Constitution Gardens

Description:

• Beginning in World War I, the navy maintained temporary office buildings on this site. Nicknamed "Tempos," these structures remained until the 1970s. President Richard M. Nixon, shocked that the buildings he had served in as a naval officer were still marring the landscape when he entered the White House, began lobbying for their removal. When the navy finally withdrew from the buildings, they were demolished in 1971. President Nixon ordered that a park be built on the land, leading to the creation of Constitution Gardens.

  The Gardens were dedicated in May of 1976 as a living legacy American Revolution Bicentennial tribute. In July of 1982, the 56 Signers of the Declaration of Independence Memorial was dedicated on the small island in the lake.

  On September 17, 1986, in honor of the Bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution, President Ronald Reagan issued a proclamation making Constitution Gardens a living legacy tribute to the Constitution. As a means of interpreting and celebrating the Constitution, the National Park Service hosts an annual naturalization ceremony for new citizens.

  Visitors enjoy the park all year for outdoor relaxation and discovering the wide array of urban wildlife. Constitution Gardens has been a separate park unit since 1982 opening each day at dawn and closing each day at dusk.