Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-21
several commissions and has a highly cul


several commissions and has highly cul.
tivated taste.
This plan has been carefully studied by
the members OF the American Institute.
and is earnestly opposed by them. be-
cause they believe that any monument OK
the proportions proposed would be fncon-
gruous I'm association with such struc-
lures as the Capitol. the railway station
and the memorial fountain which Is to be
erected in front of the station by the
knights of Columbus They object 10
crowding Capitol Hill and to the location
Of monument TO Lincoln so near the
monument of Columbus.
The Plan of the Institute.
They advise that the Lincoln memorial
be placed at the other end OF the Mall
that stretch of open park extending from
the Capitol to the Potomac river-some-
where near the western end of New York
avenue and eauidstant from the Wash
ington Monument with the statue Of Gen.
Grant. which is now in course of erection
at the foot of Capitol HILL They would
have the memorial take the form OF n
monumental portico. inclosed In a circle.
as designed by the late Augustus Saint
Gaudens, and serving as an approach to
bridge to Arlington. first, because such
a bridge is needed; second, because there
is no monument of that form in the
United States third. because it offers an
opportunity for architectural display
which is not found in the Mccall plan or
in any other than has been proposed. and
fourth, because Ii fits I'm with the general
plan for the improvement of Washington
recommended by the Mcmillan park COM
mission.
Speaker Cannon Is not friendly to that
commission. however. and has never APP
proved its report. His objections to it
are principally because the commission
was never legally authorized. but was
appointed by the late James Mcmillan of
Detroit. chairman of the Senate commit
tee of the District of Columbia, who was
a man of rare taste and took deep In
terest in the work OF beautifying the Ma
tional capital and did more for Washing
ton during his term In the Senate than
any other man except Gov. Shepherd. This
commission was sent to Europe by Sem
ator Mcmillan. with Daniel II. Burnham
at its head, and after studying the mon
ments and landscape gardening OF Great
Britain and the continent Ii prepared an
elaborate plan which was produced In
miniature relief and can be seen in the
Congressional Library. IT was not pro-
posed to carry out the plan at once, but
the idea of Mr.. Mcmillan and his commits
sion was to use il as a guide for future
legislation of Congress in locating pub
lie buildings and monuments and In ex-
tending and improving the park system
of the city. The suggestion has nevoP
been adopted by Congress. although in
several instances the plan has since been
followed In the location of public build
1ngS and the Grant monument.
The Senate almost unanimously favors
the plan. The House of Representatives
opposes it, or at least declines to accept
1t or recognize it In any way. The Amer
fcan Institute of Architects and other
professional organizations ndorse the
plan with enthusiasm and use whatever
influence they have TO see it carried out.
The Proposed Gettysburg Road.
Another proposition for Lincoln me-
/ I'D Il.
great persistence by several people con-
templates grand highway running from
the Capitol at Washington through Mary
land and Pennsylvania TO the National
cemetery at Gettysburg, where Abraham
Lincoln delivered that speech which Is
now as famous as the orations Of Cicero.
1t is proposed to make highway dec
Grated with trees and plants and monu-
ments upon which rich people may erect
villas and societies and associations may
locate colleges and schools. asylums ana
hospitals. and other structures both pub
lie and private. The idea is novel and
attracts many people. but the expense
would be enormous and the objections
are obvious.
Mr. Woods says that no design for
Lincoln memorial under the Mccall bill
has been adopted or even proposed. \
few sketches have been made of arches
and other forms of monuments simply
to show the committee on library how
they would look These have been pre-
pared by the assistants of Daniel III.
Burnham of Chicago, who is the architect
of the railway station. and In the Office
of Mr.. Woods, who is the architect of
the Capitol No one has been authorized
or invited and no one has volunteered
to submit any kind of design. ana
therefore it is inopportune to criticise the
project when there is nothing to ob1ect
to except the location
Objections by Architectural League.
The Architectural League of New York.
following the lead of the American In
stitute of Architects. has passed a series
of resolutions pointing out the objections
to the Mccall bill as follows:
Resolved. that the setting and embel-
lislhment of the railway station. though
necessary and desirable, should not De
provided by the general public: that
no structure whatever should interrupt
the vista from the railway station to the
National Capitol.
properly to commemorate this great hero
of our nation should occupy a position
subordinate to no other structure: that
the location in front of the railway sta
suitable. dignified and important site is
designated by the park commissions
plan therefore be It
Resolved, that we recommend to the
Congress that the Lincoln memorial
should not be placed at or near the rail-
way station on any other site than
that recommended by the park commis-
sion.
Resolved. that the design of the Lin
coin memorial should be intrusted to the
highest expert authority only. with the
advice and cooperation OF the American
Institute of Architects"
The plan to build monumental bridge
across the Potomac as memorial TO
Abraham Lincoln is not new and several
bills have been introduced in Congress
from time to time for that purpose. A
few years ago the Secretary Of War was
authorized to invite a competition. and
designs We're submitted to a committee.
consisting of Col. Allen. Col. Symonds.
Col. Galliard of the Engineer Corps.
Stanford White and James G. Hill of this
city. The commission unanimously rec
commended the acceptance of a design
submitted by Mr.. William II. Burr. a
we'll known bridge builder Of New York,
and Edward Il. Casey, costing about S5.OO0.-
coo. The Secretary of War sent the re-
port to Congress, and although several
bills have since been introduced appropri-
ating money to carry out the plan. Moth
ing has ever been done in that direction.
NORTH RANDLE HIGHLANDS.