}</ref> and Executive Order of June 10, 1933.<ref name="EO6166">{{cite web|title=Executive Order 6166--Organization of executive agencies|url=https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/codification/executive-order/06166.html|website= www.archives.gov|date=15 August 2016|publisher=National Archives| access-date=2 December 2017|ref=National Park Anniversaries}}</ref> Under act of September 22, 1961, "the White House shall be administered pursuant to the act of August 25, 1916 ({{USStat|39|535}}; {{USC|39|535}}), and Acts supplementary thereto and amendatory thereof."<ref>{{Cite act |date=September 22, 1961 |title=Public Law 87-286 |url=https://www.congress.gov/87/statute/STATUTE-75/STATUTE-75-Pg586.pdf |legislature=87th United States Congress |access-date=2025-10-24}}</ref> This NPS area was originally referred to simply as "The White House."
In 1942, during World War II, the National Park Service granted permission for the construction of barracks as a special emergency wartime measure. The temporary barracks were erected on the south side of the Old Executive Office Building and the entire First Division Monument grounds. In 1954, the "White House Barracks" were demolished.
===21st century=== Immediately prior to the January 6 United States Capitol attack,<ref>{{cite web | last=Naylor | first=Brian | title=Read Trump's Jan. 6 Speech, A Key Part Of Impeachment Trial | website=NPR | date=2021-02-10 | url=https://www.npr.org/2021/02/10/966396848/read-trumps-jan-6-speech-a-key-part-of-impeachment-trial | access-date=2024-10-29}}</ref> President Donald Trump delivered a speech on the Ellipse to his supporters gathered at a "Save America rally" to challenge the result November 2020 presidential election.<ref>{{cite web | title=Capitol riots: Did Trump's words at rally incite violence? | website=BBC News | date=2021-01-13 | url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-55640437 | access-date=2024-10-29}}</ref> The speech was followed by mass violence, with supporters storming the United States Capitol in an attempt to prevent the certification of President-elect Joe Biden as the winner of the election.<ref>{{cite journal | last1=Ntontis | first1=Evangelos | last2=Jurstakova | first2=Klara | last3=Neville | first3=Fergus | last4=Haslam | first4=S. Alexander | last5=Reicher | first5=Stephen | title=A warrant for violence? An analysis of Donald Trump's speech before the US Capitol attack | journal=British Journal of Social Psychology | publisher=Wiley | volume=63 | issue=1 | date=2023-08-21 | issn=0144-6665 | doi=10.1111/bjso.12679 | doi-access=free | pages=3–19| hdl=10023/28211 | hdl-access=free }}</ref>
On October 29, 2024, in the closing days of the 2024 presidential election campaign, Vice President Kamala Harris held a rally on the Ellipse, delivering a speech to an estimated 75,000 attendees.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Restuccia |first=Andrew |date=October 29, 2024 |title=Harris Campaign Crowd Size Estimate: 75,000 Attend Speech at the Ellipse in DC |url=https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/harris-trump-election-10-29-24/card/harris-campaign-crowd-size-estimate-75-000-O9o737YUzDEsFQ3ufsgX?mod=mhp |access-date=October 30, 2024 |work=The Wall Street Journal}}</ref> The choice of the Ellipse as the venue for the speech was thought to be intended to draw contrast between Harris and election rival Donald Trump's rally at the Ellipse prior to the January 6 United States Capitol attack.<ref>{{cite news | last1=Abutaleb | first1=Yasmeen | last2=Viser | first2=Matt | title=Harris holds rally at Ellipse warning of Trump's threat to democracy | newspaper=Washington Post | date=2024-10-30 | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/10/29/kamala-harris-speech-ellipse-trump-washington-dc/ | access-date=2024-10-30}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last1=Ward | first1=Myah | last2=Messerly | first2=Megan | title='More chaos': Harris contrasts Trump's presidency against her future one | website=POLITICO | date=2024-10-29 | url=https://www.politico.com/news/2024/10/29/harris-ellipse-speech-trump-contrast-00186177 | access-date=2024-10-30}}</ref>
==Memorials== * Boy Scout Commemorative Tribute by Donald De Lue * Bulfinch Gatehouses by Charles Bulfinch * Butt-Millet Memorial Fountain by Daniel Chester French * Ellipse Meridian Stone, located under the surface near the center of the Ellipse, commemorates President Thomas Jefferson's idea of an American prime meridian. * Enid Haupt Fountains<ref>(1) {{cite web|url=https://www.citywalkingguide.com/presidentspark/enidhauptfountains|title=Enid Haupt Fountains|work=President's Park|publisher=City Walking Guide|year=2018|access-date=February 14, 2021|quote=The two Haupt Fountains flank the entrance to the Ellipse at 16th Street N.W. and Constitution Avenue.}} {{Cite web |url=https://www.citywalkingguide.com/presidentspark/enidhauptfountains |title=President's Park & White House Self Guided Walking Tour and Printable Map|access-date=January 4, 2018|archive-date=January 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104200509/https://www.citywalkingguide.com/presidentspark/enidhauptfountains|url-status=live}}.