Evening star., 1927-05-02
LINKED BUILDINGS
|. PROPOSED IN NEW
TRIANGLE PROGRAM
Arts Commission Suggests
Structures Connected by
Upper PaSsageWayS.
HUGE PLAZA PLANNED
AT 18TH AND AVENUE
Project Would Turn Affected East
and West Streets Into
Courtways.

Planned as a radical departure
from the suggested treatment Of the
triangle between Pennsylvania ave.
nue. and r streets, Fifteenth street
and the Capitol, the Commission Of
Fine Arts today laid before Secretary
of the Treasury Mellon an entirely
new concept OF the Government
building program, providing for a
practically continuous line OF build
ings from the Capitol to Fifteenth
street. connected by arched passage
ways on the upper stories.
The plan provides for establish
ment of a great plaza at the inter
section of Fifteenth street and Penn
sylvania avenue, las one Of the great
features OF the city," and removal OF
the street car tracks from Fifteenth
street to Fourteenth street, thence to
New York avenue.
Another unusual feature OF the
plan aas outlined by the fine arts body
is that the east and west streets in
the triangle may be disregarded as
open streets and become simply court
Ways of street width between the
great group of Government buildings
whose upper floors will be connected
Dy pdSSaEeWdSS
Based OH Louvre Plan.
The Fine Arts Commission has lin
mind a conception somewhat similar
to that of the Louvre and Palais Royal
in Paris, great French government
buildings, 500 feet or more In length.
| 1t suggests that the area between b
| street. Pennsylvania avenue. Four
teenth street and Fifteenth street, be
fhnFo
no separation along d street of the
| buildings intended for the Depart
ment of Justice and the Department
of Commerce, the buildingsHo be con-
nected by passageways over ID street.
Frederic A. DeIano. chairman of The
American Civic Association; Frederic
Law Olmsted and Milton B. Medary
have been appointed members OF a
| special committee to take UP and con-
| slider the plans outlined by the Fine
| Arts Commission with Secretary Mel
| lon.
Legislation touching on development
| of the Mall area, the Fine Arts Com
| mission believes. involves virtual ex-
tension of the Mall to Pennsylvania
avenue, so the great central compost
ton of washington shall have har-
monious treatment throughout the
entire area The north side OF Penn
sylvania avenue. the commission be-
lieves, at least as far east as Seventh
street. cannot now be changed in
essential characteristics.
Plan as Submitted.
The plan of the commission, as
submitted to Secretary Mellon by
Charles Moore, chairman of the fine
arts committee, follows:
81 The purpose of Congress, as
shown in the debates for the past 20
years or more, has been not only 10
clean up the south side of Peunsyl-
vania avenue. but also to develop be-
tween that avenue and the Mall a
series of notable buildings, which,
while housing Government activities,
shall represent the dignity and the
power of the Nation. 1t was with
this end in view that Congress pro
vided. in legislating for Memorial
Bridge, a great thorOuShfare to begin
at the Capitol itself and extend
through the city of Washington TO
the Potomac and the Lincoln Memo
rial.
Another important step has been
taken by the purchase Of the GROUNDS
between the Capitol and the Union
Station and provision for broad ave-
nue. connecting those grounds with
L
"All Of this legislation involves the
virtual extension of the Mall to Penn.
sylvania avenue, so that the great CEN
trail composition of Washington shall
have a harmonious treatment through
out the entire area. This purpose Is To
he subserved by the erection between
Pennsylvania avenue and 3 street OF
buildings of the highest possible char
acter. This purpose can be carried out
adequately and successfully by consid-
ering the landscape as well as the ar
chitecture. Nobility in buildings in
wolves due relation to the spaces they
dominate.
Special Treatment Required.
"2 Your own ideas, expressed at
the discussions of the general charac-
ter of the buildings to be erected. in
dicate that you have this treatment in
mind. The question then is as TO how
this purpose, so clearly expressed by
Congress. representing the legislative
department, and you as tho representa-.
tive of the executive department of
the Government. shall be attained.
"3. 1t has always been recognized
that the north side of Pennsylvania
avenue, at least so far as Seventh
street. cannot now be changed in it's
essential character as a space to he
ings. In the nature of things, the
architecture Of these buildings will
continue TO be heterogeneous. It may
be expected, however, that ultimately
all of this area will be built up TO
the height established.
The south side of the Avenue. on
the other hand, requires a special
treatment so as to differentiate ii from
the north side. In the opinion of the
Commission of Fine Arts, the line OF
Pennsylvania avenue on the south
side should clearly mark the diagonal
of the Avenue. This can best be
attained by heavy planting of large
trees, giving the effect of continuity
so far down as Seventh street. There
the Mall treatment asserts itself.
From Seventh TO Third street the
will front both Avenue and
Mall. In this connection this commits
sion recommends that the services OF
a landscape architect be secured to
assist in the plan for the triangle.
a. The Commission of Fine Arts
recommends that there be a strong
end to Pennsylvania avenue at Fif-
teenth street. The dignity Of the
avenue requiring some adequate dem
onstratiOn at this point. This
demonstration should not be under
taken in a feeble manner. but should
be studied as one of the great features
of the city. Today this space is con-
gested to high degree, and with the
development of b street as the great
thoroughfare from the Capitol to the
Lincoln Memorial and the Memorial
Bridge. into which city streets are
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