Evening star., 1926-04-24
BRUCE EENL|STSA|D
FORL'ENF ANT PLAN
Chairman FernaId and Others
Back Amendment of Build
ing Program.

Congress has an opportunity with
in its grasp to return to the IL Enfant
plan for the development of Washing
ton. the National Capital" said Sena-
tor Bruce of Maryland today. Senator
Bruce is author of an amendment to
the public buildings bill providing that
in the expenditure of the $50, 100000
for public buildings in the District of
Columbia these buildings shall be To-
Gated:
"As nearly in harmony with the
plan of Peter Charles L'Enfant as
may be practicable. in the territory
south of Pennsylvania and New York
avenues and west of Maryland ave
nue., and in such manner as to crafty
the highest standards of architectural
beauty as we'll as practical utility
The public buildings bill, which al
ready has passed the House, is slated
to como up for consideration in the
Senate as soon as the bills for the
settlement of the Belgian and other
foreign debts owing to the United
States have been disposed of-per-
hapS this afternoon, but certainly dur
ing the coming week.
Other Senators Approve
senator Fernald of Maine. chair
man of the public buildings and
grounds committee of the Senate;
also other members of his committee
and of the Senate outside of the com
mittee, have expressed their approval
of the Bruce amendment and of his de-
mand that Congress, now that it has
an oportunity, should establish sys-
tenatic and thorough plan for the
further construction of public build
ingS in Washington, in accordance
with the proposals of Maj. L'Enfant
and George Washington.
With some slight modification, it
is expected that the Bruce amend
ment will be adopted by the Senate.
Senator Smoot of Utah, chairman of
Me Public Buildings Commission, who
has given much study to the needs
of the various departments for office
space in Washington, and Senator
Bruce are, it is said, likely to come
TO some agreement regarding the
amendment that will be satisfactory
10 both.
The Maryland Senator has taken
a broad view of the matter in his
proposal for the future development
of Government building in the Ma
tiona1 Capital. He believes strongly
that there should be a return to the
plan of the original designers Ct the
should own all the property on the
south side of Pennsylvania avenue
from the Capitol to the White House,
and that it's building operations
should be centered in this area and
in the area lying south of New York
avenue west of Seventeenth street.
Many Previous Bills.
Bills were introduced in Congress
many times during the early years
of the present century providing for
the purchase by the Government of
all the property not owned by the
Government on the south side of
Pennsylvania avenue from the Capt.
tol to the White House 10 provide
suitable sites for Government de-
partment buildings. But while the
bills had strong supporters, each
Congress was content to let things
run along without definite action.
Later, however, a numbers of squares
east of Fifteenth street and south Of
Pennsylvania avenue were acquired
by the Government. Furthermore,
the Government in more recent
years has acquired land south of
New York avenue to the west of the
White House.
Senator Bruce said today. while dis
the public buildings bill, that public
building in Washington apparently had
been allowed to proceed haphazardly
without any comprehensive plan. He
pointed out that the wonderful de-
veIopment outlined in the L'Enfant
plan, providing for great buildings
needed by the various departments OF
the Government on the south side OF
PENNSYLVANIA avenue had been allow
ed to go by the board. Senator Bruce
is opposed to the proposal that the
Government purchase the land sur
rounding La Fayette Square upon
which to erect department buildings.
Such a development. he insists, would
result in dwarting the White House.
Text of Amendment.
Senator Bruce's proposed amend
ment to the buildings bill follows:
THAT aside from land that may be
lcquired for enlarging the site of the
Government Printing Office, the sum
of $50, 1000. 900. hereinafter made avail
ablo for projects in the District of
Columbia, shall be used exclusively
tor the purpose of acquiring by pur-
chase, condemnation, or otherwise,
south of Pennsylvania and New York
avenues and west of Maryland avenue,
protracted in a. straight lire TO TWIn-
ing Lake. such sites or additions to
sites as the Secretary Of the Treasury
NAV deem necessary to provide such
suitable office accommodations in the
District of Columbia as are hereinbe
fore mentioned: of constructing ade-
uuate and suitable buildings for the
furnishing of such office acCommoda
lions on said sites or addition to sites,
or on sites already owned by the Gov
ernment south of Pennsylvania and
New York avenues and west of Mary
land avenue as above mentioned, and
of providing suitable approaches to
said buildings, and beautifying and
ambeIlishing their surroundings; it be-
ing the sense of the Congress that the
haphazard practice heretofore pur-
sued by the Government of erecting
or purchasing buildings for such of
flee accommodations north of PennSyl-
Vania avenue should come wholly to an
end, and that suitable provision flor all
such Office accommodations in the fu
lure should, as nearly in harmony with
the plan of Peter Charles L'Enfant as
may be practicable, be made in the
territory south of Pennsylvania and
New York avenues and west of Mary
land avenue, as above mentioned, and
in such manner as to crafty the high
est standards of architectural beauty
AS well as practical utility
.