Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-11-18
In Them May Be Read the Story Of
the Passing Year.
ONE GREAT CHARM OF WASHINGTON
How the Capitol and White House
Grounds Were Laid Out.
NEAR TO NATURES HEART

The history, evolution and advantages of
the Washington park system are subjects
of more than passing interest
When Clovis chose to create Paris on an
island of the Seine, and Peter the Great
bade st. Petersburg rise as If by magic
from the black waters of the Neva, they
made their marvellous creations more COM
plete by the interjection of public squares
courts of honor and boulevards; but to
Pierre L'Enfant remained the unique dis
tinction of excelling all former conceptions
of grandeur in city building by planning a
capital more magnificent than had yet been
dreamed fer kingdom or empire.
The first tree planting In Washington
gave the avenue in 1901 two rows of Lom-
hardy poplars. The first four Presidents of
the United States were farmers, and they
paid good deal of attention to the cultural
improvements of the capital. Washington
and jefferson were inveterate searchers for
the exquisite and rare in horticulture and
many new trees and shrubs were imported
from the old world by them. Those were
the halcyon days when the odor of the
newly imported calycanthus bushes rivaled
in fragrance the sacredly guarded box
hedges. These forefathers had a keen in
sight into the needs of the future. Ever
since mans hasty exit from Eden and his
just sentence of having to earn his bread
an inherent affection for pastoral land
scapes and "scer cry as distinct from
scenes" The crude arts of man need the
softening surroundings of natures drapery.
lis the rich setting to the picture. Brick
walls grow obtrusively monotonous with
out bits of interesting bright landscape.
Capitol Park.
Capitol Park was the first reservation
to receive the artistic touches of the land
a~do IN,
close proximity to the Capitol, giving to the
finest piece of architecture on the globe the
appearance of a huge ship stranded on the
beach. Two blocks of buildings. both north
and south of the Capitol, were condemned
and torn away, and, as If touched by
magicians wand, Capitol Park cleaned out
"a thing of beauty and a Joy forever
About 1850 Mr.. VIM. D. Breckenridge, the
Scotch botanist who accompanied Commo-
dore Perry's expedition round the world,
brought to this country curious and rare
collection of plants. He obtained an ap-
from Congress to erect a green
house on the north side of the patent office.
This collection soon outgrew it's cramped
quarters, and he obtained permission to
build a more spacious greenhouse along
Tiber creek, on the mall west of Capitol
Park. This was the embryo of the Botanic
Garden. second appropriation from
Congress built an addition to the east wing,
which made the rotunda of the present
the city very soon afterward, played smash
with the greenhouses and broke nearly all
the two-inch plate glass in the roof of the
Capitol. The appropriation for reglazing
was more than sufficient, and from this
fund second addition was made to the
greenhouse, which in point of plan re-
sembles the Capitol in miniature
Mr. Breckinridge was succeeded by his
first assistant, Mr.. VIM. r. Smith, to whose
admirable skill the Botanic Garden owes
much of its beauty and charm.
White House Grounds.
Mr.. A. ]. Downing an assistant to Mr..
Breckenridge. had the honor Of planning
the White House grounds. He religiously
bore in mind L'Enfant's original idea that
each public building must be the center for.
diverging avenues. If Mr.. Downing had
been left to his own artistic taste he would
have initiated Napoleon's idea of Paris on
a more magnificent scale. He planned a
grand Arc de Triomphe for the 18th street
entrance to White Lot, and that lot would
have been laid out on a scale so magnif1-
cent as to eclipse anything of its kind
previously attempted. Unfortunately for
Mr.. Downing, he planned a lake for the
center Of the lot, but an unusually damp
season had caused the wife of President
Pierce an attack of malaria. The lake was
promptly filled up, and the reason given for
this abrupt order was that the lake was a
disease breeder. Mr.. Downing's ardor was
dampened, his original plans were left at
the White House, and the children of the
household gained possession Of them and
used them for playthings. Few of his
artistic ideas exist on paper at the present
day.
Mr.. Downing and Mr. John Saul were
commissioned to lay out the Smithsonian
grounds. These grounds up to that time
comprised part of a reeking cattle yard.
of which the present Agricultural grounds
formed the remainder. The plan was but
partially completed when. Mr.. Downing met
hv mi
steamer into the Hudson river. Mr.. Geo
K Brown, public gardener, assisted Mr.,
Saul in completing the work.
Large Acreage.
Within the city limits there are 80: reser-
vations. varying In area from less than
LOO feet to 60 acres, that comprise the
parks. squares. circles and other designs
more or less geometrical, with which the
city is beautified. The parks within the
city limits approximate $50 acres, 4O5 of
which come under the immediate SUPER
lie gardens. SN'
TO the Scotch landscape gardeners
pioneers In their line of activity-the city
owes much of its beauty; they have in
ueeu .uildea better than they knew. To
outspread panorama Of Capitol Park.
Smithsonian. Agricultural, Naval Obserya.
tory aid Arsenal grounds, Lincoln. Carroll
aAaSette ana Otner parks. From the
city's inception. the official rulers seemed,
cognizant Of the fact that the twin arts
of architecture and landscape earienino
must go hand In hand TO produce a perfest
picture It would have done scant Justice
to the setting Of q public building to have
no landscape art about it. The lands,:ape
artists have dealt with infinite and er-
quisite detail to produce that harmony Of
general effect which We now enjoy in these
parks. -
Gov. Shepherd was a man Of uptf.ine
energy and fndomitable will, and while he