Pierre l’Enfant

Pierre Charles L'Enfant was a prominent French architect and urban planner, best known for being the designer of the city plan of Washington D.C., the capital of the United States. L'Enfant was born in Paris in 1754 and trained as a military architect. He was recruited by the American general George Washington to work on the planning and design of the new federal capital. L'Enfant created an innovative urban design, based on broad avenues and diagonal streets that connected the city's monuments and iconic buildings. Although his time as the city's architect was brief, his legacy continues to be a fundamental part of Washington D.C.'s urban landscape. L'Enfant passed away in 1825.