The first map of Washington was authorized by an act of Congress in July, 1790 (H. Doc. no. 240 at 37 (1932), reprinted in Serial Set Vol. No. 14909). As the initial phase in preparing the map, Peter Charles L’Enfant wrote to Jefferson April 4, 1791, requesting maps and data concerning London, Madrid, Paris, Amsterdam, Naples, Venice, and Florence. Streets, parks, and the sites for the President’s House and the Capitol are all shown on the map made by L’Enfant in 1791 essentially as they exist today.
