Evening star., 1922-03-05
AGREE ON GREATER
BOTANIC GARDENS
Lieut.. Col. Sheriff. Arranges
Plan With Senators and
House Members.
CONSULT DIRECTOR HESS
Measures to Be introduced Will
Enlarge Present Site to One
of Greatest Gardens.

The first definite step was taken
yesterday toward enlargement of the
National Botanic Garden at it's pres
making it one of the greatest botanic
gardens in the world, when Lieut..
Col. Clarence o. Sheriff., officer in
charge of public buildings and
grounds and executive officer of the
Fine Arts Commission. assured a joint
conference of senators and House
members, who would handle the
necessary legislation. that he is
ready to turn over to the Botanic
Garden the requisite land already
owned by the government.
1t was agreed that land south of
the present site of the Botanic Gar
den, which lies on Pennsylvania ave-
nue. between 1st and Sd streets, and
following the line of the old James
Creek canal bed from Sd street to the
Capitol power plant, and thence
south to the Potomac river, Joining
the grounds Of the War College on
the south and Buzzards point on the
east, should be turned over to the
Jurisdiction of George W. Hess, di-
rector of the Botanic Garden. for de-
velopment.
Resolution to BE Offered.
A joint resolution authorizing the
$ro 10 IN ho NJ
this week in the House by Repre-
sentative John Langley of Kentucky,
chairman of the House committee on
public buildings and grounds, who
has for years been working on this
plan for enlargement and develop
ment of the Botanic Garden at its
location, and in the Senate by Sena-
tor Bert NJ Fernald of Maine. who
is also an enthusiastic supporter of
this proposed development.
The conference Of senators and
House members who agreed upon this
plan of extension and who called into
conference Director Hess of the gar
den and Lieut. Col. Sheriff. and re-
ceived their assurances of hearty CO.
operation, included Senator Fernald
and Representative Langley, chair
men respectively Of the Senate and
House committees on public buildings
and grounds, which committees will
handle the authorization bill; Senator
Edwin S. Broussard Of Louisiana,
representing the Senate library COM
mittee, having jurisdiction over the
Botanic Garden, and Representative
Will r. Wood of Indiana, chairman of
the subcommittee of the House ap-
propriations committee. which ham
dies appropriations for the garden.
Representative Norman ]. Gould of
New York, chairman of the House
library committee, also recorded his
approval of the project and promised
to assist Chairman Langley in put
ting the measure through the House
Comprehensive Plan.
This plan for extension of the gar
den, which has long been advocated
by Director Hess. who is ambitious
to develop it into the greatest boz
tanic garden in the world. and who
has received promises of co-opera-
ton from many foreign countries,
has been approved by Charles Moore.
chairman of the Fine Arts Commits
sion, and Lieut.. Col. Sheriff.. the
secretary and executive officer. II
also works in with the plan recent
ly submitted to Congress by Elliott
Woods, architect of the Capitol and
member of a special commission
on enlarging the Capitol grounds,
who recommends comprehensive
development of the area surrounding
the Capitol. and especially the for
nation of a parkway development
from Union station to the Capitol
and thence south of the Capitol to
the river. Under Architect Woods
plan, the main portion Of the Botanic
Garden would be artistically placed
between the Washington navy yard
and the Army War College.
The proposed development also fits
in with the scheme of parkway de-
velopment to surround the entire
Capital.
Confer for Three Hours.
The Joint conference of Senate and
House members spent more than three
hours on Friday going over the en-
tire area which it is proposed to turn
into greater Botanic Garden, more
than ten times The present size. These
members Of Congress were. partic-
ularly impressed with the great op-
portunity afforded for Identification
Of q section OF the city which has
been notably neglected. and which will
thus be made an important link I'm
the schems OF parkway development
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