Kyra Jenkins, AMH2010, Monday-Friday, 10:30 am
President Washington commissioned a famous French architect Pierre L'Enfant to design Washington, D.C. L'Enfant's plan included grand streets and boulevards radiating from the Capitol building and the President's home (the White House) like spokes on a wheel. Unfortunately, L'Enfant had headstrong ways which eventually forced President Washington to dismiss him.
This left many people wondering who would complete L'Enfant's grand design. Benjamin Banneker, one of L'Enfant's assistants, announced that he had memorized every detail of the architect's designs. Washington promptly appointed him to finish designing the nation's capital.
Not only was Benjamin Banneker, a black man, known for being a strong spokesman for his race, but was also noted for studying the heavens and accurately predicting an eclipse in 1789. He also built a remarkable clock made entirely of wood.
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