The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1930-02-07

event In the form of worlds fair
or exposition of it's physical resources
and the development of its arts, sci
ences and industries. However, the
commission of fine arts and the nation
al park and planning commission,
which are cooperating with the BIZ
centennial commission in planning the
principal observance of the event, to
be held in the city which bears Wash
ington's name, hopes that number of
major projects, all of which are close
ly linked with the bicentennial cele-
bration idea, will be completed by 1882.
Chief among these are the following:
The Arlington Memorial bridge, now
well along in construction and virtu-
ally certain to be completed by the
bicentennial year.
Completion Of the monument gar
dens at the base Of the Washington
monument, originally proposed In the
1901 plan for Washington and urged
by city planners since.
Completion of the arboretum and
the national botanical garden.
Completion of the proposed Mount
Vernon boulevard between the west
end of the Arlington bridge and the
home of George Washington.
Cutting through the mall of the
parallel roadways on each side of the
great central composition and advance
ment of the public building program
to point where the government tri-
angle becomes that in fact.
Completion of the scheme for max
ing Wakefield, the birthplace Of George
Washington, national shrine, and
construction of roadways and airplane
landing field and wharves for ships at
the shrine.
Outstanding among these projects
is the Mount Vernon memorial boule-
ward. Construction has been COM
menced on this by the bureau of pub
lie roads of the Department of Agri-
culture. 1t is to extend from the Vir-
ginia end of the new bridge connect
ing the Lincoln memorial with the
Arlington National cemetery to Mount
Vernon along the Potomac river, a
distance of 1914 miles.
This highway, which will be 200 feet
wide, will be one Of the finest boule-
wards in the country and will offer
easy access to Mount Vernon, Wash
ington's home. Congress has appro-
priated funds for the boulevard, the
initial cost being $4,5OO,OOO. 1t has
been suggested that to each of the 13
colonies should be allowed a mile of
road for such state tablets and archi-
tectural treatment as may be desired
by the state. with the approval of the
federal government. This idea, how
ever, is tentative and may not mate
rialize.
The plans for the monument gardens
at the base Of the 555-foot obelisk re-
calls the fact that the monument as
conceived in 1888 has never been CON-
pleted. The building of the monument
in it's present form underwent many
vicissitudes after the laying Of the
original cornerstone in 184S. The
Civil war interfered with the work
and 1t was not until 1876 that the
shaft reached height of $50 feet.
In 1880 the second cornerstone was
laid and the work went rapidly ahead
until 1888, when the monument was
opened to the public.
From that time little was done un-
til the erection of the magnificent Lin
coin memorial with the rejecting pool
in between. Now 1t is hoped that the
$5O,OO0,0OO federal building program
for the National Capital which is I'M
der way will carry forward the COM
pletion of the monument on the basic
plans for II and the development of
the mall or monument gardens, ex-
tending from the Capitol to the menu