Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-09-23
| EMF ANT PARKWAY
PLAN IS APPROVED
Architects Would Complete
CapitoI-to Monument
Boulevard by 1892.

Tor fuitlllment.
To honor the memory Of this gifted
foreign engineer, who rests in Airing
ton, the American Institute of Archi
tectS proposes that his plan of mag
nifcent parkway running from the west
ern front of the Capitol to the foot of
the washington Monument, be carried
out in time for the 2O0th anniversary
of the birth of George Washington.
Although L'Enfant's plan for laying
out the Capital City has been pro-
nounced sound by experts time and
again, the swelling stature of grow
ing community seemed at times to
threaten its existence and on at least
one occasion his splendid vision Of the
Mall as it ultimately would be seemed
doomed.
Roosevelt Credited.
This was when the Pennsylvania
Railroad Co. commenced to build
huge viaduct system to bring its trains
into the very heart of the city,
There are two stories as to how the
Mall was saved from this archlteCtu-
rally ruinous step. One is that Presi-
dent Roosevelt. swinging his traditional
'big stick got in touch with certain
railroad officials and convinced them
that they were ravaging the clty's
beauty and that the site where the
Union Station now stands was better
suited to their purposes anyhow.
The other has it that Daniel H.
Burnham, prominent member of the
famous Mcmillan committee, got in
touch with President CasSatt of the
railroad company and took him to the
western steps of the Capitol From
this vantage spot he drew an oral pic
ture of the scenic loneliness which
would be possible if the diSflguring sta
ton were removed. Mr.. CaSSett, it IS
said, became sold" on the idea and
consented to the removal of the sta
ton.
The plan now under consideration
for the Mall development is an out
growth of a movement for nationwide
memorial services each May 80, under
the direction of the chapters of the In
Stitute of Architects in honor of leaders
in the architectural development of
me National Capital.
Wide Parkway Planned.
Prominent among these are Maj.
LEnfant and William Thornton, an
EngliShman, who drew up the plans for
the Capitol Building.
The present plan calls for wide
parkway with open grass plots between
two roadwayS, each carrying traffic IN
a single direction. The parkway would
follow a direct course over mile and
a half intervening between the Capitol
and the Monument. In addition to its
natural beauty, the architects contend,
it would furnish the reciprocity of
vision so essential to the full beauty
of any city laid out on LEnfant's plan.
At this time all of the intervening
ground is owned by the Government
and bears only few temporary Gov
eminent buildings at the extreme east
end. These buildings house branches
of the Department of Agriculture, the
Prohibition Bureau and the Bureau OF
the Census, and could be easily moved.
The roadwayS would run just in front
of the main building of the Smith
Sonian Institution and considerably IN
the rear Of the new National Museum,
but would not eI1croach on either OF
these
This parkway was conceived by Len
FAINT long before the Washington Monu-
ment had been built. Although he had
already selected the site where the
Monument now stands for a memorial
to Washington, he hoped, at that time,
of a statue. The present Monument
was built after his death.
Unknown to Public.
LEnfant is, architects say, prac-
tically unknown to the mass Of Amer
leans. Even to the better informed
he is a figure of dim tradition. With
the development of his plan of Wash
ington and the prospective expenditure
Of many millions of dollars by the
United States Government, L'Enfant,
friend and adviser OF President Wash
ington, is emerging as an important in
duence OF the early days Of the Re-
public
No portrait of Maj. L'Enfant exists,
but w. w. Corcoran of Washington, who
knew him, left description of him and
an idealistic likeness of him has been
created by Leon Chatelain, a young
Erenchman of Washington, medallion.
Disappointed in his efforts to secure
what he considered adequate COM
penSation for his work from the Federal
Government, LEnfant died in 1925 a
broken man. He was buried in an
humble grave on the Prince Georges
County Iarm Of Dudley Digs, with
whom he lived
Nearly a hundred years after his
death has remains were removed from
the DiggS farm to Arlington" writes
Glenn Brown, former secretary OF the
institute. His monument was given a
oignifled site overlooking the city he
designed, with his plan carved on the
commemoratlng marble slab. Upon
this. occasion none was too greaC to
honor him"
Jackson Is Blamed.
prominent public men are re-
! zSponSlDle Ior the damage done TO l. En-
tantS original plan, Mr.. Brown charges,
+ explaining:
Andrew Jackson placed the Treasury
to intercept the view between the Capt.
tol and The White House. Downing
planted aroi'nd the White House, cut
& ung off the views from New York and
+ Pennsylvania avenues. He did furCnel
damage in planting the Smithsonian
GROUNDS, destroying the open parkway
and obliterating reciprocity OF sight be-
i tween the capitol a the washington
8 Monument. The CA ressional Library
has destroyed the OF the Capito
3 from Pennsylvania aXAllue east.
s''One reason tor locating the White
House on its present site was charm
ing view down the Potomac. This view
has been destroyed by the steel high
way and railway bridges and the plant
ing along the railway embankment. Al
open parkway from the Capitol to the
washington Monument would be thu
highest tribute We could pay to thu
Z memory of L'Enfant. AS Washington
participated IN the plan, nothing would
better show our appreciation OF hi
two hundredth anniversary than u
Z develop the open vista bordered b!
formal avenues Of trees from the Capt
tol to the Washington Monument II
time for the Two hundredth anniversar,
celebration OF George Washington
BIRTH
E DR.. William Thornton, collaboration o
LEnfant, was born in 176l in the Yves
Indies of English parentage, and wa
educated at the University of Edin