Existing comment:
An Act to Amend the Act of Dec. 1, 1790, Establishing the District of Columbia, March 1, 1791
This Act of Congress, amending the previously accepted Act of December 1, 1790, required that the seat of government be located between the Potomac River and the Eastern Branch (now called the Anacostia River). It states that although the District is ten square-miles and includes land in Virginia, public buildings may only be built on the Maryland side of the Potomac. Because of this Act, Peter (Pierre) L'Enfant began planning the city in the way it looks today -- all on one side of the river. |