Evening star., 1927-12-07

New-fangled notions in architecture
will not be allowed to sway the char
| acter of the great monumental stTuc
lures which the Government is rearing
in the Capital, Secretary Mellon today
| assured Congress in recommending
the triangle plan" of development.
1.-The department" he said in his an
nual report, has not failed to note
| the opinions of those who see in such
q project a great opportunity Tor cast
| ing aside the established precedent IN
architectural forms and following IN
! the wake of those who see progress
only in the employment OF new forms
and new relationships of forms But
for the National Capital there are
other considerations involved.
1.-THE early builders" said the Sec
retary. who is charged with carrying
| forward the great public building pro-
gram, have here set very definite
stamp on the character of buildings
erected for the Federal Government,
and the spirit of this Is sufficiently
marked to have become a tradition
which may not be lightly disregarded.
Unified individuality.
'It seems eminently fitting that the
United States Government should
cherish it's national inheritance and
should perpetuate in the Capital the
general spirit of the architectural
character expressed in the best of the
earlier Government buildings in Wash
ington. With this in view, the new
buildings will take on the character
of the eighteenth century adaptation
of the classic style. seeking to main
tain such a mea sure of difference in
the treatment of the several buildings
rs may be necessary to obtain a uni.
fed individuality, free from the monot-
ony of a stereotyped repetition"
Without going into details as to the
actual progress made on the buildings
already under way, Secretary Mellon
discussed the program from broad
viewpoint, and declared that the
plans laid down for the area which
has come to be known as the Penn
sylvania avenue triangle will "give op-
portunity for the placement of eight
other federal buildings in an orderly
and related way in addition to the
three now authorized"
I'm the composition Of the general
layout" he said, great care has been
exercised to avoid concentration in
the so-called triangle area. With a
grouping of public buildings which
are to be used for the purposes in
view, there is real problem involved
in avoiding congestion OF traffic Incl
dent to the assemblage Of the large
number of people employed in the
buildings and those coming to this
area for the transaction of business.
The difficulty in question is avoided
by introducing into the scheme a
large open plaza which not only serves
the purpose of opening up the general
plan but also forms a major point of
interest when treated with planting
and framed with monumental build.
ings.
Plans Secondary Plaza.
''In further extension of this princi-
pie secondary plaza, circular in plan,
occurs adjoining the first, from which
through openings of ample size a
vista is obtained between the two open
spaces, bringing into composition
that imaginative element which is
so essential to success In planning a
project of this kind. With these open
spaces and a proper treatment of
streets and parkways, with the pos.
sibility of subsurface levels for auto.
mobile parking, and provisions by
which rapid transit facilities and We.
hicular and pedestrian traffic may ef.
fectively operate, a comprehensive so.