Columbus Circle (Washington, D.C.)

In 1907, Union Station opened on the site of what was once a poor Irish neighborhood called Swampoodle. Most of the land around it had been leveled and all the houses razed. The area in front of the Station originally was called Union Station Plaza or the Plaza of Union Station. The plaza was put through a massive renovation between 2011 and 2013. Starting in December of 2025 and continuing until June 2026, Columbus Circle is closed "for the renovation of the fountain, cleaning of the statues, plaza and turf renovations to the park site". File:Union Station Washington, D.C. 1906.tif|The Circle the Congressional appropriation leading to the Columbus Fountain (1906) File:Union Station Washington DC from the air.png|Columbus Circle with the fountain from the air in the 1920s File:Columbus_Fountain_(Smithsonian).jpg|The Columbus Fountain in 1919 ==Structures==

The centerpiece of the circle is the Columbus Fountain, flanked by three flagpoles, designed by Daniel Burnham and sculpted by Lorado Taft. It was unveiled on June 8, 1912 in a three-day celebration involving tens of thousands of people (including the US Army, Navy and Marines) and several dignitaries including President William H. Taft and the Italian Ambassador to the United States. Parades, concerts and fireworks drow citizens of the city and many Knights of Columbus from around the country. It was not part of the original design of the Circle or of Union Station. This is when the plaza started to be called Columbus Circle due to the monument present in its center. Two small fountains on each side of the Columbus Fountain frame the circle along with several stone balustrades. These fountains are accessible by the two staircases located on both sides of the central fountain. The circle is ringed by flags of each of the 50 U.S. states in order of admission to the Union plus the flags of the U.S. territories and the District of Columbia. The flag poles are located on the southern side of the road. ==Access==

Columbus Circle being located in front of Union Station is very accessible with various means of transportation. Two streetcars lines used to circle on Columbus sharing tracks: the Capitol Traction Company and the Washington Railway & Electric Company. The Capitol Traction Company went down New Jersey Avenue NW, turning on Massachusetts Avenue NW and exiting on the opposite side of the Circle to F Street NE. ==References==