Evening star., 1900-05-02
PROPOSED CENTENNIAL AVENUE.
Serious Objection to the Plans
Presented.

To the Editor Of The Evening Star:
In a city paper of last Sundays issue |
noticed a plan for the proposed Centennial
avenue. proposed by Col Bingham. The
citizens of Washington may justly be proud
of their city with it's WIDE straight streets
and avenues, lined by handsome buildings
and beautiful shade trees. but when it
comes to our large parks we need little
variety, for variety is the spice of life
1t would be to the advantage of Boston to
be inoculated with some of Col. BinghaIns S
ideas With its crooked streets it might be
very appropriate to incorporate a few long,
straight driveways and circles. This would
give very pleasing variety to the above
mentioned evil: but Washington abounds in
them already, and to introduce them in our
parks they would appear out of place
Graceful compound curves are much more
to be desired than the extension of the rec
tangular city system into them. Natural
adornments IN varieties of lawns, groves of
trees, small bodies Of flowing water, cas-
cades, etc, are more restful and far more
beautiful in park than great multiplicity
of monuments: this savors too much of pa
ganism. Besides Washington already has
quite few statues of the man on horse
back" They all look alike to me-
The Mall in its present condition is fair
example of many of the points which /
think should be combined in park. Len
the Capitol has been preserved and his sug-
geston of one straight avenue has been I'M
proved upon in the course Of time. The pro-
posed Centennial avenue would almost ruin
the grace and charm Of the present Mall
Imagine a straight roadway twice as wide
as 14th street at its crossing. running
lengthwise of the whole Mall, and you'll get
a little idea Of how 1t would look The pro-
posed Centennial avenue would defect fu-
ture professions from the line of Pennsylva-
mia avenue, with Its many historic associa-
| tions, the path Of inaugurals, reviews etc.
for nearly a century. Another serious oh
| lection is met with at Armory Square.
which will. in all probability, be devoted
almost exclusively to railroad purposes in a
| few years. This crossing would largely de-
| stroy the effect of the Centennial avenue
| while the avenue would only tend to make
| this necessary blemish the more conspic.
| uouS.
| The plan proposed by Col. Bingham for
| the improvement of Potomac Park is pecu-
| liar, and cannot be placed upon the shoul-
| ders of LEnfant, as 1t was then, a century
| ago. a part of the Potomac river. Appar-
| emily a large plaza surrounding a monu-
ment to the army is separated from a SIM
| liar plaza and monument to the navy by a
military parade ground in a gigantic circle
of about three times the area of the ellipse
| at the Whi.e Lot. Apparently the park
| for the recreation and pleasure of the
| public" is to be dedicated to military hon
| ors and devoted to military purposes One
| is tempted to wonder whether the remain
leaves shrouded in mystery, is not to be de-
voted to rife range. naval proving
! ground, etc. This park, is also marred by
| long, straight avenues l have noticed in
gazetteer and upon one or two mans of
the city plans for a series of graceful
driveways AMI paths laid out for Potomac ac
Park, which in my opinion are far superior
| TO the above plan. L presume that these
plans were prepared by the officer who is
In charge Of Potomac Park, and no doubt
1t would be interesting TO see what he has
ra1 fv, hafn
plan for improving this park 1 would ad.
| wise careful consideration of all the de-
tails. surroundings, etc, before adoptinP a
Centennial avenue. In my opinion this ave
nue. would spoil the symmetry of the Mali
thus the labor of years1would be DESTROYED
GEO.iS. THOMAS