The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1902-02-12
Our Washington Correspondence
The Plans for Making a Model
City-The Finest Thoroughfare
In the World.

1902.-Special: The plans for beau
tifying the city of Washington have
progressed to a point which enables
me to give a brief outline of the con-
templated changes and the widespread
interest manifested In the subject, as
demonstrated by the communications
which members of Congress are con
stantly receiving from all parts of the
country, leads me to believe that such
an outline will prove interesting read
ing.
1t must not be understood that
Washington Is an ugly city, 1t is one
of the h%andsomest in the world, but
there is an incongruous mixture of mag
niGcent public buildings and squalid
negro shanties. Pennsylvania avenue
in its mile Ing stretch from the Capt.
Lol to the Treasury Department. is a
handsome thoroughfare, but lined for
a greater part of its length with build.
ings that are as old as they are un-
slightly. AT the upper end, near the
Treasury, there are a number of fine
buildings, hotels and newspaper Offices,
and several pretent' stores. But
the section nearer tL> Capitol still
dates from ante-bellum days, aud shows
it.
Other portions of the city are in
equal need of Improvement and the
plans now adopted provide for an eX-
tensive betterment of landscape and
architectural conditions. To those who
have not yet had an opportunity to see
Washington, and who may be I'M
familiar with its general plan, a brief
synopsis of its features will be neces-
sary in order that the new scheme may
be made comprehensive. The Capitol
Is taken as the center of the city from
which run as spokes from the hub of
a wheel, avenues, in all directions.
Over these, at right angles, are placed
the regular city blocks, so that where
venues intersect with streets there
are small parks, or Z" circles" most of
them containing statues or fountains.
AS a maIn axis to the west from the
Capitol there is a wide tract of parking
known as the "mall," full of fine
trees, and having among it's lawns
several public buildings, including
Botanical conservatives, the Fish Com
mission Building, the Army Medical
and National Museums, the Smithson-
ian Institute and the Agricultural De-
partment. AT its eastern eud stands
the Capitol and towards the western
extremity, near the Potomac River,
rises the tall shaft of the Washington
Monument. The Mall will be improv-
ed to extend, in an unbroken line, past
the Monument to the river, where a
magnificent memorial to Lincoln will
be erected, and on either side of 1T
there will be classic buildings for the
use of the Federal government. The
Mall will terminate in a Memorial
Bridge, connecting the city with Ar
lington, the national cemetery. The
railroad depot, now bisecting the Mall,
will beremoved and a new union depot
erected near the site of the present
Baltimore and Ohio depot, at the foot
of Capitol Hill.
But most people will be interested
in the improvement of Pennsylvania
avenue, for the majority Of Washing
toms visitors come to the city at IN
auguration times, when that street is
the center OF attraction. When the
improvements contemplated are carried
into effect the inaugural procession
VII. move between rows of stately
buildings, .dignifed and intrinsically
beautiful, rendering obsolete the use of
the inartistic bunting with which the
present structures are garnished on
gala days. Thus the avenue will truly
become what it was originally planned
TO be, The finest thoroughfare in tie
world. All of the contemplated build.
ings will be in pure Greek architecture
only slightly modified to suit modern
needs, and will be constructed through
out of white marble, this being IN &C
cord with many of the buildings now
standing which will be retained under
the plans. a number of the present
structures will have to be sacrificed,
among them the beautiful Smithsonian
building, built of red sand. stone, but
almost valueless for exhibition pur-
poses on account of the poor range.
ments for light. To many there will
be joy in the announcement that the
lnsightly Pension Office building,
which is, nevertheless, the best con-
structed OF all the government build !
lngs for office purposes, will be re-
moved. 1t is q barnlike structure of
red brick, of which General sherman
once said, OTIS d shame that it
is fire-proof."
In orderthoroughly to understand the
contemplated changes one must visit
The Corcoran Art Gallery where the
pictures and models of the new city are
to be seen. In one large room there
is a model of the city az it now is, and
next to 1t one showing how 1T will be
when the plans are carried out. These
models are marvellous in themselves
as they show every detail, although the
scale is very small one, 80 that the
long facade of the Capitol becomes a
matter of only a few inches and the
DOB feetaof the Monument as about
6.55SAnehss. Yet the modelling is so
a~ccurate9 THAT every tree in the city is
shown, and one looking dow from the
temporary gallery around the models
might be able TO pick out the reduced
facsimile of his own home. In these
TWO models placed side by side there is
a direct object Lesson iD the possibili-
ties OF civic improvement and a view
OF them will convince the most skepti-
cal of the va'ue of making the proposed
changes. Ranged round the walls are
architectural dro xy;nvo ~ -