In this piece, the author uses the structure of Washington D.C., it’s monuments, and it’s alleyways to convey that as generations progress, or as newer perspectives are offered, when viewing these spaces the viewer can illicit an emotion entirely different then the one the space was designed to provoke. He provides evidence of the original structural designs for the city, and articulates the influences of these designs, which makes the intentions of those who built it quite transparent. Yet, as generations have progressed towards our current time, the meanings of these spaces to those around them have differed on a large scale due to unforeseen changes in our society. As such, the original meaning of these spaces has become lost in translation. One would think that this defeats the purpose of designing space with intention in the first place, but the author concedes that this newfound perspective should be embraced, as it promotes the as yet unforeseen perspective of the present mingled with the past.
