Lyndon Baines Johnson Memorial Grove
This grove of trees on an island in the Potomac was created as a living memorial to Lyndon B. Johnson.
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Lyndon Baines Johnson Memorial Grove is located on Columbia Island, a naturally-formed island in the Potomac that was renamed Lady Bird Johnson Park in 1968. The memorial honors the 36th President of the United States, Lyndon B. Johnson, specifically his contributions to protecting the natural environment.
After Johnson's death in 1973, his surviving friends decided that, given his commitment to the environment, a grove of living trees planted in his honor would be a suitable memorial. Based on this idea, landscape architect Meade Palmer developed the design concept, working closely with Lady Bird Johnson and Nash Castro of the National Park Service.
Constructed between 1974 and 1977, the grove includes a spiraling flagstone walkway, surrounded by a grove of white pines. Its focus is on a 19-foot tall granite monolith, sculpted by Harold Vogel and meant to inspire the visitor to contemplate Johnson's accomplishments. It also directs the visitor's focus out and across the Potomac River, where it can connect with DC's other major monuments and memorials.
DC Inventory: March 3, 1979
National Register: December 28 1973 (additional documentation provided July 14, 1998)
