Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-03-09
The Mall and the Buildings.

The bill offered in the Senate by Mr..
Newlands. describing a building line on the
mall. is a move in the right direction in
that 1t seeks to limit the possibilities OF
building encroachments on the park space.
But why any building line at all in such a
place? Why any buildings? There are
buildings there now, to be sure, some OF
them decidedly Objectionable in architec-
ture one of them at least handsome
creation and worthy of preservation, mt
occupant of a wooded park. But the fur-
Their emplacement of buildings in the mall
space. even those which are now provided
for by law and are soon to be established.
is contrary to the spirit in which that area
has for many years been regarded by the
public.
The abstract question of a vista can be
for the present eliminated from the case.
1t is. apart from any bearing it may have
on the building issue. matter of esthetics.
referable to the artists and the landscape
architects and the citizens with good taste
and special views on the subject derived
from foreign travel and wide study and
deep thought. A heavy weight of public
sentiment is. however. against the pro-
posed formal treatment of the mall. so
far as 1t parcels out the park into build
ing sites and straight street rendering the
proposed buildings accessible. The prac-
teal conclusion in the matter is that the
future buildings of the government should
be constructed on lands lying outside OF
the already established parks, chosen with
reference to the convenience of sites and
the effect of the whole enterprise upon the
future aspect of the city Federal capt
tai.
1t is gratifying to observe the growth OF
a strong feeling in favor of the immediate
selection of the whole of the triangle lying
between the mall, Pennsylvania avenue and
18th street for building purposes. Senator
Newlands expressed the view yesterday In
these words:
1T seems to me that all the public build
ings authorized in the near future should
be either on the south side of Pennsylvania
avenue upon either side of Lafayette
Square. and that no buildings should be
for the present constructed upon the mail.
These spaces in the mall can be reserved
until after Pennsylvania avenue, in its en-
tirety, is appropriately built up, and mean
while the mall can be used in its entirety
as park and laid out as the commission
has planned 1t. The entire mall triangle
should, in my judgment, be purchased i'm
medlately. 1t will not do to purchase it
block by block, as buildings are required,
for that Will be much more costly, and. be-
sides, the proper architectural treatment
treatment of the whole front in it's entirety
and the readjustment of the streets In this
Triangle.
That is excellent doctrine. 1t IS. with the
exception of the reference to the squares
thanking Lafayette Square, what The Star
has been advocating for many years. 1t is
in the line of proper capital development,
of proper avenue treatment, of economical,
systematic building emplacement 1t does
not seem likely that the government will
have in the immediate future need of build
ings In such number as to fill both this La
fayette Square area and the mall-avenue
triangle. The Star believes that the treat
ment of the south side of the avenue should
come first, along with the preservation of
the mall itself from further building en-
Croachments. That accomplished, through
the location of all suitable public buildings
of the immediate future within the tri-
angle, the government will be in the best
possible position later to extend the work
of combined Improvement and building pro-
vision into such other partS-outside of the
park spaces-as recommend themselves by
reason of their relationship to the already
established system.