Evening star., 1925-11-29

mates part OF the ramshackle dis
creditahi- building environment on
the north side as we'll as ON the south
side of PENNSYLVANIA avenue just
west Of the Capitol grounds. But to
make this more positiv" and certain,
and to give substantive, unevasive
law for cleaning up the whole dis
graceful and dilapidated appearance
Of Pennsylvania avenue and thus pro
viding uuequalled building sites for
public buildings that viii have both
architectural beauty and structural
utility, Representative Charles l..
Inderhill OF Ma sachusetts, an active
member Of the House District com
mittec, Introduced specific legislation
in the last Congress authorizing an
appropriation of $4,000 000 to enable
the Government to bug tie necessary
properties.
Representative UnderhillS measure
was favorably reported to he House
by the House District com hittee, but
failed Of consideration in he closing
jam of legislation He will -enew his
efforts at the incoming session OF the
new Congress and has been assured
of hearty support from colleagues in
all parts of the country, especially
since the need of better housing for
the myriad activities of the Govern
nlent in the Capital City has been dis
closed.
Building Program to Come Up.
Congress will about the same time
consider another bill to carry out
President Coolidge'S recommendation
of a $50 900 600 public building pro
gram for Washington. so that exist
ing tiretraps in which many thou
sands of Government employees and
priceless records of the Government
are daily haZarded may he torn down
and overcrowded and widely scattered
agencies of the Government may be
concentrated in closely grouped build
ings In the interest of humanity,
economy and efficiency.
Thus is seen the close relation be-
tween the authorized B street exten-
sion Ito be a Way of Heroes, the
general cleaning up of Pennsylvania
avenue and the proper housing of
Government work in Government
owned buildings-in a practical, sys-
tematic and hopeful project to carry
along the plan of L'Enfant and
Washington.
The development Of B street into a
Way of Heroes and the rec!ama-
ton of Pennsylvania avenue should
go hand-in hand. Congress should
make definite authorization as soon
as possible on the proposal OF Repre-
sentative Underhill that the b street
development may be closely co.ordi-
mated with the Pennsylvania avenue
project.
The Heart Of the Capital.
This is the very heart of the Cap
ital PENNSYLVANIA avenue Is the
great historic thoroughfare and
parade ground of the Nation. 1t
stretches $50 feet wide from Capitol
Hill and the Capitol Building, with
;ts swelling dome, to the Treasury
and White House. Here have al
ready been located three OF the most
important institutiQns-the caldron or
legislation. the strongbox of the Ma
tion's funds and the sanctuary work
shop of the Executive. The hundreds
Of thousands of tourists who come to
their Capital City every year from
every town, village and hamlet
throughout the United States are
chagrined and affronted by the
novels and barracks they see lining
the country's greatest Main street y
from the Capitol to the White House
It was to meet this condition af
fronting all the people Of the coun
try that Representative Tnderhill In
troduced his measure, which while II
links in with the B street develop
ment also more essentially aims a,
the redemption Of the main street ol
the Nation.
To get an enlightened picture of the
Underhiil proposition one must un
derstand that between historic Penn
sylyania avenue and the publlc gar
den, or Mall, of L'Enfant's plan. there
is a triangle containing some 20 TO 81
acres of land not owned by the GOV
ernment, which when the process OF
transforming it began furnished ar
entirely unworthy setting and en-
yironment for one side of PennSylva
MIA avenue. This space Is clearly es
sential, in the very nature OF Things
to public purposes. to the sites OF pub
lie buildings with park approaches
and surroundings.
Wholesale Purchase Best.
The law has already placed within
this triangle the Capitafs Munlclpa
Building and the Nations Post once
Department, and in prospect otheI
huildinps for the Justice, Commerce
state and Labor Departments, and
FOR properly safeguarding the archives
Years ago three blocks in this triangle
were condemned and bought by the
Government specifically as the sites
of new buildings for the State. JUS
tice and the then Commerce ana La
Dor" Departments.
Obviously the wise and economical
method of handling the situation was
to condemn the whole triangle at once
that the public buildings to be placed
in it might with their approaches ano
rreensward environment be located lr
a proper relation to one another anC
TO the Mall on one side and to the
broad avenue and parade ground or
the other.
Congress, however, having acquired
only a fraction of that land, attacked
the problem piece-meal, increasing by
each condemnation the price to he
paid for the remainder and constantly
STRENGTHENING the impulse OF narrow
short sighted economists to abandon
the campaign for redemption ane
adornment of Pennsylvania avenue
and to confiscate the peoples park OF
the Mall as free sites for public build
ingS.
Now comes Representative Under
hill and his supporters to the rescue
Favored in Last Congress.
The report which the House Dis
A.. t. I, l.Nr@ 49,,