Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-06-22
Car Lines in the Great Triangle.

The difficulties attendant upon the read
justment of the Alexandria car tracks south
of Pennsylvania avenue are increased by
reason of the fact that there can be no
assurance as to the future treatment of the
whole of the space lying between the ave-
nue. and the mall. 1t has been strongly
urged that the government take at once
the entire triangle stretching from the
Botanic Gardens to the White Lot, re-
gardless of the fact that the present build
ing needs do not embrace so large an area.
1t has Furthermore been urged that in order
to obtain the best results from this policy
of future building emplacements if
adopted, the existing street lines should
be wiped out and the sites carved from
the area with reference to a new plan of
lines of approach, based upon the prin-
ciples of landscape art. If the existing
street lines are preserved the sites will be
small and blocky and the artistic effect of
the whole great group of buildings VIII
be lessened If not lost altogether.
If this proposition to disregard the street
lines is adopted. any car routes now exist
ing there, later to be established with
reference to present streets, must be dis
arranged and perhaps destroyed altogether.
But in considering the case of the Alex
Commissioners have no certain guide be-
yond their own Judgment as to what is
best for the present. They cannot say
! that they will disapprove a certain pro-
posed route because it will carry the cars
alongside of some one of the projected
public buildings mentioned for best en-
placement on a certain site within the great
triangle. Nor can they plan the route with
view of affordng access to some con-
templated structure in that same category.
Yet they morally if not legally bound
to consider the future.
This case is typical of the general situa-
ton of the space lying between the avenue
and the mall. For many years private I'M
provements have been checked in that
gion because of the menace of govern
nent condemnation No owner could be
sure from season to season of reading his
title clear. The result has been that with
very few exceptions new buildings
have been erected there for many years,
and the standard of maintenance has been
kept at a low point. Strangers note this
fact and wonder why the entire southern
side of the city'S most beautiful and i'm
portant thoroughfare should be unkempt
and insignificant. When told that 1t is
because Congress may some day decide to
take the whole space Tor government uses
they fail to the reasons for delay in
condemnation or for the lack of private
enterprise meanwhile.
1t might perhaps be in the interest of
early decision and action in this matter
if the Commissioners were to refer the
present car route question back to Con-
gress. which gave them jurisdiction over 1t
in the course of the act for the erection
of the municipal building. They could with
propriety suggest that Congress define the
conditions which eventually to sur
round this general area and thus to es-
tablish the basis not only for the settle
ment of the Alexandria tracks case,
but all other municipal questions of the
same sort certain sooner or later to arise.