Evening star., 1927-10-30
GROUP TO bEAUT|FY
CITY GATES URGED
Orig. Gen. T. P. Kane Pro.
.:sv
: poses Association to Co.
operate on Park Plans.

With The purpose to properly
frame the beautiful picture of Wash
ington, the Nations Capital" an as
sociation of nationally known civic
leaders who will cooperate with the
Commission Of Fine Arts, the Nationa
Capital Park and Planning Commits
sion, the District Commissioners and
other officials for beautifying the ap
crnachcs and fittingly marking the en-
frances to Washington is proposed by
,Erig. Gen. 7. Porter Kane, I. 5. NJ
fctied.
Vs. conferences with Charles Moore.
chairman of the Commission of Fine
Arts Mai Carey Brown. engineer of
ficer Of the National Capital Park and
Planning Commission: Col William Is.
.1Ladue, Engineer Commissioner, and
with charmen of House and Senate
committees on the District and on
public buildings and grounds will be
sought during the coming week by
Gen. Kane 10 formulate plans as to
how civic leaders can best assist the
officials
1.-THE plan Of placing memorial arch
ways or other markers at each of the
main entrances to the Capital City.
90 that tourists might know just when
fIley entered the City of Washington.
his been in contemplation for many
years. In the famous Mcmillan report
on the park system of the District of
Columbia. printed in 1902. and edited
hy Charles Moore. now chairman of
the Commission of Fine Arts, which
Brings the Washington and L'Enfant
Dian up-to-date. the placing of me-
mortal markers on the principal ap-
pgo3cheS was urged.
Il Mcmillan Report Quoted.
report states:
+ Several of the great radial ave-
Aues extending from the Capitol and
the White House climb the hills en-
eircling the city and on the crest of
these hills superb sites are found for
Shining memorials standing out
against the sky. Often these VistaS
terminate on some faT-oif bill, where
q simple white shelter will prove the
most effective treatment. In other
instances the hill crestS are in the
midst Of a populous region, and in
these cases the treatment should be
on a more comprehensive scale. For
example. at the head of North Capt.
the Soldiers Home should be built;
2nd the sharp rise Of Sixteenth street
Should carry an imposing arch, such
as the one projected as memorial
to William Mckinley"
!, This is quoted by Gen. Kane as
illustrating the specialized study TO
be made of each particular approach
and the topography of the land SO
that each entrance would have indi-
Sidual treatment, to take the utmost
advantage OF its particular conditions
and opportunities.
: Commission to Study Project.
!. The improvement and beautifica-
Hon, landscaping and impressive
marking of these approaches to the
sCapital City will he one of the prin-
icipal projects in the Washington de-
yelopment program to be given inten-
;sive study this Winter by the Com
Emission of Fine Arts DR.. Mo ore for
80 years has been interested particu-
:larly in such a framing Of the Capt.
tal and to impress all visitors. Now
,1hat he has resigned from his former
Guties as chief of the manuscript
.livision in the Library CT Congress
10 devote all of his time to duties
:as chairman of the Commission OF
sITine Arts. he will specialize on the
hitting adornment OF the approaches.
I. The National Capital Park and
planning Commission is ready for
concerted action on this same PROPOSE
stion. Maj. Brown has just made an
inspection of these approaches. and
Us having studies made of how to get
.the best vistas from all these points
.of vantage in the outskirts of the city.
"The National Capital Park and
planning Commission is desirous of
purchasing as soon as possible a suffi-
.cient area around all of these en-
frances SO as to afford q parkway
sentrance as well as a site for
memorial arch or such other struc-
sture as a survey of each particular
region shows is most desirable.
Gen. Kane, who is native of
Annapolis and throughout his entire
life interested in the growth and de-
svelcpment of the Capital, who is an
Annapolis classmate OF Secretary Will
sbur and of Maj. Gen. John A. Le-
sJeune, commandant Of the Marine
Corps. believes that every resident Of
ithe Capital and every visitor to the
.Capital and every resident of the
whole United States should be
:actively supporting this plan "to
properly frame the beautiful picture
sof our Capital City" Being a re-
tired officer, he has time which he is
willing to use in furthering this plan
sby bringing civic zeal into co-opera-
:tion with the work planned by the
soficials.
Extensive Research Planned.
Extensive research at the Library
of Congress and elsewhere is
planned by Gen. Kane to show what
nfh in ha
way of setting up memorial en-
frances and embellishing the APP
lproaches, and to provide material for
"a series of lectures before organiZa.
tions here and throughout the
country.
1T is shocking to find the entrances
to Washington now marked most con-
Epicuously by hot dog stands, tobacco
and cigarette advertisements and
what-not glarirg placards," he said.
This is true Of other cities, as we'll
es Washington, where the first view
is @the worst and gives visitors the
lasting impression that the city is
dirty and unkempt. But Washington
81 different and should be kept differ
ent. Visitors come here from all over
the world and from every State in tho
Union. drawn by love of country and
ell that this city epiton1izes and visual
tzs5.s Each visitor should know just
when he crosses the line entering the
seat OF government. His first view
OF the city from which radiates the
seifgoverning power Of the greatest
Nation in TIE world should be as i'm
pressiye as possible. The vista down
all the great avenues Of entrance
should be opened up ard beautiiicd
We have here the most beautiful city
in the world, end we must properly
fraTne 1t. We must not allow the edge
TO be frayed and raggy and dirty.
II know that there are mary earnest
civic workers and patriotic citizens
who will be glad to support a drive