Evening star., 1926-09-15

| mission believes should not be pro
vided for in an administrative once
building The commission argues
that not merely the central sector
skirting Pennsylvania avenue, put th'
entire District of Columbia, 1s the
CAPITAL OF the United States, and ina
the Federal buildings should be scat
tered all over this District. Win ths
widespread use OF the automobne'
distance OF three to seven miles aoes
not count amy more, members OF lns
commission say. and the scalleTine y,
the army of employees to all parts "
the District would help to solve
Washincton's peculiar traAac prop
lem. 1t is recalled that the commls
sion tried to impress this saIhe view
upon the Roosevelt commission nearly
a quarter of century ago.
AS all important step in the com
missions plan to decentrallze w ASH
ington and to build up all parts ol
the District, the commission VIII rec,
ommend that large parcels or lano
he ACQUIRED where each important
avenue crosses the District line So
as to provide for a monumental en-
trance Conferences have ALREADY
been held with the National CapAai
Park and. City Planning Commission
ut which IL was especially recon-
mended that prompt action be TAKEN
In securing land at both ennS oi
ssachusetts avenue for monu.
mental entrances and plans prepared
for outlets into Maryland at either
end. 1t was pointed out that 'Masst.
chusetts il. the longest avenue, ana.
in fact. the only one running stfSusn n'
through the District from one Siue
to the other, distance OF III mlIes
The plan is to get plenty OF laIid heaA
the intersection of MassacnuSet's
avenue and Alabama avenue on lhe
east. while the western end Is !ios
far from the Reservoir grounds, ~u!
now it runs up against blank Wsan
of dirt. The commission insists tIi1*
now is the time to get this tand pe'
fore 1t is occupied.
viii Protect White House.
The Commission of Fine Arts ato.
will have a heart-to-heart discussioh
looking toward improving conolllolis
1,,rro,tnding the White House, ano
especially Of the square 10 the w.
of LAFAYETTE Park. 1t is here ina,
the public Buildings Commission hao
MANNED to locate the new State DE
nartment Building. :. The Fine arts
t%ommission has expressed a fear tha'
the environs of the White House may
he allowed to deteriorate as the UT
angle on the south side OF Pennsyl
yania avenue did. The commlsSioI
wants to Government to acquire the
entire area between Pennsylvania
avenue. Seventeenth street, Ii Stree'
and jackson place.
The Fine Arts Commission at lts
meeting tomorrow also will voice
strenuous opposition to the plans o.
the supervising architects office &c
eliminate the proposed dome from the
new central or pavilion building FOL
the Department of Agriculture. AZ
the first meeting of the Public Build
ings Commission Senator Swanson
made a speech advocating the genera
policy that all OF the Federal build
ings. especially for the great depart
ments of government, should be hrS'
class and of the highest grade. Tha'
was unanimously agreed to by the
commission. At the time the tWt
marble wings for the Department Of
Agriculture, now occupied by the Blu
reaus Of Plant Industry and Anima
Industry were erected, plans were
drawn for the central or pavilion
building with a dome.
People from all over the country
standing on the Lincoln Memoria
and looking eastward along the vista
OF the Mall to the Capitol dome, car
see the dome surmounting the New
National Museum. The dome on thu
central building of the Department
of Agriculture has been designed tc