Evening star., 1925-06-28
CAPITAL GATEWAyS
MAY Be DEVELOPED
Plans to Make Sixteenth
Street Extended Into
Park Considered.

Washington's gateways-attractive
entrances to Indicate to the people OF
the Nation that they are entering
their Capital, the most beautiful CITY
III the World-are receiving much at
tention now from officials and gov
ernntental agencies having them N
charge.
The fiISt step toward the develop.
mcnt of Sixteenth street extended rs
the grand gateway from the North.
leading South directly to the White
House grounds, has been taken hy
the National Capital Park Comnis-
sion, OF which Lieut.. Col. Clarence ..
Sheriff., L. S. Army Engineer Corps.
is executive secretary. The trans
formation of this section, at present
undeveloped, into a beautiful gateway
for traffic from the North, East and
West, has been discussed in official
and civic circles for years. and steps
now are being taken to study the 10
cality and use IL for this purpose be-
fore it becomes lost through the in
roads of the subdivision developers
and builders.
Survey Being Made.
Actual work has been started on the
making of a topographic survey ~
the territory from Alaska avenue.
where Sixteenth street now ends, Il
the District line. The results of this
survey will be used by the commIs-
sion in developing its plans for turn
ing this spot into a gateway to the
city. Although the park commission
has not announced its intention of
purchasing any land in this vicinity,
the announcement that the survey had
been ordered and that II was TO be
used in connection with the plans OF
the commission for making a gateway
is taken as indication that as soon as
the survey is completed there will be
some land purchases there, which
would be necessary in making an en-
trance in keeping with the other
planned approaches to the Capital,
such, for instance, as the Arlington
Memorial Bridge.
The boundary survey between the
District of Columbia and Virginia
from the Key Bridge TO the District
line above the Chain Bridge has just
been completed, and the final maps
are being drawn. When completed.
they will show the topography of this
section TO the tops of the bluffs along
the Virginia shore.
Archibold Survey Completed.
The Archibold parkway survey, in
the western part of the city has been
completed. and the surveyors are near
the Glover parkway. the latter com
prising the land donated by c. {.
Glover for preservation as part Of
the park system of the National Cap
ftal Standard bronze markers are
being used in the laying off of these
tracts.
Bridge May Be Changed.
Engineering problems that have
come up in the preparations for the
construction of this southern ap-
proach will make necessary some
architectural changes in the bridge
as originally drawn, it became known
last night. The matter now is being
studied in the Office OF public build
ings and public parks of the National
Capital. but it has not yet been de
ternlined just what changes will be
necessary. Both Lieut.. Col Sheriff.
and his assistant Maj. J. c. Mehaffey.
in direct charge OF the architectural
work. say that the necessary changes
will not be great, involving probably
some changes in the curvature OF the
arches and the architectural appear
ances of the piers which will support
the great structure. The problems
have been submitted to the architects
and now are being worked out.
The foundations for the field house
in Anacostia Park in the reclaimed
land east of the Eleventh Street Bridge
southeast. are rapidly nearing comple.
ton. and preparations are being made
| to put in the interior columns. This
section is to be transformed into one
of the largest recreation parks
| in the National Capital, with play
grounds for all ages, a stadium.
| running track for field meets. base
| ball diamonds. foot ball gridirons,
| etc.
Roads Being Laid.
The roads in this recreation park
also are being laid. A cinder road has
! been constructed from the field house
| TO the sea wall and parallelinS II has
been completed, and during the past
month 500 cubic yards of clay have
been dumped in the sub grade a this
point and graded.
Preparations also are being made
| for the demolition of the Tidal Basin
bath houses, now that the efforts TO
| have the beach reopened this Summer
have failed. All of the plumbing
| laundry equipment, lockers. mirrors
and fire-fighting equipment have been
removed and stored. This material, II
| Is believed, can be used in the erec
ton of bath houses on such sites. as
Congress authorizes for bathing
beaches when il convenes in the Fall
Elaborate sand boxes for the chill
dren to play in have been provided
and placed in Meridian Hill and Lin
coin Parks, and in the former park
work has been started on the con
struction of the Chaplin street en
trance and the retaining wall on the
Fifteenth street side of the park. The
entrance and retaining wall will be
similar to the wall on the Sixteenth
street side, opposite the Henderson
property.