Conceived by planner L'Enfant to link the White House and the Capitol, Pennsylvania Avenue was the capital's first major thoroughfare, and as such it gave rise to the city's commercial district. For much of the 19C, Pennsylvania Avenue was lined with hotels, boardinghouses and theaters. During the first half of the 20C, major new development occurred in the land bordered by Pennsylvania and Constitution Avenues. A cabinet committee established by John F. Kennedy in 1960 began a redevelopment process that has gradually revitalized the avenue. Mixed-use complexes have since risen on Pennsylvania Avenue.