Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1871-04-18
The washtpxtop Park


Inc New York Post treating upon the subject
OF public park for the city y Washington
thinks II desirable that in laying cut pleasure
ground and drive tor the national metropolis
the civil engineers and landscape gardeners 10
whom the work II entrusted should proceed
upon awelI- considered and comprehensive plan,
taking in the whole environs OF the city, and
bringing the public mares already planted with
trees into harmony with the general design
There are few great buildings in the world, the
Pest SAYS, SO nObly placed as the Capitol, and
few rivers with so majestic a sweep past the site
OF city as the Potomac, ard it would be throw
lag away rare Opportunity for the establish
meut OF a magnificent park not to Law il ont in
relation to these works Of nature and art. In
concluding the Port saws:
II We are rot in error, a plan was drawn
several years ago by Messrs. Olm-tead and
N@ux' The competent landscape gardeners who
laid out the Central Park, for a vile pleasure
ground, connecting the Capitol grounds with
the lawns Of the Presidents House bv a wide
pelt OF park between the city and the river,
taking IN the Smithsonian Institution and the
unfinir he'd monument to Washington This plan,
or something like IL, would meet the iust expec-
!ations OF me public and do credit to the national
TASTE, while narrow and partial Ornamentati1n
OF the open spaces of the city would be ineffec-
tive IN itself, and far more expensive in the
end"
We may say 10 the POsi that the plan it refers
and Is the same a. that now before Congress IL
proposes to throw all the line Of government
reservations extending from the White House to
the Capitol into one park with continuous drives
These reservations are known as the White Lot.
Monument Lot, Agricultural Grounds,
Smithsonian Grounds, Armory Square and
Botanical Gardens. Very little outlay is needed
TO carry out the Improvement, as the Smith
sonisn Grounds, the Agricultural Grounds.
Arnory Square and Botanic Gardens are
already in condition. Ii will be necessary to
liant some trees in the Monument Lot; to fiji
up the low grounds Of the White Lot which can
he done almost without expense from the canal
dredgingsl; throw a bridge acros1 the canal to
connect the Presidents Grounds with the Mon
ument Lot; and then all that il requisite to make
the park an accomplished fact is 10 throw down
the fences separating these various reservations
and make grs cefGl sinuous drive through the
grounds from the White House to the Capitol.
A COED many people do not seem to be aware
that the government grounds extend continu-
ously from the Capitol to the White House;
that the different reservations named are ONLY
separated by fences and roadways and that for
tie most part they are underdrained and laid
cut in the best style of landscape gardening
tie Smithsonian Grounds, for instance which
received the personal supervision of Mr. Down
ing, ard which were planted, under his direc
ton, With choice trees and shrubs, native and
1, reign. The drives a. well as the walks through
the Smithsonian Grounds are already very at
tractive, and we can imagine what a varied and
interesting series of drives will be attained when
the reservations are thrown into one on the
simple and inexpensive plan above indicated.