Evening star., 1932-10-23
Fifty Years Ago
In The Star

Protests against the destruction of
ehade trees in the streets of Washing
rss+rno+;on of ton were heard so
Va years ago as they
Avenue Trees. iie are 'Gaag; improSements ss pa1s
were prosecuted and changes occurred
in the alignment of the streets. Such
an expression of objection was noted in
The Star of October 25, 1882 as follows:
An eloquent protest reaches The
Star against the wanton destruction
Of the fine old trees on the corner of
Pennsylvania avenue and Ninth street
Whatever occasion there may have been
for the removal of these venerable
trees it is time that a word of warning
should be raised against the further
demolition of the Avenue trees. Year
by year the process of looping, dwarfing
and exterminating has been going on
until the grateful shade and charming
fringe of green that used to make this
street tolerable during the heated term
have nearly disappeared 1t is well to
bear in mind that these trees once de-
stroyed can never be replaced. With
the carriageways and footwalks paved
With impervious asphalt. young trees
have no more chance of getting root
hold there than if planted in the Des-
ert of Sahara. Pennsylvania avenue,
with its great width exposed to the
fierce, direct rays of the sun and the
terrific reflected and radiated heat from
the asphalt. needs all the shade it can
have. a fact to be borne in mind by
business men who are sometimes in
clined to look upon shade trees in front
of their premises as an obstruction to
business"
The District Jail originally stood on
the north side Of the public reservation
pers;on known as Judiciary Square
Up3n the removal of the in
n&o. stitutfon to a new building
oi'e' en- the banks of the Eastern
Branch it was the public hope that the
space thus restored to park uses would
not again be taken for construction.
There was some talk in the early sos of
locating the new home of the Library of
Congress on that ground, but it came to
naught. When provision was made for
new Pension once Building. to be
placed on public ground, the commits
sion headed by the Secretary of War
chose a site in Judiciary Square prac-
tically identical with that of, the old
Jail. The Star Of october 26, 1882, says:
Secretary Lincoln was asked by a
Star reported today what considerations
led to the selection of Judiary Square
as the site for the new Pension Office
Building and in reply he stated that
the commission was of the belief that
the act of Congress authorizing the
construction pointed to a site in the
vicinity of Ohio avenue and B street.
but that after careful examination of
that location, under the supervision of
Gen. Meigs. it was found that it was
unsuited in every particular for the
purpose. The commission then turned
its attention to the other public res
ervations and after careful examination
decided that Judiciary Square offered
more advantages than any other avail
able. The Secretary stated that the
buildings which were in the immediate
vicinity of the location selected would
be, as little affected by the erection of
the Pension Office as any place that
could be utilized. :
LAS to the sentiment against cutting
up one of Washington's handsome parks,
the Secretary said that there would be
plenty of park left. and as it was neces-
sary under the law to select a Govern
ment reservation for the purpose he
thought that Judiciary Square could be
utilized with less destruction to the
park than any other"