Evening star., 1902-01-16

Park Commission Plans for a New
Washington Should BE Approved.
From the Philadelphia Press.


Washington will find on view today in
| the Corcoran Art Gallery an inspiring
| scheme of systematized improvement which
| If realized but in part within the next de-
| cade will see the city well started on its
| way as true twentieth century capital"
| The exhibition, which by means of actual
models of the city in plaster, architectural
drawings of the best that Europe can sug
| gest to the new world. pictures and plahs
what seem to be fairyland, instead of
practical solution of a great problem, is
| under the auspices of the park commission
| of Washington, and is intended not only as
an object lesson to Congress, but as an eX-
ample to the country at large.
There is no question to the wisdom of
this unique exhibition, nor of the sound
policy of those who are responsible for its
existence. AS will be remembered last
March Senator Mcmillan, chairman of the
Senate committee on the District of Colum-
bia, managed to secure recognition for his
comprehensive plan for beautifying WASH
ington. AS result of his pioneer efforts,
D. s. Burnham of Chicago, Frederick Law
Olmstead, jr., of Boston and Charles F.
McKim of New York were sent abroad last
summer as committee of experts to study
the architectural features and the park,
parkway and landscape effects OF the cap
itals of Europe. Based on this expert
study at first hand the commission has
prepared a report, of which the exhibition
striking feature, since nothing like it has
ever been attempted in the country before
on SO splendid scale.
In the main the new Washington
which the Burnha m Oimstead-Mc conf
mission has planned follows the L L'Enfant
plan of Washington's time, but is brought
up to date to solve the various architec-
tural and park problems raised by the
needs of the government and the growth Of
the city. There is, of course, no exlecta-
ton Of doing anything more than to de-
velop the city along the lines laid down
as occasion warrants. The total cost OF
realizing the plan at once. could some Alad- |
din perform a miracle, would, of course, be |
enormous, but since the proposed govern |
ment buildings have to be built anyhow |
the plans of the commission really repre-
sent an economical solution of a very i'm |
portant problem which in the past Con- |
gress has only faced to back away from.
Naturally the present exhibition presents a |
complete whole, but 1t is easy to under |
stand, and it is arranged that even the |
most hidebound visitor must feel i'm |
pressed by its manifold beauties, and the |
congressional cheeseparers for once win |
find themselves rather embarrassed in the |
matter of an excuse for opposition.
The sensible thing for Congress to do |
Is to make the plan the new artistic datum, !
as It were, by which and about which the |
future improvements Of the capital shall /
crystalline into orderly advance, with util- |
ity and beauty the main objects in view. !
As thing go, 1t is unlikely the work Of |
Senator Mcmillan can come to naught, |
and at all events the exhibition now on Is |
in itself a victory for common sense, as !
we'll as q triumph Of art.