Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-03-11
FUTURE LOCATION
OF GAEESIN DOUBT
Ornaments West of White
House Will Be Used Here
When Removed.

The historic gates across lSNecu'
tive avenue between the White House
and the State, War and Navy BulId-
ing. the removal of which was au'
thorized in a bill which passed on the
closing day of Congress, will probably
not be removed for some time.
If and when they are removed. they
will be relocated somewhere IN the
National Capital and not be gwen
away to some other community or 10
whoever does the job Of 'wrecking.
The Commission of FINE Arts ana
several citizens associations are
active to have these gates preserved
in the Capital City.
Senator Jones Of Washington has
for years prevented the removal OF
these gates on the ground that too
many of the old landmarks are DelnS
destroyed The bin as it passed the
House provided lin the interest oil
safety to the public TO remove the
gates and piers now standing in West
Executive avenue The Senate in
serted an amendment which prohibited
removal of the stone gate posts, ana
in this, during the closing rush, the
House cOncurred. SO. as matters now
stand. the gates can be taken down
but the stone pillars which are the
be removed, and there is no appro-
priation for doing the work.
Hayes Wants Gates.
Meanwhile, Col Webb Hayes, eldest
son of former President Rutherford
e. Hayes, has again started negotia-
tions to have the gates turned over to
him to be placed at the entrance 10
the Hayes estate in Fremont, Ohio,
which has been given as public
park.
The director of public buildings and
public parks of the National Capital,
who is authorized to remove the gates,
finds that he has no authority to give
them away, and there is a growing
demand that he shall not give them
away.
Charles Moore, chairman of the Fine
Arts Commission, points out that the
gates could well be used in the pro
gram of that commission to have
each of the principal entrances to the
National Capital marked with memo
rial arches or gates. He suggests that
the Executive avenue, gates should be
placed at one of the entrances from
Maryland, so that any tourist might
know when he was entering the
Capital City.
This suggestion will be considered at
meeting of the Montgomery County
Civic Federation next Monday night.
This federation will advocate placing
these gates either at the District line
on the Rockville road, on the Con
necticut avenue entrance mean Chevy
Chase circle, on the Seventh street
pike or along the Conduit road.
Citizens are Interested.
In the meantime, citizens associa-
tons in the District are becoming in
terested. Last week the Central Citi-
zens' Association advocated making
North Capitol street Great White
Way and boulevard to the Mary
land suburbs. The North Capitol
Citizens Association at it's next meet
ing will consider and expects to pass
resolution asking that these gates
be placed at a long-planned entrance
to the Soldiers Home grounds at the
head of North Capitol street. These
grounds are one of the most attrac-
tive parks in the city, second in size
only to Rock Greek Park. From one
of the elevations in the far north part
of the Soldiers Home near the United
States Cemetery is a Capitol Vista. .
along the line of North Capitol street
1t has long been the plan of the Fine
Arts Commission and the city plan
ners to have a memorial gate to the
Soldiers Home grounds at the head
of North Capitol street.
Henry Gilligan, president of the
North Capitol Citizens Association,
says that association is eager to CO
operate with the city planners for
such an improvement and is eager to
get the gates from West Executive
avenue relocated at such an ideal
place.
When Pillars Were Placed.
The pillars and gates in West Ex-
ecutive avenue were placed there be-
tween 1872 and 1875. Originally the
sites occupied by the Treasury and
State, War and Navy buildings were
part of the White House grounds,
originally the Presidents Square, -
comprising about 20 acres. During
the Grant administration, when the
disfiguring iron fences which bordered
the circular walks of the North
grounds were removed and the lawn
thrown open to the present spacious
proportions, the two Executive ave
nues to the west and east of the Man
sion on line with Madison and Jack
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