Evening star., 1919-05-05
STATE BUILDINGS
IN D. c. ADVOCATED
Frank N. Low, Local Mer-
chant, Suggests Plan for
Beautifying Capital.
PROMOTION FUND URGED

The erection in Washington of forty
eight buildings, one by each state Of
the Union at its own expense, In a
plan for the development of the city
as the most beautiful in the world.
which would afford an all-year-round
exposition of all the natural, educa-
tional and industrial resources Of the
entire country is advocated by Frank
NJ. Low, president of Parker, Bridget
& Co.
To carry out such a plan Mr.. Low
stated today he thought that a fund
of 100000 ought to be provided. To
Go this he suggested that one hun
dred citizens of the city contrloute
$1,000 each, and added that he Is
ready to contribute his share immedi-
ately Mr. Low said he believes the
people of the District are very much
awake TO the Importance OF the city
to the whole nation, and that the peo-
pie of the United States are awake to
the fact that their capital has be
worlds capital.
Mr.. Low outlined his plan as fol-
lows:
: Preamble.
Before turning your attention to
the plan please bear in mind that
Washington is neutral ground, made
so because it is the seat OF the ma
ton. That Washington Is not IN a
state of the nation but the nation
capital located in district in which
every person calling the United
just pride because it is the nations
capital. That Washington has been
and always will be developed pri-
marily to care for the vast govern
mental activities upon which, as the
result of the world war, greater de-
y,opdc hnnpd fn ha made. That
the money raised. used and spent for
all the governments facilities, as
steadily as they are increased and
needed, are provided for by all the
people Of the United States.
In short, outside the civil and To-
cal interests. this is not exclusively
your city and my city. as residents of
Washington, but is, as the seat of all
our national activities, a district in
which all the people of the United
States feel and take a rightful inter-
est. The mere fact that Washington
Is neutral ground through being the
government seat of the nation makes
it free from rivalries that naturally
come up between states and makes 1t
the logical center to reflect the
growth of the nation as a. whole and
the peoples common territory to
point to with pride as the art, edu
cational and experimental center of
the nation.
Selection Thoughtful and Wise.
washington was thoughtfullY and
wisely selected as the nations capi-
tai, from a geographical as well as
climatic standpoint, and having en-.
joyed the benefits of the genius of
some Of the greatest men and women
development for the past hundred
years, is now in a position, through
the strength and vast resources OF
the nation, to take her place, with
the assistance of additional effort. as
the most cultured city of modern civ
at all times, that the underlying
foundation of all her development
must lie along the lines of strength
and simplicity in order to reflect the
spirit and character of her people.
''The plan to be suggested will yield
all this:
The Plan.
Induce Congress to advocate and
recommend and to invite each of the
forty-eight states of the Union to
erect at its own expense what would
land set aside by Congress. under
the direction of the usual city plan
ming commission of the District Of
Columbia.
Each state building to be sufficient
in size and magnitude to contain a
governors suite for his convenience
when visiting the capital ON business.
To contain large assembly halls for
every need. including meeting rooms
for visitors or associations or resi-
dents of Washington who were ma
tives of the respective states, and to
have covered area enough to do JUS
tice to the proper exploitation of an
ail-the-year-round exhibition of the
principal industries and natural re-
sources and attractions OF each par
ticular state.
Each state would naturally take a
just pride in having it's building,
strictly speaking, a state product; !;
would want the building designed by
an architect living within it's own
borders; would want all the material
that entered into the construction, as
far as possible. to come from its own
state, and to have its erection direct
ed by it's own local contractors, 10
that 1t would stand as monument to
that states creative ability.
when completed. 1t automatically
would be an individual state building
art center" in which would be held q
vast and perpetual all-the-year-round
exposition.
Benefits to Washington.
Tho benefits of such an "au-the-
year-round exposition" housed in such
an impressive manner would easily
make Washington the most talked of,
the most visited. the most beautiful
capital in the world. Having such q
colossal "bird's-eye view" Of tho en-
tire resources Of the United States To-
Gated here in Washington would at
tract people here from all over the
vi ~