Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-18

re last night. where they attended the
ital Park and Planning Commission TO
Star Staff Photo
sent to you, Lieut.. Col U. S. Grant, Sd,
executive officer of the National Capital
Park and Planning Commission"
Grant Tells of Work.
Visualizing washington as Americas
highest attainment in the art Of city
building" Col Grant, outlined for the au-
dience the progress that has been made
toward this goal. He reminded his
hearers that a regional plan cannot at
any time be made final and complete,
amy more than a single suit can be
patterned to permanently clothe
growing child and asserted that
Washington must not permit the Capt.
tol dome to be dominated by high
buildings or other structures.
Col. Grant told the assembly his
commission believes that present con-
ditions in this city already justify the
contention that even the 130-foot limit
is too high, and that the ll0-foot limit
originally established by the zonlng
Commission should have been ad-
hered to-"
Giving an account of the commits
sion's work during the three years of
its existence. Col. Grant took as his
topic. "The Plan for the National Cap
ital and It's Environs," and divided his
subject into these sections: Highways,
railroads, water terminals. airports,
parks within the District and regional
parks. /.
Picturing Washington as the hub Of
a great urban development in this
area, Col. Grant said that "high-level
crossings over the Rock Creek valley
are needed-at least one Immediately
to stop the danger and prevent the
waste of time and traction incident TO
carving all crosstown traffic lao feet
down hill and then again up the same
height on the other side"
Stresses Inter-City Connections.
Sensing the development of plans in
the National Capital and IN NEARBY
MARYLAND and Virginia as "a single,
seamless garment, so that we may have
here a region that Is living. growing
organism. each part of which f1ts into
and collaborates with adjacent parts,
Col. Grant declared that the drecC
connection with our nearest metropon-
tan neighbors on the north and on the
south-Baltimore and R1chmono-are
of first and special interest.
Sketching for his audience the pro-
posed great inter-urban highway, Col
Grant pictured the stranger as f1ndng
"a broad and adequate boulevard over
which he can pass by the crowded city
streets. skirting the hills of Montgom-
ery County, and at the same time 90.
tain, perhap, various impressive ano
inspiring views of the Capital CITY
then over a bridge near Great
Falls or near Little Falls and connect
ing with a good road in Virginia which
will permit him to 20 on his way with
out being entangled in the more con-
gested local developments near the
river or overlooking the terminals OF
the city bridges, even If they were 10
be improved"
because highways constitute the
most important contribution MADE al
public expense to the individuais lie,
because they are the arteries tnrougn
which the life-blood OF the community
must circulate, and finally because they
are the specific part of the city IN
which the conditions have changed
most in a very short time, the battle
of the streets commands our full at
tention." Col. Grant declared. CITY
planning studies naturally begin with
a consideration of the highway system
and the work done in the past-tnat Is,
existing conditions-is found TO set
certain limitations upon what can be
OOIl6 III JIlc 1uIuiC'
Lauds L'Enfant's Foresight.
Fortunately Washington was origi-
nally laid out on scale amply aoe-
uuate for a large city, and within the
limits of the original L'Enfant plan
width has been reserved between pullo-
ings which permits the streets to be
widened at the relatively low cost OF
moving back the curb, extending the
pavement and sacrificing one row OF
street trees. When we stop to realize
that such street widening operations are
costing from four to twelve million dol-
lars a mile in other cities, where made
quate rights of way have been retained,
we appreciate the cash value 10 our
generation of Mai. LEnfant's FORE
sight.
tunate in having had since 1910 law
preventing the construction OF buildings
higher than 100 feet, for to the con-
Stantly more accentuated crowding OF
the land in most of our cities we must
attribute a large part of their traffic
congestion. which is gradually throt-
Ting the circulation essential to their
economic life. This commission believes
that present conditions in this city
already Justify the contention that even
| the 13O-foot limit Is too high, and that
, the llO-foot limit originally established
by the Zoning Commission should have
been adhered to. But even so, trafhc
conditions within the limits OF the
L'Enfant plan are still within bounds
! that can be handled without recourse
| to such expensive public works as sub
WAYS. double deck streets. overhead
pedestrian crossings, etc. Where such
devices are contemplated by the COM
missions plans they have been con-
sidered rather as steps that are or may
| become desirable in special locations
than as something Immediately re-
quired
! limitation of building heights in this
| city is the sentimental one Of preserv-
| ing the dominance of the dome of the
| Capitol as the chief characteristic OF
| the National Capital, just as the dome
of st. Peters dominates Rome. 1t is,
| therefore. to be hoped that Congress
will not further belittle the Capitol in
/ which it legislates by passing special
| legislation excepting special buildings
| from the coming law and permitting
them to build to heights which look
down on the roof of the Capitol In
spite of the height of the latter's site,
| and so relegate the Capitol dome to a
/ competition for command with the tow
ers. pinnacles. penthouses and water
! tanks which ornament or deface our
| commercial buildings.
UNFORTUNATELY, the successors to the
founders did not exercise the same UNI
derstanding foresight, many things were
to some extent it waSforgotten' and