WASHINGTON 1780-2000 Washington was not built by settling in an existing city, but by establishing a new settlement on land that belonged to no state and was the common property of the entire union. A square piece of land, ten miles on each side, was separated from the state of Virginia and named the District of Columbia, and the capital was established there. The city's plan was drawn by L'Enfant, a French officer. Instead of designing the city as a grid plan, which was very common in America, the planner reconciled the grid plan with Baroque diagonal design principles. In later years, this widely envisioned city would show slow development. Since it had no role other than being the capital, its population did not easily increase. Therefore, it was sparsely built. For the city to develop, the weights in the US political system would have to change. As can be understood from this historical summary, Washington is not the most important focal point for illustrating architectural developments in the US. The capital was characterized by large, monumental public buildings, none of which can be considered very important. Even in the 1930s, it was built with Neoclassical architecture. To encounter truly important buildings here, one had to wait for the 1960s and 1970s. Washington is just beginning to take on a leading role in the American and world architectural scene.