Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-02
GOES TO DEFENSE
OF L'ENF ANT PLAN
Head of Fine Arts Commits
sion Backs Cleveland
Architect In Objections.

Arts. Mr.. Poets points out that, al
though architects of today confess pub
lcly they cannot improve on the plan
Of the great Frenchman who laid out
the plan for Washington in 1871: in the
privacy of their drafting rooms, there is
nothing, he says, that gives them as
much pleasure as cutting a leg of M.
L'Enfant's trousers"
Mr.. Poets complaint is chiefly con-
cerned with the treatment given to
Eighth street, which he claims was one
Of the key lines OF the geometrical
scheme that makes Washington unique
among the cities of the world, and with
the prospective abandonment of the
Center Market-which now cuts of the
approach of Eighth street to the Mall
in favor of erection on the site of new
building to house the Department of
Justice.
Objections Considered.
Mr.. Moore considers Mr.. Peets' argu-
fnent worth consideration, and already
has called it to the attention of Abram
GARFIELD. architect member of the COM
missions whose home is in Cleveland.
Here Is the way Mr. Poets describes
what 8 called the --latest mutilation of
the I.Enfant plan" in the Baltimore
Sun:
''Nashington's Center Market must go,
and friendly obituaries of the old build
ing are being published. They recall its
mellow middle period, but they all over
look an important point-the dubious
legitimacy of its birth. For Center
Market was erected in defiance of the
hallowed LEnfant plan on which the
artistic renown of the Capital depends.
In fact, the market obstructs fun
damental line in that design. Eighth
street, just half way between the Cap
itol and the White House, was one of
the key lines of the geometrical scheme
that makes washington unique among
the cities of the world. L'Enfant made
it the most highly enriched secondary
axis of his alan. Two squares, in one
of which the city library now stands. lie
on the northern part of the line, but it
is the southen stretch that was to be of
greatest Importance. The break occurs
at a break in topography-on the high
point where the Patent Office now
stands.
Contemplated Pantheon.
"LEnfant intended to erect there a
great pantheon, looking south. Eighth
street was to be the monumental ap-
proach to this national temple. Its
first enlargement is square where the
midpoint of Pennsylvania avenue is
marked by a grand fountain From
this square radiate eight views Vlstas.
IN LEnfant'S plan, including views o!
the Capitol, the Presidents house and
the memorial statue of Washington.
The axis continues south between two
market houses-or possibly open market
places-acroSs the canal and Mall,
through another square and down 10 a
naval memorial column at the Potomac
shore. BY means of such streets as this
LEnfant produced the sweeping breadth
that is his plans most precious quallty.
But the mad Frenchmans success
sors had never seen Versailles and could
not rise to his largeness Of view. So,
for one thing, they built Center Market,
blocking the vista southwark from the
pantheon. Now the old building Is 70
be torn down. Is the reader waiting Tor
me to say that this Is being done as the
first step In the restoration of LEnfants
fine conception? Well, it is not.
huge office building for the Department
OF Justice will replace the market and
all the fine old elms that stand in front
Of it and nearly half of L'Enfant's
SQUARE to boot With the help OF an
other building it will obliterate the only
vista-though an imperfect one-of the
Washington Monument from PennSyl-
vania avenue.
COntradicting Actions.
'In other words, the Government
architects are annihilating an impor-
tant part of LEnfant's plan. Yet,
oddly enough, they profess to adore the
plan. President Taft once remarked
that the ablest architects now, more
than a hundred years after the plan was
drawn. have confessed themselves I'M
able to improve upon LEnfant's de-
sign. This confession must be aScribed
to the architects charming modesty-
In public. In the privacy of their draft
Ing rooms there is nothing they so much
enjoy as cutting q leg OF M. L'Enfant's
trousers.
This is illustrated by the accom-
panying before-and-after plans of Cen
ter Market square The supposed COM
pensation Is called the Mall transept, a
transverse axis-developed by the use
Of water and other garden features and
terminating in the recessed front of the
Justice Building. The garden treatment
would doubtless please l. Enfant, but
he might remark that the Mall was
not an independent formal garden, but
detail In the plan of a large city. The
Mall was, in LEnfant's conception, a
kind of promenade from which the
superb size and unity of the city could
be observed. For this purpose deep and
impressive VistaS into the city are es-
sential.
Calls PathOs Complete.
"Of all the tragic passages in the
Capitoline architectural drama the
wrong location of the Washington
Monument is the most dolorous It
stands some 400 feet from the intended
point. So we have here the most
glorious vista-objective in the world
without single street shooting straight
at it-and, to make the pathos COM
plete, this happens in a city especially
designed to take multiple advantage Of
every such objective. a city world
faA)us for precisely that quality. One
VISA will indeed be realized when the
Mall Is cut through In accordance with
the present plans. But it was the
essence Of LEnfant's conception that
architectural high-points of this sort
should dominate symmetrical street
vistas running deep into the city in
many directions. That was his way of
cashing in on the monumental effect
OF his show pieces-his way also of
knitting the city into a vast but con-
stantly felt unity. He counted on
bowling the visitor over by repeated
surprise-blows of stunning beauty
This intersection of PENNSYLVANIA
avenue and Eighth street, accordingly,
vital nucleus formed by the meeting
Of his principal diagonal and his half
way cross axis, L'Enfant made into a
KIND of clearing house for his vistas
From no other point in the city were all
the essential objects of his great COM
position visible. And they were not to
be casually visible to the eye. They
were to be tied to this place by i'm
presSive receding perspectives, each
forming monumental setting or frame
for its terminal accent The lower sec
ton of Louisiana avenue, even though
1t does not shoot at the monument, al
SaSc opens UP picturesque view OF
the mighty obelisk Now that the Gov