Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-01-21
Plans to Improve the Appear
ance of the City.
LAW is BEING DRAFTED
Effort to Render the Streets Slightly
and Harmonious.
HOUSEOWNERS TO CONTROL
Commissioner Macfarland Indorses
Proposed Bill, Which Meets De-
sire He Has Entertained.

The draft Of "City Beautiful law is
being prepared in the offices of the Com
missioners and the corporation counsel.
the idea of the proposed regulation being
TO make Washington's future building op-
erations conform in every line to the
esthetic ideas of a board of architects
and artists.
This matter has been asitated for years.
1t is one of Commissioner Macfarland's s
greatest desires. and he has worked on
regulations and drafts of bills for sim
liar purpose ever since he was appointed
Commissioner for the first time. but the
d aft now under consideration seems to
him and to the other Commissioners near
est to a practical and constitutional bit
of legislation yet formulated
Col. Judson Responsible.
Commissioner Judson is responsible for
the measure as 1t appears in its present
rough form. 1t provides that with the
consent of 80 per cent of the property
owners any street or part of a street may
be subjected to special building regula-
tions
1t means that a shanty cannot be built
next To a palace. or that hideous pat
ent medicine-front-one -Story-dime mu-
scum style of building cannot be erected
next to a stately government building
The regulation includes the establishment
OF building lines, so that along any hand
some avenue or street, the buildings need
not crowd too far onto the sidewalk. AL
terations and repairs come under the
regulation as WELL prohibitions as to the
establishment of any place of business
and requirements as to the heights of
buildings.
one-story building wherein a moi
some trade is to be carried on. would be
knitted in the plans under the proposed
regulations, especially if the proprietor
wanted to build il on street lined with
decent-looking little dwellings.
Tue Commissioners could veto building
materials and even the architectural de-
sign OF dwellings, stores, Office buildings
1heaters or apartments. The entire idea
Is to give the whole city beautiful and
harmonious appearance.
Houseowners to Control.
The proportion of property owners to
give their consent for such esthetic regu-
lations is put at 80 per cent to make the
scheme practical. However, the measure
provides that within year after the
Commissioners have designated any street
or section for the enforcement of these
special regulations any one who has not
been deprived of his property rights can
tell his story in the Court of Appeals
The streets of the City Beautiful -
under the regulations would be known as
Glass A streets and Glass streets >
The first class would be the Streets
Premier" and the Commissioners would
favor them in all recommendations for
street improvements. There would be no
assessments for sidewalk and curb build
ing on Glass Streets
Mr.. Macfarland Pleased.
Commissioner Macfarland wrote on the
draft Of the bill:
Il take particular pleasure In approving
this motion. because the proposed bill
seems to me to provide the necessary
principles of legislation TO meet the de-
sire l have long had to have the Com
missioners vested with power over the
esthetic appearance of private construc-
tions-a matter which comes. primarily
under the Engineer Commissioner Vari-
Gus efforts have been made by the Com
missioners in. the direction of obtaining
such power, but none which has promised
such success, in case the power is OBJ
tanned. as that proposed in this draft I'm
less the Commissioners do obtain such
power the National Capital is likely 10
become half beautiful and half ugly and
the ugly private const suctions will spoil
the effect OF the most beautiful public
and private buildings"
Commissioner West has approved the
idea in general