The Washington times., 1912-01-14

be acquired by the Government and
be used for the construction Of Coy
ernment buildings. which shall be clas-
sic In design. These three buildings,
and Commerce and Labor, and the Dis
trict Building indicate the progress
made toward the realization of this
great part of the whole plan:
office to cost s3,ooO.OOO has just been let
This will be built on the Union Station
plaza and will fit into the whole
scheme.
|. Other Big Contracts.
13. A contract has also just been let
for the construction Of a new classic
styled building for the Bureau of En-
craving and Printing to cost s2.5o0.ooO.
likewise to agree with the plan.
H. The Connecticut avenue bridge
over Rock Greek has been built at a
cost Of $1,o0o,oO0
15 An ornamental bridge on Sixteenth
street has been constructed and work
is now proceeding on another to carry
costing $435.0G0
16 Potomac Park has been largely de-
veloped and the Speedway completed.
H. The Army War College, built at a
of land formed by the Anacostia river
and the Washington channel Of the
Potomac.
Here are nearly a score of instances
In which the plan of the Park Commits
sion has been carried into reality. The
vast amount of about 900 has ac-
tually been invested by the people of
the United States and $15,OO0,0O0 by the
railroads in these improvements to the
Capital City in carrying out the scheme
which the distinguished artists COM
posing the commission gave free when
Senator Mcmillan submitted their re-
port ten years ago.
Contests Over Location.
To keep the plan intact ard place
public structures where the far-seeing
artists planned that they should be has
been no essy task. Practically eveiy
important new building has involved
contest over it's location, and in nearly
every instance selfish motives have
been injected to change the scheme.
A notable example of the tendency to
depart from the esthetic constitution
was the contest waged over the loca-
tion of the Grant Memorial. The last
consists in a persistent campaign to
place the memorial to Lincoln on some
other site than that fixed for II in the
plan. The fight over the Grant Me-
mortal was bitterly fought and ,specious
excuses were put forward to keep the
statue from its carefully thought out
niche. All these objections Were over.
come, however, and the mo!e people
are coTing to understand the compre-
hensveness OF the COMMISSIONS pro-
gram for the development of the city
the mere they are coming to realize
the wisdom and propriety OF placing
the Grant Memorial where 1t Is now
be the feature of broad Union Square,
O dignifed plaza, where now is the i'll
ordered and incongruous Botanic Gar
den, During that contest The Wash
ington Times waged telling eamraisn
plan.
From every indication at the present
time the same outcome will be witnessed
In the case of the location of the Lin
coin Memorial. President Taft as Sec
retary of War. was strong factor in
influencing the location Of the Grant
Memorial according to. the Commits
when capable experts have studied
a scheme and mad8a recommendation,
their recommendations should be fol-
lowed" 1t is significant, too. that in all
the opposition to the location of the
Lincoln Memorial on the> Mall. none
of 1t comes from authorities In archi- |
lecture or city planning. while the lead
site. 81 N 'Av'' u '"e ~
Two Deaths on Board.
The decade has witnessed the death
of two of the members of the famous
Commission. Augustus Saint -Gaudens
and Charles F. McKim. Only d. H.
Burnham and Frederick Law olmsted,
ir, remain Each an authority of the
highest standing, they gave to the coun-
try full years time and study in
the far-reaching scheme which was
designed to make Washington the most
beautiful and the most intelligently
planned capital city OF the world.
So much for the purely Federal part
of the plan ten years old tomorrow.
The other part of 1t. that relating to
the building up of a great system OF
parks and driveways entirely surround
ing the city, has made little advance In
the decade.
This much, however, has been done:
the Speedway has been made and Po-
tomac Park beautifed: Montrose Park
has been purchased at cost OF $110. 900;
Meridian Hill Park has been acquired
at an outlay Of $4,000 and 100000 has