Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-06-27
MORE BEAUTIFUL
CAPITAL ASSURED
Legislation Now Passed Is
to Give Means for Great
Transformation Here.
BY WILL. p. KENNEDY.


The National Capital is about TO
undergo ii wonderful transformation
| and development as q result of leGls-
| lation recently passed The work will
be we'll started this Summer. with
| appropriations which have been rec
commended by tho Budget Bureau and
! the House appropriations committee,
| and on which the House will take fav-
i orabe action early this week.
This development includes:
On. Giving the National Capital
| proper front yard. and framing the
! Capitol Building, which usually repre-
sents the self-governing power of the
| American people. in an imposing vista
! for people from all parts of the coun-
| try who get their first view of their
| Capitol from the Union Station.
! Vice President Dawes. Speaker
| Longworth and David Lynn, archi-
! tect of the Capitol, constituting
| Plaza commission, are to meet Tues
| day morning with representatives OF
| the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Co.
| and the Real Estate and In
vestment Go. Of Baltimore City
! THE railroads realty holding corpora
| tom to consider a proposal of what
the company viii accept for its hold
| ingS of land between Union Station
and the Capitol. In 1910 Congress,
by legislation, declared its intent ult-
| mately to acquire all Of l2 squares in
that area OF the 1.325.2o4 square
feet IN these - squares, the Govern
ment has already acquired $685.
square feet and the companies still
own G35.13 square feet. The com
panies submitted to the House com
mittce on public buildings and
grounds an offer to SILL for S3,129.-
597 64 There is in the Federal Treas
ury an unexpended balance of S1,79S.
1922 toward paying for this
property.
Wetmore Report.
More than - years ago Senator
Wetmore of Rhode Island, in an Off
cial report TO Congress, urged the
purchase OF this land. as follows;
THE squares between the Capitol
and the Union Station Plaza provided
for in this bill should be acquired by
the Government. to prevent the pos
sibility OF any structures being erect
ed not in architectural harmony with
the character Of the existing Capitol
group, which represents an invest
ment by the Government of over
$34 900 900. AS IL large part of this
area is without any Improvement
whatever. II would seem, from an
economical standpoint. that the Con
gress should act promptly and before
the value of the land contemplated
becomes greatly enhanced in value.
THE people of the country have
heretofore approved, and will not
now or in the future criticize, except
favorably. the expenditure of money
upon the surroundings of the Capitol
Building. though involving large.
sums. if made on broad and liberal
lines and in accordance with we'll con-
sidered plans.
THE Union Station is the gateway
of the Nation through which the
people of all parts of our country pass
and get their first view and impress
sion of the Capital City o. the Ma
ton. In view of this. no site in the
District equals this one in Importance
or is more worthy of appropriate de-
velopment. and no Disagreement or
mistreatment of the area between the
Union Station and the Capitol group
should be permitted"
After IS years of waiting both
houses of Congress have approved
the purchase and the President has
signed the act. 1t now awaits only
an agreement by this Plaza Commits
sion on an equitable price-or failing
ton proceedings. There is little
doubt that the land will be acquired
through agreement on price.
Following that. the unsightly, so
called Government Hotels" thrown
up during war days to house war
workers, will be torn down. This area
will be developed as formal gardens
and parkway. An avenue 100 feet
wide, the same width as Pennsylvania
avenue, will be constructed from
Union Station to the Peace Monu-
ment.
Boulevard of Heroes"
.. Linked in with this enlarge
ment and development of the Capitol
grounds, there has already been 2u-
thoriZed, as part of the Arlington
Memorial Bridge project, the straight
ening and widening of 3 street north
west, which will be run as q broad
avenue from the north side of the
Capitol to Lincoln Memorial. This
is designed to be a boulevard of
Heroes" along which corteges for the
hero dead of the Nation will pass,
over Arlington Memorial Bridge to
the Nations Valhalla on the green
hillside across the river.
The strengthening of street will
leave a park space between Penn
sylvania avenue and B street, to the
northwest of Peace Monument. which
will add to the attractive setting of
the Capitol, matching up with the
Mall on the south side of the avenue.
a section of which is now occupied
by the National Botanic Garden.
1t is expected that within the next
few days, under suspension of the
rules, favorable action will be taken
on the bill for removal and enlarge.
ment of the Botanic Garden. These
plans call for a relocation of the gar
den on the south side of Maryland
avenue, with a big conservatory
erected on land now occupied by a
gasoline station, a bakery, a colored
church. a stone yard, an old school
house and some ramshackle houses.
Early action on this measure is urged
so that, with the new site determined,
preparations may be made for moving
the famous Bartholdi Fountain, which
is now in the Botanic Garden, out of
the Mall and onto the new site, so
that work may progress unimpeded
upon the Meade Memorial and the
general cleaning up of the Mall, to
give an unsurpassed vista from the
Capitol to Washington Monument and
the Lincoln Memorial.
New Federal Buildings.
2. The second deficiency appropri-
alton bill, now up for consideration in
the House under general debate" and
which will be approved by the House
early this week, carries an immediate