Chief Justice John Marshall is remembered for molding the U.S. Supreme Court into today's authoritative body. Appointed by President John Adams, he served a record 34 years until his death in 1835 and participated in more than 1,000 decisions, including the 1803 Marbury v. Madison, which defined the court's authority to declare laws passed by Congress unconstitutional. John Marshall Park replaced John Marshall Place, originally 4½ Street, a few blocks of small shops and law offices that once linked Washington's first City Hall/Courthouse with Pennsylvania Avenue. The monumental buildings and sweeping views along Pennsylvania Avenue grew from Peter C. (a.k.a. Pierre) L'Enfant's grand 1791 vision for the Nation's Capital, but in the early 1800s this stretch was known as Hash Row, lined with boarding houses and hotels serving members of Congress and others doing business with the Federal Government. Guests at Elizabeth Peyton's boarding house on this spot included Marshall and Senator Henry Clay. In the late 1800s, C.M. Bell's studio here rivaled Mathew Brady's for portraits of Washington notables and distinguished visitors, and Bell became especially known for photographing hundreds of American Indians in town for treaty negotiations.
