Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-14
TELLS HOW CIRCLES
MAY Be IMPROVED
Harris, Addressing Engi-
neers, Discusses Ideal
Treatment.

Building subway under Scott Circle
and closing up the sections where Six
tenth street now intersectS with the
circle by imposing buildings are among
ideas recently discussed by Albert L.
Harris. District municipal architest. at
a meeting of the civic section OF the
American Association Of Civil Engineers.
The plan, Mr.. Harris said, has three
distinctive advantages. First, 1t would
take out Of the circle all of the Six
tenth street traffic and provide it with
uninterrupted progress; then 1t pro-
vides greater architectural possibilities
by carrying the architectural develop
ment across Sixteenth street. and last it
would greatly improve traffic conditions
on Rhode Island and Massachusetts
avenues. which intersect at the circle.
The plan is not official, nor Is there
any known disposition to make it so.
The engineers were discussing what is
known as ''round-point," that Is, prob
lens affecting construction on circu-
lar instead Of straight front. Mr.. Har-
ris delivered an address on the archi-
lecture OF round point, and took up the
problem of getting the best possible re-
suits out of a given situation by pick
ing on Scott Circle and seeing what
could be done to improve it from an
architectural standpoint. A graphic
presentation of Mr.. Harris ideas Is
shown in the reproduction herewith of
his ideal treatment of the circle. Two
monumental buildings face the circle on
the north and south ends. Their 'front.'
age on the circle takes up nearly all OF
its circumference. There are two other
buildings, symmetrically arranged, one
between N street and Rhode Island ave-
a~al H. ~ hatn NJ efvaaf ord
Massachusetts, avenue.
Unusual Treatment Proposed. ~.
In discussing the advantages, archi-
tectural and otherwise, Of this scheme,
Mr.. Harris said:
I'm the study Of Scott Circle, a very
radical modification Of the usual treat
nent Of this type of motif is proposed.
In order to obtain q large amount Of
wall space for architectural expression,
Sixteenth street has been eliminated
from the circle and traffic on this
street has been provided for by tun-
mel passing under the circle"
After speaking of the advantages OF
this scheme, MI. Harris discussed the
theory of the circles found in such
numbers In Washington:
I'm my opinion" he said, 81 Enfant
introduced the round point in the plan
Of Washington to interrupt long
stretches of avenues with some inter-
esting object and to prevent the posi-
bility of monotony and barrennesS.
1.-THE problem of the round point ir
the city plan has two very important
aspects; flrst, the number of streets en-
tering the circle. In my opinion the
number Of streets passing through the
circle should be reduced to the mini.
mum. and one street Is more satisfac.
tory than larger number as the archi.
lecture Of the circle is practically con.
tinuous and the designer is given the
widest scope for the study of the en-.
semble. # more than one street paSse:
through the circle it is important thai
they should be symmetrically arranged
so as to provide symmetrical masses Of
buildings. F1cturesqueness may be OBJ
tanned by unsymmetrical grouping, bu
greater dignity and repose is obtained
by symmetry and composition.
Architecture Unrelated.
"In the Washington examples, the
buildings surrounding the circles are
not designed with reference to the cir
Gle in the center, or to each other