Evening star., 1904-03-12

nature, 50 that a formal treatment of the
mall seemed to be the one to commend IT.
self to Mhe park commission as without
doubt ltIs most desirable.
1t yasu then developed that according to
the pfAny of the park commission space
mall should be free from buildings. Senator
Newlands said that he had made a mistake
in hisI Tn when he made the figures 500
Mr. ssBagnham said that the commission
was very candid In declaring that If the
Smithdontan Institution building should
fnterfeTeswith the carrying out of the grand
project for the Improvement of the mall
they did not think 1t should be retained In
definitely In its present location.
He spoIte Of the numerous buildings that
were removed in Paris in order to improve
the city under Louis Napoleon, with the re-
suit that an enormous value has been added
to the whole city by the mere fact that
visitors. go there to see the beautiful city,
which is the result of those improvements.
Should Acquire All Ground.
In response to suggestion by Senator
Newlands; Mr.. Burnham said he saw no
reason why the Naioual Museum building
should not be located on the south side of
Pennsylvania avenue He believed that the
government ought to acquire an that part
of the city south of the avenue between the
Capitol and the treasury, as it would even
tually need it for its buildings. He thought
that that ought to be done at once.
Senator GaIiinger suggested that the inn
mediate acquisition of the land south Of the
avenue seemed impossible. at least in this
session or in the next.
Mr.. Galloway said that the location at
18th and streets suggested by Mr.. Burn
ham for the Agricultural Department build
ing would probably for at least Twenty-Five
years to come be objectionable. He said 1t
was surrounded by lumber yards, power
and ohfartioUa bla resorts.
Mr. John B. Post, the architect, stated
that while he had not carefully gone into
the plans of the park commission, yet ne
was very much struck by the splendid
effect that they secured. He had given
much consideration to the matter OF pro-
portion in the location of buildings. He
was satisfied that in a stretch of a mile and
a half, such as that between the Capftoi
and the monument, there should be an
open space of not less than 900 feet. So
far as the Smithsonian Institution building
is concerned. he was satisfied that In sixty.
seventy or ninety years the brown stone OF
which it Is built would crumble. 1t might
then be Just as well to put it further back,
so as to- be out of the way of the lines to
be established for the preservation Of the
mall.
Mr.. Eames Protests.
Mr.. VS. Eames. president of the Ameri
can Institute of Architects, explained to
the committee now all over the country,
gotten out, various cities have undertaken
to devise plans by which they can be de-
veloped on harmonious lines.
This was eminently the case in Cleveland.
Philadelphia and st. Louis What was
recognized as desirable for those cities was
even more desirable for this city.
Mr. Franklin Smith was then given fff-
teen minutes in which to address the COM
Hifttee concerning his plan for the improve
ment off, the city. Mr.. Smith found the
time inadequate to fully explain his views
and said that he would invite senators and
Representative to the lecture hall of the
Hall of the Ancients in order that he might
illustrate by stereopticon the plan that he
had in view which was the result of much
thouSht. He did not believe in the formal
trea tment of the Mall proposed by the
park commission, but thought that it ought
to be- RETAINED as pleasure park for the
people of south Washington. Mr.. Burn
ham suggested in response to a statement
by Mr. Smith that the park commission
did mt intend to destroy single tree
in the Mall. That every tree there would
be trHnsplanted under the plans of the
commissions Mr.. Smith believed in the
building lrp of Pennsylvania avenue not
only on the south side. but also thought
the government should purchase the north
side for public buildings.