The Thomas Jefferson Memorial, one of four presidential memorials, visually dominates the Tidal Basin. The memorial is located at the important southern point of the north-south vista from the White House. This great cross axis of the National Mall established in the 1902 McMillan Plan focuses on five iconic symbols of our nation – the U.S. Capitol, the White House, the Washington Monument, and the Lincoln and the Thomas Jefferson Memorials. By happy chance, the Washington Monument was not able to be located right at the cross point of the axis as originally planned and thus is part of the view between these icons, instead of obstructing them. Other vistas from the Thomas Jefferson Memorial include the Washington Monument, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, and the Capitol.

Learn more about the history of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial.