The times., 1900-12-24
hGRAND COURT OF HONOR
An Army Officers S Views Upon I'M
proving the Mall.
Land Between Pennsylvania and
Maryland Avenues to He Acquired
-GOvcrnment Buildings in the
Park - The states to Contribute
Edifices-Expnnsion of the District.

| A prominent officer Of the Engineer
Corps of the United States Army, while
at the District Building recently. made to
a reporter of The Times several interest
ing suggestions relative to the improve
ment of the Mall and of the city generally
! 'Of course l would Danish the Pennsyl
vania Station from the public reserva
| tion," he said. There is no reason in this
| age of steam, electricity, and automobiles
why the station should not be on the south
side of the Mall. 1t should not under any
circumstances be allowed to cut through
and spoil what will be one day the grand
est park or Court of Honor in the world.
"Posterity," he declared, will redeem
the Mall If We do not, and it will be vastly
cheaper and better to do it now. On the
whole / think l am in favor Of the Par
sons plan or something like it. that will
make use Of the ground bounded by Penn
sylvania and Maryland Avenues I am not
so clear about all those set pieces in clip
ticai style. I think we can afford a little
more ground than is indicated in the plan
and preserve more OF the forest idea in the
landscape work.
My notion is, and l have thought of
the thing a good deal, for the Govern
ment to acquire title to the land be-
tween the two avenues and improve It,
not only with a broad avenue down
through the centre. but with number of
side drives and cross promenades. The
idea in my mind is that the Mall shall
ultimately be pretty well filled with fine
buildings. The United States Govern
ment buildings, the municipal buildings
for the city hall and the courts should
be there in such positions as the lay of
the land will allow. l would not locate
them along the north side, but scatter
them through the whole park with plenty
of space about them and grand ap-
preaches lined with stone work and
statuary. The place de municipalitie
should be as fine as anything of the kind
in Paris or Berlin. In like. manner the
approaches to the other public build
ings should be, as regards space and
adornment, such as to leave an abiding
impression OF grandeur upon the mind OF
every visitor who comes to Washington.
To carry out this idea space is needed first
Of all, and the Government will make no
mistake now in acquiring title to the
land between the two avenues as men
toned in preparation for the future i'm
provement of the MALL"
Mall with Geological and Rock Greek
Parks? ?" the reporter asked.
Certainly" was the answer, 81 would
not only do that. but the Memorial
Bridge is an essential part of the plan of
Improvement
But what l was going to say" the Of |
ficer continued, sis that the erection of |
the Government Offices in the Mall, which |
by the way, should be called Columbia |
Park. is only a small part of what will |
ultimately be done to place notable and |
worthy structures of beautiful design in |
the park We are nation, to be sure,
but a nation made up Of an increasing |
number of proud and wealthy Common
wealths. The nations Capital is their
Capital, and. borrowing a hint from the
many exposition grounds in this country |
and elsewhere. She States might with the
greatest propriety raise State buildings in
this national park as permanent monu-
ment of their power and essential part in
the nation. These State buildings would
each cost several millions of dollars.
They would be designed upon large ar
chitectural lines. They would be the
homes, so to speak, of the peonlo of the
several States in Washington and the
natural rendezvous of visitors, where they
could obtain all information needful for
visiting the city. and at the same time
would be among home people.
These buildings. with the Government
and municipal edifces would form, with
the central boulevard and the Memorial
Bridge. and the other parks stretching
away to the northwest. a veritable Court
of Honor No nation in the world could
boast of such a capital. as they would not
have the material with which to build it.
With the parks as the foundation. the ad-
dition of the grand avenue hanked by the
spoken of would all come within
the next half century. Between the sew
eral structures there would be room for
trees gardens, lawns. and among them
statues pa-ilions, promenades. lakes, and
fountains. The detail of the improvement
would be endless as time passed and as
suggestion was received from various
sources.
Finally" said the officer, 'all this is
in consideration of the District of Colum-
bia remaining of its present size for the
next century. If | read the signs of the
times correctly thirty-two square miles
will not be big enough to hold Washing
.on for another hundred years. Whether
il will step over the river into Virginia
md ask to have restored to it the former
grant | will not attempt to say But it
looks to me as though Maryland would
be called upon to give up another slice
,f its territory for Federal purposes be-
lore the year 2000. And when the Capital
,jty has outgrown the limits set to it by ;
he Father of His Country, how will the !
Nall look as it is today. encroached upon
by private ownership, and disfgured by
a steam railway and it's station, not
lalf-mile from the steps of the Capitol?"