Pierre Charles L'Enfant

Pierre "Peter" Charles L'Enfant (French: [pjɛʁ ʃɑʁl lɑ̃fɑ̃]; August 2, 1754 – June 14, 1825) was a French-born American architect and civil engineer best known for designing the layout of the streets of Washington, D.C., the L'Enfant Plan.

Early life and education

L'Enfant was born in Paris, France on August 2, 1754, the third child and second son of Marie Charlotte L'Enfant (aged 25 and the daughter of a minor marine official at court) and Pierre L'Enfant (1704–1787), a painter with a good reputation in the service of King Louis XV. In 1758, his brother Pierre Joseph died at the age of six, and Pierre Charles became the eldest son. He studied art at the Royal Academy in the Louvre, as well as with his father at the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture. He left school in France to enlist in the American Revolutionary War on the side of the rebels.

Career

Military service

L'Enfant was recruited by Pierre Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais to join in the American Revolutionary War in the American colonies. He arrived in 1777 at the age of 23, and served as a military engineer in the Continental Army with Major General Lafayette. Despite his aristocratic origins, L'Enfant closely identified with the United States, adopting the name Peter.

Pierre L'Enfant (disambiguation)

Pierre Charles L'Enfant is the son of Pierre L'Enfant and designer of modern-day Washington, D.C.

Pierre L'Enfant may also refer to:

People

Other

Pierre L'Enfant (painter)

Pierre L'Enfant (1704 – 23 June 1787) was a French painter.

Born at Anet, L'Enfant was Charles Parrocel's student and was admitted to the Académie de peinture et de sculpture in 1745. His specialties were battle scenes and landscapes. He exhibited from 1741 to 1771.

L'Enfant married Marie Charlotte Leullier and was the father of Pierre (Peter) Charles L'Enfant, designer of Washington, D.C. He died in the Gobelins district of Paris.

Sources

External links

This Wikipedia entry relies heavily on the French Wikipedia entry, which was accessed for translation on 8 January 2008.

L'Enfant

L'Enfant could refer to:

L'Enfant Plaza station

L'Enfant Plaza is a Washington Metro station in the Southwest Federal Center neighborhood of Washington, D.C., United States. The station was opened on July 1, 1977, and is operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). It is a transfer station, with two levels: the upper level has two side platforms and is used by the Green and Yellow Lines, while the lower level has an island platform used by the Blue, Orange, and Silver Lines. It is also where the Yellow and Green lines converge going north. The station serves five out of the system's six lines, serving the most lines out of any station in the system; only the Red Line does not serve the station.

L'Enfant Plaza is the last station in the District on the Yellow Line before crossing the Potomac into Virginia on the 14th Street Bridge.

Description

Location

The station is located in Southwest Washington, with entrances at the L'Enfant Plaza shopping mall concourse at 9th and D Streets, on D Street between 6th and 7th Streets, and at Maryland Avenue and 7th Street. It is in the center of an area crowded with federal buildings and is a transfer point allowing passengers to easily cross the Potomac between Virginia and central Washington, making it a very busy station. L'Enfant Plaza is named for the French-American planner of Washington, D.C., Pierre (Peter) Charles L'Enfant.

L'Enfant (film)

L'Enfant (English: The Child) is a 2005 Belgian film directed by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, starring Jérémie Renier and Déborah François. The film was released under its French title in the US, and as The Child in the UK.

Synopsis

Bruno, 20, and Sonia, 18, are surviving on her welfare checks and Bruno's petty crimes when Sonia becomes pregnant. Bruno sells their baby to a black market adoption ring to make some quick cash. Faced with Sonia's shock, he regrets his mistake and buys the child back at a premium—but, after being turned away by Sonia, his mounting debts lead Bruno down a quick path to desperation.

Cast

Awards and recognition

L'Enfant won the "Palme d'Or" award in 2005 Cannes Film Festival, making directors Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne twice winners of the Palme d'Or, having won the award previously in 1999 with Rosetta. The film received the André Cavens Award for Best Film by the Belgian Film Critics Association (UCC). It was also nominated for Best Film and Best Actor (for Jérémie Renier) at the European Film Awards.