Thomas Circle

Thomas Circle is on Washington, D.C.'s Reservation 66, in the northwest quadrant. It is the junction of 14th Street, M Street, Massachusetts Avenue, and Vermont Avenue NW. A portion of Massachusetts Avenue passes under the circle via a tunnel. The circle is on the boundary of the city's downtown and Logan Circle neighborhoods. Scott Circle is located two blocks west. The traffic circle measures and its dimension is . Since the most recent reconfiguration of Thomas Circle in 2006, there are four sidewalks leading to the center, one from each direction. The sidewalks intersect at a smaller circle that is surrounded by wrought-iron fencing, a grassy area, and the equestrian statue of George Henry Thomas. The remainder of the circle is an open grassy area, with a few trees and lampposts dotting the site. Because of its location, which is slightly taller than the surrounding area, there are vistas looking down 14th Street, Massachusetts Avenue, and Vermont Avenue. There are four traffic islands, two on the southern side of the circle, and two on the northern side. ==History==

17th–19th centuries The area where present-day Thomas Circle is located was once part of a large tract of land named Port Royal. The tract was leased to John Peerce in 1687. On March 30, 1791, ownership of the tract's areas where streets were to be built was given to the new federal government. The circle was mentioned in the 1791 L'Enfant Plan of the city's layout as No. 9, but the layout was only an intersection. The following year Andrew Ellicott released an updated map, and instead of an intersection, the area was planned to be a circle. In dedication of the lives lost during the war and as a symbol of peace, the ornate Luther Place Memorial Church was built on the north side of the circle in the early 1870s. By that time, in addition to fencing, the park had sidewalks, gas lamps, and shrubbery, but most of the plantings had to be removed in 1872 because they were not planted deep enough and died. During the leadership of Alexander "Boss" Shepherd, there were additional improvements to the circle and the streets surrounding it. New plants were installed after the site was excavated and replaced with high-quality soil. A fountain, outdoor furniture, and ornamental iron vases were also installed during the next several years. During construction of the underpass, most of the landscaping in the circle was removed. The tunnel opened on March 14, 1940. North-south running through-traffic lanes cutting through the center of the circle were added in 1952 to improve traffic flow, but left a minimal oval-shaped space around the statue which pedestrians could not access without jaywalking. As of the start of the 21st century, Thomas Circle is adjacent to the southern boundary of the Greater 14th Street and Logan Circle Historic District. The circle marks the boundary between "downtown 14th Street" and the "uptown 14th Street", the latter of which is a rapidly gentrifying gay neighborhood within the city. D.C. city officials now consider Thomas Circle to be a "gateway" to the Logan Circle, Shaw, and U Street Corridor neighborhoods. ==See also==