The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-03-18
PARK SYSTEM EXTENSION
Extensive Plans tor Beautifying
the City Of Washington.

expert Engineers and Landscape Ar
chitectS before the SENATE Com
mite" oE the District of Columbia.
4 Conference Tomorrow Morning.
The Senate Committee on the District
OF Columbia Is sitting during the recess
oi Congress and giving hearings to ex-
perts to the end that the National Capt.
tai may haze the most beautiful and ex-
tensivc park system in the world The
plan is authorized by the Senate and en-
braces both the Improvement OF the
splendid breathing places already exist
inG, and scheme for the laying out and
developing of new tracts and bouleVards-
The most noted landscape architects in
The country viii be heard on the matter
and their plans considered. The genius
which created the Public Gardens in Bos-
ton, Central Park in New York, and the
Columbian Park in Chicago viii be COM
! biaed in this effort A hearing will be
given the Institute Of American Archi-
tects at the Capitol tomorrow morning.
Probably the most extensive portion Ct
| the scheme is that for the improvement
of the Mall. or that portion of the Dis
| trict situated south of Pennsylvania Axe
nue. and north Of 3 Street sOuthweTt
Potomac and Geological Parks As esti-
mated by the Chief of Engineers of the
War Department, this one scheme viii
| involve an expenditure of Ssh. $50. ard,
| in the opinion of Secretary Root the re
suits to be attained warrant the invest
mont of this large sum The above IS
innate Goes not include plan for beU-
! leEard which viii occupy all of that ter
ritOry lying between Twenty-second and
| TWenty-fOurth Streets and running across
the city from the Potomac Park to the
Geological Park.
Plans for the treatment of the southern
park system, prepared by Col Theodore
\ Bingham. Corps of Engineers, United
States Army, and Samuel Parsons, a dis
tinguished New York landscape artist,
a-e now before the Senate committee
ami viii be acted upon at the hearings,
| the advice of other experts being taken
| and suggestions noted.
in the opinion of Secretary Root the
plans submitted should receive favora-
| bic consideration and action" Brigadier
General Wilson says that the plans pre-
pared by Col Bingham and MI Parsons
| VIII give to the Capital of the Nation
= park system second to that OF no city
or the globe Colonel Bingham states
in his report that the plans will make
| Washington by far and away the most
beautiful capital Of the civilized world"
The suggestion is made that the plans
should cover q park, as pleasure
ground, yet 50 isolated by art as to
shut il out from sight and sound of the
City. IL interior 81 the park Is 10 be
ranged 20 suggest woodland and meadow
scenery
The plans now before the committee
state III detail as follows.
prOXiruGtely 30 acres. which lie ia space
bounded by Pennsylvania Avenue and =
Street southwest with the Capitol loom
lu.s UP aUThe east. and Washington Mon
UEnenI at the west An ohlong terriJory
occupied mainly By the botanical Garden,
the Mall, t',e Smithsonian institution. the
\ STiClituras grounds. and the territory
around the u ashinSfou Monument al
ready belong 10 the nation, and II Is pro-
posed to- condemn by law and secure h
triangle Of land running from Peuns,-i-
Vinia Avenue on the north. j Street on
the south. and FifJeenth Street on the
west. ] would suggest that ~ addition
to this t2Hd-s ia order 10 secure the ideal
PARK. another parcel be acquired, bounded
by M4rEIand avenue the south. =
Street on the north and Fifteenth Street
on the west q range which would be
wonderfully effective rs seen from the
base OF the Capitol. There the view
would widen over great perspective
that would lnClGGo II its very heart the
celebrated vista over almost level ground
through grand old trees to the Washing
ton Monument. which would he the very
kernel and InEermoSt Jewel or Shrine Of
the landscape
II is proposed TO use only cross streets
for traffic and TO tuTn them into trans
verse roads OF ample width screened by
erlba nkments surmOunted By trees and
connected by rustic bridges These are
to arch at least twenty feet above the
present rOadbed- OF this the plans sayH
This arrangement Of drives and mask
cd transverse roads. and bridges kept in
close relations with the Ei5taS, il viii be
readily seen. VIII naturally force the main
scheme of park development into a series
q OVals, commencing at the Capitol and
extending 10 the " hite House. where
the same idea is repeated in the already
constructed ellipses of the White Lot and
the adjacent public terTitOry- Il is a for
tunate circumstance that the positions Of
the transverse roads cause the ogalS TO
steadily diminish IN size, dropping pro-
grEssIveIy to lower and lower grades -
they approach the Washington M0al-
ment- Thus in the widening spread of
territory they lmpart to the landscape =
finished and consistent perspective q har-
moEious cadence and rhythm of effect
aud a finely heightened appearance OF
distance
In referring to the connection bet V-eep
the TWO parks the plans state:
Concerning the parkway from Wash
lnSton Monument 10 the Potomac and the
Geological PARKS. it should De said that
as far as the beginning Of the Drecipitous
portion Of the banks OF Rock Creek. \
formal arrangement Of fUotpaJhS, drives
and bride roads is secured, whereby the
on each side Of the parkway. The space
OF 500 feet IN the middle is occupied by a
park dive, by .Iootpaths, and a bride
road. each Of which takes q direct course
parallel with the adjacent houses as
shown in the accompanying detail plan
w hen the parkway reaches the steer
hillSideS Of Rock Creek, Il - allowed TO
seek the easiest grades. It occupies a
large portion OF the picturesque slopes