The Washington herald., 1914-04-06
CAPITAL WORKING
OUT PARK PLANS
Complete Syster. Is Now in
the Course of Realiza-
ton.
ADORNED BY MONUMENTS
Otto Praeger, In Dallas News, Tells of
Beauty of Washington's Play
Places.
By Otto Praeger. postmaster of Wash

: The value of a park system to a COM
muuity depends not so much on aggre-
gate acreage as upon distribution and
accessibility. This should be true whether
We consider parks as breathing spots,
rest places. or recreation grounds. While
the park system Of Washington is not at
the head of the list in the United States,
it is admirably suited for the needs Of
large city. In addition to a large and
beautifed rugged piece of woodland
known as Rock Creek Park, Washington
has scattered throughout the densely
populated portion of the city 12 govern
ment reservations fully improved as
parks. with a total area of 477 acres: 121
partially improved reservations with a
total of Ill acres; and los unimproved
reservations with I50 acres This makes
: q total of 351 park reservations, having
an aggregate of 75S acres, or an average
Of little more than two acres to a
park
Practically every little triangle where
an avenue intersects a street at an acute
angle, where two avenues and two
streets intersect and make room for
circle, has been transformed into a
park, covered by lawn, shaded by trees,
ornamented by beds of flowers and made
comfortable by benches. The result is
that no one has far TO go TO enjoy one
OF these breathing rest spots, while
larger and more pretentious parks with
fountains, rest stations, bandstands, or
Fairgrounds supplement the triangles and
the circles in all parts of the city.
VIII Have Complete System.
This distribution of parks and reserva-
tiOns hardly rises TO the dignity of a
park system, yet such a system is just
now in the course OF realization. The
foundation has been laid in the exist
ence of four magnificently improved
parks Of considerable acreage. With the
requirement Of an eighty-one-acre tract
Of Ereat natural beauty in the northeast
section Of the city. there remains but
the tying up, by a series of drives and
shaded boulevards, Of Washington's park
system that is to encircle the entire city. |
In the northwest section, on the edge |
OF the residence district, lies the beauti- |
- full Rock Creek Park, with rugged |
scenery and its looping and corkscrew-
ing driveways, woods, and running |
streams. and including the popular Ma
tiOnal Geological Garden. Beginning at |
the mouth Of Rock Greek and extending
south along the bank of the Potomac !
River 10 a point opposite the War Col |
leSe at the junction of the Potomac and /
Anacostia rivers, stretches the magnifi- |
cent Potomac Park, laid out under the |
administratio ton of President Taft after
the fashion Of the Lunetta in Manila /
The connection between Rock Creek
s. Park and Potomac Park il to be a boule-
ward in the decp-cut valley OF Rock
Creek through the part of the city known
as Georgetown. As continuous part of
Potomac Park are the monument grounds
on which stands the Washington Monu-
ment and on which ground has already
-sRcen broken for the 100000 Lincoln /
Memorial; also the Mall, which extends
uas. T9m the Washington Monument to
the Capitol Grounds, delightful wooded !
retreat. which nd
Institution and the National Museum.
Extending Capitol Grounds.
The Capitol Grounds. a rare park in
themselves. are being extended north
ward to the Union Station, for which
purpose acres of two and three-story
residence and four and five-story apart
ment houses are being razed TO the
ground at a cost Of millions This leaves
but a connecting boulevard TO tie I'D
with the Soldiers Home Park and the
far-famed Rock Creek Cemetery, and a
boulevard with the proposed new North
east Park and a connecting boulevard
with Rock Creek Park itself to COM
plete the great park system which is to
encircle the city and inclose the 800 or
more parks that already contribute so
effectively to the beauty and the COM
fort of the Nations Capital
The improvement and maintenance of
these parks, including the great propa-
eating gardens, cost annually about
*V'o". a summary of a years work
Is interesting. 1t shows that nearly TOO
U" plants were set out in the parks last
year. This planting consisted Of $4,000
bedding plants, $500 bulbs, $500 pam
sizes and $500 tropical plants Forty
three unimpTcved reservations were
marked of for conversion into parks
All keep OF the grass signs have dis
appeared from the Washington parks
In their nlara haS h.o
appeal to the people: The public are
requested TO cooperate in keeping the
turf free from paths. Please do not
walk where the grass is worn
The parks are patrolled by foot and
bicycle park watchmen. In a years
time In all the parks together it was
necessary TO make but 343 arrests for all
manner OF offenses, from speeding to dis
orderly conduct Out of this number but ,
twenty-five were for violating the park
regulations. This is a remarkable show
ing when 1t is considered that through
out the summer months thousands of :
patrons congregate in the parks almost
daily TO hear the band concerts. ,
Sites of Many Monuments K
The parks of Washington, particularly !
the triangular and circular ones in the !
heart of the city. are the sites of the ;
monuments that have been erected in the ,
National Capital. This is carrying out , ,
part Of the vision OF IEnfant, who laid :
down the city plan for Washington at +
the beginning Of the last century. There
are now thirty-four statues in the public
parks, with three in the course of con-
struction. These three are the Grant
memorial in the Botanic Garden at the
foot Of the Capitol, to cost $50, 900: the :
Lincoln memorial, near the Washington l
Monument. 70 cost Se0Oo,O0o. and the : :
statue OF Victory in Franklin Park to =
the memory OF Commodore John Barry,
Of the first American navy, to cost So 4
900. Recent statues completed were one a
10 christopher Columbus in the plaza in u
front OF the Union Station, which cost o
siOecoo,, and one in Potomac Park to h
John Paul Jones. the naval hero II the o
Revolution, which cost $50, Co., d
Perhaps the most remarkable thing 1 n
about the parks of Washington are that
with the exception OF Rock Creek ParI; d
they are all under the jurisdiction and d
absolute control of the War Depart c
ment- This. too. is legacy from TEn- D
FAINT When the French engineer laiG q
out the city. Europe was trembling be- 2
tween Suinors OF wars and fears Of revc- ] r
Iutions.- France had 5ust passed through Il
It's fearful orgy and here a great expert c
ment n democracy was being inaugu- bl
rated. What could look more like far Il
,fsadn rs-sCF bon lao ! rr