Evening star., 1925-07-03
IMPETUS GIVEN
REGIONAL PLAN

Continued from First Page)
politan district, with the National
Capital as a center. when representa-
tiveS of Maryland. the Federal Gov
ernment and the District of Columbia
stood at the head of Sixteenth street
where it joins with Alaska avenue,
and conferred as to the treatment of
the extension of this thoroughfare.
which is to be opened this Summer
This extension will be the gateway to
the Capital City from the north. east
and west. In a few minutes of con-
ference on the scene, a matter was
decided that would have taken months
by correspondence, and at its conclu
sion all were satisfied.
The high hill which dominates Six
teenth street at this point is to be
preserved-some day to carry an i'm
posing memorial. The contour of the
land there is TO be preserved, and it
marks the abandonment of deep cuts,
big fills and open eXpanses of red clay
to mar the landscape until foliage
grows. 1t marks a new step in city
planning, when the natural contours
of land will be preserved for the ad
miration of future generations.
The Conferees, who were there to
examine the plats and plans and who
openly gave their opinions. which re-
suited in a mutual agreement which
will rule the decision of the District
officials who have charge, were former
Senator Blair Lee of Maryland, Maj.
f. Brooke Lee, secretary of state of
Maryland; Representative Zihlman,
chairman of the House District COM
mittee; Col. J. Franklin Bell, Engineer
Commissioner of the District of Co
lumbia; Lieut.. Col. Clarence 0. Sher-
rill. director of the office of public
buildings and public parks of the Ma
tional Capital; Maj. Raymond Wheeler,
assistant engineer commissioner OF
the District of Columbia: Lacey Shaw,
county commissioner of Montgomery
County, in charge of the section ad-
joining the District of Columbia; Vim
ton d. Cockey, department engineer
for the Washington Suburban SAM
tary Commission of Maryland: Melvin
Hazen, surveyor of the District of Co
lumbia, and Blair Lee. jr.
Coils. Bell and Sheriff. brought with
them plats showing a proposed de-
Velopment of this gateway in the
form of a park. Just north of the
junction of Sixteenth street with
Alaska avenue it was proposed to
split the highway and have it go
around a large parkway. which would
some memorial, but the main idea was
to save the high hill which overlooks
the entire territory to the south.
Senator Lee did not agree wholly
with this scheme. He said he believed
that the grade could be saved there
but that the present idea in highways
was to keep them straight and open.
He found fault with some of the
circles and squares at present in
70 ah{ tnh 90 nj ~
circuitous route to reach a given
point. He said that the hill could be
saved for the future, and if ii was
determined later to develop
memorial a statue or a gateway
there, it might take the form of a
gigantic arch, such as the Arch de
Triumphe of Paris.
The main idea in city planning, Col.
Bell pointed out, was 10 save such
land in as nearly it's natural state as
possible-to preserve 1t for future
treatment, so that generations later
could not say that those before them
had not looked ahead. With the idea
in mind of saving this HILL there was
open discussio nof possibilities and
plans, and it was finally decided that
there would be no cut through the hill
1t is probable that the grade will
change to a slightly sleeper one from
Alaska avenue north, so as to give
the proposed entrance as imposing a
heighth as possible.
That it is the general idea for the
Maryland people to eventually tie IN
with this imposing entrance to the
Capital was made known by Maj. E.
Brooke Lee. People of Chevy Chase.
Kensington and the suburbs lying
northwest of this territory want to
have their main road come into this
thoroughfare, and they do not favor
the circle. They want the gateway
to look as attractive from the north
as it is proposed to have it from
the south.
The Distric. bowed to its northern
neighbor and acquiesced in its re-
quests, through it's Engineer Conn
missioner The Federal Government,
represented by Col. Sheriff. of the
executive and Representative Zihl-
man of the legislative branch, gave
it's approval. and Maryland was
pleased. as evidenced by her repre-
sentatives, Mai. Lee. Lacey Shaw and