'The National Mall, Part 2: A Monumental Landscape Reimagined' Webinar

Tickets: $18.88 (fees included) (includes access to the full replay for one week)

Click the link below to officially register for this experience:

https://www.nyadventureclub.com/event/1979222479716

What began as a patchwork of mudflats, pastureland, and lofty dreams has — over nearly 250 years — become the symbolic heart of the nation’s capital. How did an unfinished idea become one of the most iconic civic spaces in the world, reflecting a nation's evolving ideals through architecture, landscape, and memory? From radical visions to monumental acts of reinvention, it's time to uncover the story behind the National Mall — and what it was always meant to inspire.

Join New York Adventure Club for a two-part series tracing the evolution of the National Mall from a lofty vision to an enduring symbol of American ideals. In Part Two: A Monumental Landscape Reimagined, we’ll examine how the Mall became a powerful space of memory, activism, and evolving narratives — and how its monuments continue to shape, and be shaped by, our national identity.

Led by Carolyn Muraskin, architectural historian and founder of DC Design Tours, this unique experience spanning World War II to the present and beyond will include:

• Vietnam Veterans Memorial — Radical in both form and intent, Maya Lin’s controversial design rejected heroic monumentality in favor of abstraction, forever changing how architecture could express grief, memory, and national trauma.
• Korean War Veterans Memorial — Blending sculpture, landscape, and inscription, this memorial creates an immersive experience whose subtle design choices quietly reinforce the war’s lingering ambiguity as “the Forgotten War.”
• Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial — This unique presidential memorial breaks from tradition by telling history through movement, water, and texture across a series of experiential “rooms.”
• National World War II Memorial — Positioned at the center of the Mall, this memorial balances triumph and loss through symmetry, water, and scale — while its long and controversial path to completion reveals how difficult it can be to monumentalize “the good war.”
• Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial — Carved from a “Stone of Hope,” this memorial transforms words into architecture, using scale, alignment, and symbolism to anchor the Civil Rights Movement within the nation’s monumental core.
• Desert Storm & Desert Shield Memorial (Under Construction) — Still taking shape, this memorial raises urgent design questions: how do you commemorate recent conflicts, and what should remembrance look like in a post–Cold War world?
• Women’s Suffrage National Monument (In Planning) — Long absent from the Mall, the planned suffrage monument challenges historic gaps in commemoration — prompting debate over representation, visibility, and who gets monumental space.

Afterward, we'll have a Q&A with Carolyn — any and all questions are welcomed and encouraged!
Can't make it live? Don't worry, you'll have access to the full replay through one week after the entire series concludes.
See you there, virtually!

*Immediately upon registering, you will receive a separate, automated email containing the link to join this webinar
**For the best possible viewing experience, please ensure you're using the latest version of your internet browser
***A full replay of the experience will be available to all registered guests for up to a week after the series finale
****If the event has already passed, but it's been less than a week since the series finale, you can still register for it on our website's active replay section!

About Carolyn
Founder and Owner, DC Design Tours
Carolyn Muraskin founded DC Design Tours in 2015 to share her passion for Washington DC’s design through walking, driving, bike, boat and virtual tours that uncover the city’s architectural secrets and surprising stories. A University of Maryland architecture grad and former designer, Carolyn worked on projects ranging from historic restorations to mixed-use developments.
Carolyn and her team lead architecture-focused tours across DC’s diverse neighborhoods—including Embassy Row, Capitol Hill, U Street, Georgetown, and Anacostia—designed for curious visitors of all backgrounds and interests. She has collaborated with institutions like the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Smithsonian and has appeared on the Discovery Channel. Carolyn lives in Northwest DC and has a serious passion for all things brick, mortar, and design.

The National Mall Series
Part 1: Origins of America's Grand Civic Space (Monday, January 26 @ 8:00pm ET)
Part 2: A Monumental Landscape Reimagined (Monday, February 2 @ 8:00pm ET)

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By attending a New York Adventure Club experience, you accept our terms of service.
Categories: Virtual, Landmarks