Evening star., 1901-11-16
Outline of Plan of Improvement of
Public Grounds.
EXTENSIVE SCOPE OF THE WORK
The Mall to Return to l'Enfant's S
Original Ideas
MODELS TO BE NJ AID E

The work of the park commission appoint
ed to perfect plans for the extension and
Identification of the parks and public
grounds of the District of Columbia is near
ly completed. Much of the report of the
commission is now in type, and the models,
draftings and photographs which are to
illustrate the ideas of the commission will
be ready for presentation to Congress dur
ing the first week in January.
In view of the hearty Endorsement which
has been given the plans of the park COM
mission by high government officials and
members of the two branches of Congress who
have been taken into the confidence of that
body it would seem that they are of such
nature as to create enthusiastic admiration.
1t has been deemed best to keep the details
of these plans from the public until they
can be presented with the models and other
illustrations. A general outline of the work,
however, has been given to The Star by Mr..
Charles Moore, clerk of the Senate District
committee. who is familiar with all of the
discussions Of the commission.
4 very important branch of the work of
the commission will be finished next We'd
nesday, when its drafting room will cease
to exist This work has been carried on in
the Senate press gallery since April and
with its completion all the work of the COM
mission TO be done in this city will have
been finished
Scope of the Work.
This work has consisted mainly of a de-
tailed study of the District of Columbia
with view of discovering, first. those areas
which should be acquired in order to COM
plete the park system of the city and to
give to each section its proper proportion of
breathing places. Second, to devise plans
for the necessary connections between the
parks already existing, so that they may be
brought into cOmDlPfo oil
as an exhaustive study of the treatment of
the Anacostia problem. and the driveways
up the Potomac to the District line. The
treatment and development of Rock Creek
and Potomac parks were also no small part
of this branch of the work. which has been
done under the Immediate supervision of
Frederick Law Olmsted, jr. Mr.. Olmsted
has spent a great deal of time in the city
and has personally gone over every section
of the District.
The draughtsmen have not cOntented
themselves with the data accumulated bv
various authorities, and which was placed
at their disposal, but have found it neces-
sary, in order to coordinate the various
maps and plans, to have surveys made of
numerous sections of the District In this
way they have been able to correct A con-
siderable number of errors which had crept
into various sections of the work by reason
OF the old surveys In connection with this
work II was soon discovered that in some
OF the older sections of the District there
were no typographical surveys available
Beyond the old city limits the typographical
map of the coast and geodetic survey was
found invaluable. A map of the District
was printed last spring, but the work since
then has developed so many errors in that
map that an absolutely new one was pre-
pared and is in the hands of the gov
ernment printer. and viii be submitted with
the report of the commission. This man
Will show the proposed takings of land for
the new parks. the park connections and in
general the proposed treatment of the whole
park system The report will be explana-
tory OF this map