Evening star., 1922-04-14

'front.' 70 their esthettc expecta-
uons-that visitors to the capi-
tai of the nation get when they
emerge from. Union station and take
their FIRST view Of the Capitol build
ing probably win be corrected soon.
Congress, which besides making
the nations laws, has direct and ex-
elusive jurisdiction over the Capital
city. hascome to realize that in this
most beautiful city In the world
and the "city Of magnificent dis
tances." the vista from the Union
station to the Capitol Is decidedly
unbeautiful and gives tho people from
all over the country who come here
because they feel a great pride in
their capital a decidedly wrong i'm
preston.
Those who have the Improvement,
development and Identification OF the
Capital city most deeply, Mt heart. In.
cluding Elliott Woods. architect OF
the Capitol and a member Of the
commission on extension of the Capt:
lol grounds. are making a concerted
effort to get this eyesore removed
and events in the last couple OF
months indicate that at last they
are likely to succeed.
X X
When the international conference
on limitation of armament was COM
ing to the capital the District Com
| missioners, cooperating with Lieut.
Col. Clarence o. Sheriff., the officer
! in charge of public buildings and
grounds, got so heartily ashamed OF
the piles of old tin cans and general
junk that occupied several lots OF
land between the Union station and
the Capitol-on which the visitors
eyes would first rest--and they start
ed cleanup campaign. They got
which owns some of this land, to pay
the cost of cleaning up these rubbish
piles.
Next came Elliott Woods. with a
report to the House committee on
public buildings and grounds, In
development and extension Of the
Capitol grounds to the Union sta
ton on the north and through to
the Potomac river on the south,
which would make the Capitol
grounds the gem setting in Wash
ington's most beautiful parkway
system.
The plans Of Architect Woods pro-
pose to place the Capitol building
most attractively and appropriately
before the gaze of the incoming tour
lists and to have clustered about the
Capitol related buildings, such as the
Senate and House office buildings, the
Library of Congress. the archives hall
and the general auditing offices, which
would give the Capitol an architectural
as we'll as artistic nature setting.
The development of the National
Eof MI IN he D.
tanic garden in the world is included
in Architect Woods plan. which would
have it occupy all of the territory
south of the Capitol to the Potomac
river and lying between the Army
War College and the Washington
navy yard. Thus il would become a
sort of corner stone Of the entire park
way system of the District OF Coiumbia'
X
This suggestion was promptly act
ed upon, and the land is now in proc
ess of being turned over to Director
George w. Hess of the Botanic Gar
den The joint committee on the
library, the Fine Arts Commission and
the officer in charge of public build
ings and grounds are all co-operat-
ing in this great improvement.
An equally important step toward
| this development Of the Capitol plaza
was taken a few days ago, when At
torney General Daugherty made a
report to Congress in response to a
Senate resolution relative to the
steps necessary to complete the ac-
QUESTION of lands between the Capt.
tol and Union station. 1t may rough
ly be stated that the government has
acquired about so per cent of the
total of land involved. The acquisi-
ton of the rest has been held up by
litigation and is owned by the Balti-
more and Ohio railroad.
Under the act OF Jnne 20, 1910. a
commission was created to acquire
these lands by purchase or condemna-
ton. and three appropriations of
$500. 900 each have been made for