by an act of congress on june 25, 1910, meridian hill park was established. the federal government also purchased the land for the park in 1910, and began planning for its construction in 1912, with the interior department hiring landscape architect george burnap to design a grand urban park modeled on parks found in european capitals. his plans were approved in early 1914, and later were modified by horace peaslee, who took over as project architect; the design included an italian renaissance-style terraced fountain cascade with pools in the lower half, and gardens in a french baroque style in the upper half. the upper portion later was simplified somewhat to focus on an open mall, suitable for gatherings and performances. the well-designed and carefully made walls, fountains, balustrades and benches were built with concrete aggregate, a then-new type of building material consisting of a specially washed and exposed-pebble surface set into the concrete substrate. this construction technique for the park was created by master craftsman john joseph earley; he and his team of skilled artisans worked for years on the project. after two decades under construction, the grounds were declared essentially complete, given park status, and then dedicated in 1936. following its completion, the park became popular with city residents.