<br />(2) Coordinates of Enid Haupt Fountains:<br />East: {{coord|38|53|32.5|N|77|02|11.012|W|type:landmark|name=Enid Haupt Fountain (east)}}<br />West: {{coord|38|53|32.5|N|77|02|12.175|W|type:landmark|name=Enid Haupt Fountain (west)}}</ref> * First Division Monument by Daniel Chester French * National Menorah (seasonal) * National Christmas Tree * [https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=241797 Original Patentees Memorial], located at 38° 53.646′ N, 77° 2.03′ W ([https://www.hmdb.org/map.asp?markers=241797,7970,130366,57204,143308,245,9159,57205,8350 It can be reached from 15th Street Northwest north of Constitution Avenue Northwest (Route 50), on the left when traveling north]) to remember the original 18 patentees "prior to 1700 whose land grants embraced the site of the federal city" (which became the District of Columbia) by [https://nsdac.org/ National Society of the Daughters of the American Colonists] * Second Division Memorial by James Earle Fraser * Settlers of the District of Columbia Memorial<ref>(1) {{cite web|url=http://nsdac.org/work-of-the-society/historical/markers/patentees-monument/|title=Patentees Monument|publisher=National Society Daughters of the American Colonists|year=2018|access-date=February 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104210451/http://nsdac.org/work-of-the-society/historical/markers/patentees-monument/|archive-date=January 4, 2018|url-status=live}}<br />(2) {{cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/places/000/original-patentees-of-dc-monument.htm|title=Original Patentees of DC Monument|work=President's Park (White House): Place|publisher=United States Department of the Interior: National Park Service|date=October 29, 2020|access-date=March 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210315141952/https://www.nps.gov/places/000/original-patentees-of-dc-monument.htm|archive-date=March 15, 2021|url-status=live}}<br />(3){{cite web|url=https://dcmemorialist.com/colonial-settlers-monument/|title=Colonial Settler's Monument|date=February 3, 2021|work=dcMemorials.com|publisher=DC Memorialist|access-date=March 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210315135424/https://dcmemorialist.com/colonial-settlers-monument/|archive-date=March 15, 2021|via=SuperbThemes and WordPress|url-status=live}}<br />(4) {{cite book|url=https://www.loc.gov/law/help/statutes-at-large/74th-congress/session-2/c74s2ch64.pdf|title=Joint Resolution: Authorizing the erection of a memorial to the early settlers whose land grants embrace the site of the Federal City|publisher=United States Statutes at Large: 74th Congress: Session II: Chapter 64|page=1137|date=February 12, 1936|via=Library of Congress|access-date=March 15, 2021}}<br />(5) Coordinates of the Settlers of the District of Columbia Memorial: {{coord|38|53|37.5|N|77|02|01.9|W|type:landmark|name=Settlers of the District of Columbia Memorial}}</ref> * Zero Milestone by Horace Peaslee
==Events== thumb|upright=1.1|The 1929 White House egg roll Annual events on the Ellipse include the Christmas Pageant of Peace and formerly the "Twilight Tattoo" military pageant. From 1992 to 2005, it was the site for the commencement ceremony for The George Washington University.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://commencement.gwu.edu/sites/g/files/zaxdzs1111/f/BytheNumbers-History-2018GWCommencement.pdf |title=History of GW'S Commencement |work=The George Washington University |year=2017 |access-date=January 7, 2021 |archive-date=July 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726132944/https://commencement.gwu.edu/sites/g/files/zaxdzs1111/f/BytheNumbers-History-2018GWCommencement.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> It is also the queueing location for the annual White House Easter Egg Roll and the White House garden tours.
Under the auspices of the National Park Service, the Capital Alumni Network and a number of neighborhood and military sports leagues play softball and flag football games on the grounds of the Ellipse. A number of ultimate competitions are held by groups throughout the warmer months.
The Ellipse Visitor Pavilion, opened for visitors in May 1994, distributes free tickets for special events at the White House such as the Easter Egg Roll and the fall and spring Garden Tours. It includes an information window, concession area, restrooms, telephones, water fountains, and a first aid area, all accessible.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/whho/planyourvisit/hours.htm|title=Ellipse Visitor Pavilion Complex|work=President's Park (White House): Plan Your Visit: Operating Hours & Seasons|publisher=United States Department of the Interior: National Park Service|access-date=January 4, 2018|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104213649/https://www.nps.gov/whho/planyourvisit/hours.htm|archive-date=January 4, 2018}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{commons category}} * [https://www.whitehouse.gov/ The White House] * [http://www.whha.org/ White House Historical Association] * [http://faculty.evansville.edu/ck6/ellipse.pdf "The Shape and History of The Ellipse in Washington, D.C."], by Clark Kimberling, University of Evansville
{{White House}} {{Washington DC landmarks}} {{Parks of Washington, D.C.|state=collapsed}} {{Protected Areas of the District of Columbia}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ellipse}} Category:1790 establishments in the United States Category:National Park Service areas in Washington, D.C. Category:Parks in Washington, D.C. Category:President's Park Category:White House