Evening star., 1922-09-12
Rate by Mail-Payable In Advance.
Maryland and Virginia.
Memorial Bridge Design and Site.

Whether the Memorial Dflo6e'
planned to connect the capital win
Arlington, is to be located at the 1ooe
of New York avenue extended or AT
the western side of the Lincoln Memo
rial is of less consequence, IN lact'
than whether the structure is to be SO
designed as TO block and obscure the
memorial itself The Fine Arts COM
mission, in Il letter from its chairman
20 the executive secretary OF the
bridge commission, which is published
in The Star today. sets forth the rea-
sons against the plan for high bridse
at the New York avenue site in terms
that permit no doubt on the question.
A true memorial bridge over the
Potomac should be something more
than a mere traffic structure. III
should be part Of the artistic treat.
ment of the capitals water front, and
should bear its proper relation to exist
ing conditions and creations. Logical
Iy, from every standpoint, such
bridge should start from the Lincoln
Memorial. should be adjunctiVe to that
nobly inspiring structure as we'll as TO
the great national cemetery across the
river. to which it will link Washing
ton.
II a bridge OF this character is built
1. should be designed with reference
to the conditions. 1t should not be a
towering structure. obstructive of the
view. 1t should be such as TO leave the
Lincoln Memorial standing in impres-
sive aioofness. outlined against the
horizon from every point Of view. The
nlan which has been submitted to the
bridge commission. and against ~hich
the Fine Arts Commission now files its
protest, would yield a bridge 50 high
that the Lincoln Memorial would be
obscured and from some angles
dwarfed.
A high bridge could not possibly be
erected from the Lincoln Memorial
starting point. because of the neces-
sity of providing approaches at hlsh
grades. What. therefore. is the actual
reason for shifting the bridge from the
site long ago selected IN the pubic
mind as the proper place for 1t? Mere
" to permit a high bridge. perhaps,
and a high bridge in order to allow the
traffic of the river to pass without In
terruption or the need of any kind OF
draw span.
In its letter to the bridge commits
sion the Fine Arts Commission points
out that there is very little need OF
high bridge for the purpose Of accom-
modating river traffic, that only a
small percentage of that traffic is OF
character to require draw in low
bridge such as the plan favored by the
Fine Arts Commission contemplates.
Only few vessels pass up the river
at this point, and some of these are
for the gas plant, which may not per-
manently occupy its present position
when the connecting parkway plan
has been developed. The bridge plan
the Fine Arts Commission favors in
cludes a "bascuie' span, the lifting
leaves Of which allow passage Of
craft higher than the bridge structure.
Such a device is not inartistic. Is easily
operated and. in consideration OF the
lishtness of the traffic, is far to be
preferred 20 a towering bridge struc-
ture dwarfing all surroundings, DOM
mating the landscape. bisecting the
park. reaching the Arlington cemetery
at the point Of least importance and
interest and finally permitting no ac-
cess to the new park that is being de-
veloped on the western side Of the
Potomac channel.
The hope is that the bridge COM
mission will recognize promptly the
sGundness of the argument of the Fine
Arts Commission for Memorial
bridge Of low structure, starting from
the. Lincoln Memorial and proceeding
directly to the center of Ellington.