Existing comment:
Daniel Patrick Moynihan:
Daniel Patrick Moynihan began working on the revitalization of Pennsylvania Avenue during the Kennedy administration after the new president noticed how run-down the street looked during his inaugural parade. Working in the White House and Congress, where he served nearly 25 years as senator, Moynihan helped establish the President's Advisory Council on Pennsylvania Avenue. He set into motion a commitment to history and architecture that was nurtured over the years by other groups. After his death in 2003, Congress designated a plaza near the Ronald Reagan as Daniel Patrick Moynihan Place.
"Pat Moynihan presided over the public works that saw to it that Pennsylvania Avenue was turned into the kind of memorial avenue that the world's greatest power deserves."
-- U.S.Sen. Robert Bennett of Utah, 2003
First President to Walk In Inaugural Parade:
1977. Jimmy Carter was the first president to walk from the Capitol to the White House after taking the oath of office.
1980:
First Inauguration on the Capitol's West Front:
1981. Ronald Reagan's inaugural ceremony was the first to be held on the West Front of the Capitol, rather than the East Front.
Parade of the Hostages:
1981. Seven days after President Reagan's inauguration, 52 Americans who had been held hostage in Iran for 444 days were welcomed home with a parade on Pennsylvania Avenue. |