Evening star., 1922-12-03
IMPOSING SHRINE
IS SLOWLY RISING
Five Years Required to Com
,pIete Huge Memorial
to Washington.
WILL COST 100000
Masonic Tribute Being Built at
Alexandra Modelled After
Ancient Towers.
WILL COST 100000

About five years hence the average
sightseeing visitor to Washington will
have jotted down on his penciled itin-
erary of interesting points a show
place as yet intangible to the present
generation. but by that time destined
to rank with Mount Vernon, the Lin
coin Memorial and Arlington national
cemetery as national pilgrimage
shrine.
This shrine. for it's historic asso-
Citations will make it a hallowed spot.
IS the magnificent national memorial
10 George Washington. the man and
the Mason. now rearing itself on
Shooters hill. on the western out
skirts of Alexandria, Va, on ground
once owned by the Father of His
country and so cherished by him
that he once refused to allow il to he
come the site for the National Capital.
TonDine this famous hills summit.
me imposing 2Oo-foot edifice will
overlook to the north the entire CITY
OF Washington. founded by the coun-
trys first President as the seat of
government. and to the south Mount
vernon. his home-while connecting
the two will he the long-arched
scene
Washington's boyhood adventures and
delights At the foot of the memorial
and sire tching away eastward to the
banks of the Potomac will lie Alexan-
ds1a. seemingly doing homage to the
man whose engineering ability had
much to do with the Planning of the
town and whose love for it was evil
denced by his fraternal and religious
affiliations there.
Visible Miles Away.
The unusual architectural features
and the remarkably Handicapped. ter
raced approaches of the memorial Will
present striking appearance miles
away Modelled after the ancient tow
ers winch were used as beacons to
guide mariners into harbor. exempli-
fed in those at Rhodes. the edifice
Will consist of series of four colon.
naded stories of diminishing perimiter,
taperins from the base through sue
ceSsive stages to the observation tow
er provided at the top
w Wnether OF marble or granite-the
selection is yet to be made-the edi-
hce will stand out architecturally as
unique. constituting. it is claimed. the
only building Of that design in the
world since the days of ancient Eu-
rope. II will cost in the neighbor-
hood of ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS more-and
proba bly, viii take FIVE years from
the date of starting. June 10. 1922, to
complete it. 1t was originated and
will be carried through to consum-
nation by the George Washington
Masonic National Memorial Associa-
tion. organized by Masonry for the
purpose.
The building itself will house a
priceless collection of memorabilia of
Washington. including numerous ar
ticles closely connected with his ca
reer in the Masonic order and marking
his term In office as worshipful mas
ter OF the Alexandria Washington
Lodge a stately memorial hall
contain the actual memorial statue
OF the general set in a niche at one
end OF the atrium. In the hall will be
allotted space for individual memorials
OF every Grand Lodge in America.
1t Astounds Engineer.
To attempt to set down In writing
an adequate description Of the struc-
ture as 1t will appear when completed
is. in the words of c. A. Warthen. en-
gineer in charge of the project. "a
difficult task" Even we who are
working on it do not grasp its magni-
what technical outline of its location
and principal features must suffice. 1t
was pointed out.
The axis of the building comedies
with the extension of King street.
Alexandria, from which the main east
along the north of the grounds is the
old Middleburg turnpike. chartered in
1886 as the first toll road in the
United States. and along the south is
the old Kings highway, which ran
from Alexandria to Williamsburg.
then the capital Of Virginia. Inter-
secting the latter road at a slight
angle in front of the memorial Is
Mount Vernon avenue, eventually to
be extended between the monument
and the railway station. just to the
southeast. so as to connect with the
main road to Mount Vernon. providing
pending legislation introduced in Con-
gress by Representative r. Walton
Moore of Virginia Is enacted. This
extension would afford sightseers
short cut to Mount Vernon across the
edge Of Alexandria and directly past
the Masonic memorial.
Tower Rises From Terraces.
The tower will rise from the sew.
scaped terraces. formed by excavating
and grading Shooters hii-a knoll
one hundred and twenty-seven feet
above the Potomac river. named after
the English estate of Ludwell Lee,
son of Richard Henry Lee. signer of
the Declaration of independence and
prominent In the Continental Congress
of the resolution that the colonies ARE
and of right ought to be free and in
dwelling on the hill. foundation ruins
of which still are visible. and his first
wife is said to be buried in an un-
marked grave there. incidentally
workmen are exercising caution in
safety Week. Nov. 26-Dec. 2
N-9l ~ hlo