Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-12-01
Mr.. Parsons Plan for Its Development
Submitted.
ARTISTIC TREATMENT SUGGESTED
Removal Of Railway Tracks and
the B. and P. Station.
r HE ESTIMATED COST

transmitted to Congress, the report of Mr..
Samuel Parsons, jr., of New York on the
general subject of the improvements Of
the park system of the District of Column
bia. Mr.. Parsons is recognized as one of
the finest landscape architects in the world.
He is in charge of the improvement of Cen
trail Park, New York, and is credited with
having made that reservation one of the
most beautiful parks in the world. On &C
count Of his pre-eminent ability in his pro-
fession. he was selected by General Will
son to draw up a plan for the improvement
of the mall and the land lying adjacent to
it. south of Pennsylvania avenue and north
of street south, with suitable connections
with the Geological Park, in accordance
with the special provision contained in the
sundry civil appropriation act approved
June 6. 1900. His report is accompanied by
a large map giving his idea of the best plan
large papier mache model of a section of
the same and several handsome water
co.ors. The map is ten by seven feet in
dimensions, and is one of the largest draw
ings of the kind ever seen in this city.
General Features.
Although the details of the plan of park
improvement suggested by Mr.. Parsons
are withheld for the present, its broad
general features have become known, Mr..
ISieIS " Tic magnitude VI ucSi6u-
ing a park system worthy of the capital
city of the greatest nation in the world, and
says he has confined himself to the sugges-
ton of purely practical architectural treat
ment In considering the subject he said
his general idea was the treatment of the
park a pleasure ground with woodland
and meadow scenery, affording convenient
and agreeable access by means of carri-
age, bride roads and footpaths to all
points of interest laid out in the highest
considered the comfort and enjoyment of
the public. Referring to the immediate
work in hand, he said that the natural
conference and artistic shape of the mall
in particular made it's development less
difficult than might otherwise have been
the case.
Mr.. Parsons has followed the letter of
the law as his main starting point, and
treats the ground in question as though 1t
was a primeval forest or undeveloped coun-
try without buildings. avenues or bridges.
planning to lay it out symmeterically and
artistically with present conditions as
basis.
Territory Included.
His general plan for the improvement Of
the mall includes all the territory lying be-
tween Pennsylvania avenue north and
Maryland avenue south from the Capitol to
the White House and the monument
grounds. This would add to the present
mall the private land on the north lying be-
tween street north and Pennsylvania
avenue and the land on the south lying be-
tween street south and Maryland ave-
nue.. These additions would give the park
at that point the form of an almost perfect
triangle or fiatirOn. with the Capitol at it's
east end and the Washington monument at
the center of the west end. The plan con-
templates only four cross streets, namely,
Sd, 7th, 18th and 18th, emitting all others
now crossing the mall from north to south.
A keynote of the park treatment is series
Of eliptical or oval boulevards or driyeways
beginning at the Capitol and continuing
west to the monument grounds. The only
perfectly straight section of this boulevard
system is where it crosses the four inter-
secting streets. Looking westward from
the Capitol terrace most beautiful vista is
afforded, comprising long sweep of undu-
straight lines. except where the boulevard
crosses the intersecting streets.
Invisible Bridges.
Invisible bridges. which form one of the
main attractions of Central Park. consti-
tute another interesting feature of Mr.. Par
sons scheme of the new mall. These
bridges are thrown across the four inter-
secting streets. They are very wide with
arbored walks either side and sufficient
earth for the planting of shrubbery and
trees, the result being that the business
traffic on the cross streets is hidden from
the view OF persons crossing the bridges
and does not appear in the vista from the
Capitol or the monument.
Location of New Buildings.
The f1at-iron feature of the scheme is also
advocated on the general ground that it af-
fords ample room on the edge of the south
S. of Pennsylvania avenue and north of
B street south for the location of new bui.d-
ings required for the increasing needs of
the government The present post office
building is indicated as a keynote to this
feature of the undertaking, being in perfect
harmony with the proposed system of de-
velopment. Mr. Parsons says that public
buildings, however, have not been included
as the essential features of the park, but
adds that they would properly find special
territories of their own on the borders of
the main pleasure ground, where they might
be screened with thickly planted trees and
given a landscape treatment suitable to
their individual character. 1t is stated
that the elevation of the bridges and the
formation of hidden TRAVERSE roads will
give an agreeable unduation to the natural
ly flat surface of the park, while changing
the contours will increase the length of the
vista.
Removal of Railway Tracks.
| One of the most important features of
| Mr. Parsons scheme is the entire removal
| from the mall Of the station and tracks Of
the Pennsylvania railroad, and the estab-
| ishment of the station on large improved
plaza on the site bounded by 9th and 9th
| and and D streets southwest. Mr.. Par
sons says that the presence Of the depot
| and tracks is a serious obstruction to the
| proper development Of the proposed park,
| and that the proposed location of the de-
| pot and tracks would meet all the require
| nents of the situation. He says that under
| the new arrangements the railroad would
| be convenient of access in the move
ment of cars. and that the proposed station
would be capable of accommodating the
electric street cars and passengers coming
| in carriages on foot. The present loca-