Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1904-04-30

At the inception OF the National So
ciety of the Daughters of the Ameri-
can Revolution the erection of a fit
ting memorial to the memory of the
heroes of the Revolution in the shape
of a stately building in the capital
city of the nation was dimly shad-
owed forth.
That was on the 18th Of October,
1890. The idea has been fostered by
succeeding congresses and has kept
pace with the growth of the society
until now, fourteen years afterward,
the hope has become an assured fact.
Year by year the fund has grown,
slowly at first, but increasing rapidly
as the purpose and full realization of
the plan became more widely known.
An attractive movement, the patriot
ism of American women and men has
been ar6Ised in it's behalf. Congress
was petitioned for site, which it
promised-but never gave.
Finally the Daughters saw that they
must rely chiefly upon their own eXer-
tons, and not upon a well meaning but
dilatory national legislative body for
that important item. So in 1902 a
site at Seventeenth and f streets,
near the Corcoran Art Gallery, was
bought. Later the lot adjoining was
acquired, at total outlay of $4,000
During the encampment Of the
Grand Army of the Republic in Octo-
Der, 1902, flagpole was placed on the
site with impressive ceremonies. In
February a handsome silk flag, the
gift Of the Sons OF Revolutions, was
raised in the presence of the annual
congress of the society, with appro-
pirate addresses by notable men. Thus
a partial dedication of the site for pa
triotic purposes has been made.
A competition was announced fer
design of a memorial hall, open to all
American architects. After mature
deliberations this award was given to
Edward Pearce Casey Of New York,
IAN architect known in Washington
through other instances Of his skill.
The cost of the hall is expected to
be between 100000 and 100000. OF
this amount fully 100000 has been
accumulated.
The style of architecture is colonial,
with a due adherence to classic re-
quirements. An additional aim is to
conform as far as possible with the
architecture of the proposed Column
bian University extensions to be
erected on site adjacent to the hall
grounds.
A IA ofn al 10 AA in, I,n
construction of the hall must be
American, as a further emphasis of
loyalty to national enterprise and en-
deavor. Marble is to be the basic
material, of course, as it is believed
to be peculiarly appropriate in the
working out of the details of the elab-
crate design. The construction on
modern freproof lines will be pro.
Yided for and will not interfere with
the general use Of marble.
The site itself, in the light of the
future, is ideal. At the gateway of the
plot assigned by Washington for the
erection of a great national univer-
sity, but later degraded to more base
uses, there is q steady movement in
several different quarters to bring
about the original noble intentions of
Washington and the far-sighted l. En-
FAINT in that regard. Back of it rolls
the historic Potomac and in front is
the white lot" or Executive Park,
and the Mail.
To the northwest is the gentle slope
Of Observatory Hill, already snoken
for as the site of magnificent ga..eries
of history and art and kindred educa-
tlonal institutions. Nearby is the new
speedway, while not far off is the lofty
monument to Washington.