Evening star., 1933-01-01
NEW u. S. BUILDINGS WILL PAY
FOR THEMSELVES IN 40 YEARS
Will Liquidate First Cost in Saving of Big
Rentals, Says Karl J. Hardy in
American Civic Annual.

! Northern Virginia road system. Maj
ID. H. Gillette, assistant executive off,
Ger OF the Arlington Memorial Bridge
| Commission. says in The Annual.
| Maj. Gillette challenges the assertion
| that the bridge is "$14.000,000 lux
ury," pointing out that LESS than half
| of the appropriation is for the bridge
| itself" The balance of the fund, he
| explains, is being expended for neces-
sary streets and approaches. which
must be monumental in character.
Another misunderstanding in the
| public mind concerns the necessity for
extending and widening Constitution
! avenue to the Capitol as part of the
| bridge project" Maj. Gillette writes
Such a croSS-town thoroughfare Of
ample capacity is an absolutely essen
tial provision for the great increase of
traffic that is being caused by the new
Federal buildings. But this improve
ment has sentimental as we'll as a
utilitarian motive. Until the construc-
tion of the Arlington Bridge there was
no dignifled and appropriate route over
which to properly conduct the funerals
| of outstanding national heroes. Such
ceremonial professions have in the past
been forced TO go through slums and
narrow, busy, commercial streets, block
I
rather than inspiring respect and honor
| to the dead. When Constitution avenue
IS completed as planned. these funerals.
many of which originate at the Union
Station. will pass entirely along hand
some avenues and park drives of ade-
| quate width to eliminate the necessity
for the marchers to change formation
at any point due to CONSTRUCTED space
Other Parkway Projects.
This prediction is set down In the
Annual by Gilmore D, Clarke, land
scape architect: THE Mount Vernon
Memorial Highway is the forerunner of
other parkway projects destined to trav-
erse the length and breadth of the en-
tire country. These parkwayS will by
pass all centers of population and aid
in protecting belts of countryside so
that travel by motor will be delight
The suggestion is made by Morley
j. Williams, assistant professor, School
of Landscape Architecture. Harvard
University. in the Annual that Mount
Vernon. as improved by George Wash
ington, may have been patterned after
his own family shield He says:
by inspecting either plan or airview
OF the mansion and immediate sur
roundings, the shape of a shield stands
4 O0S w oNAOAA5AJ w bC ONCA AOOhCu. II
is outlined by the wall of the deer
park, the two east walls, the south
wall of the vegetable garden and north
side Of the flower garden and by the
curving west ends of these gardens.
The curving lines of both of these
walls were continued to the west en-
trance OF the bowling green by means
of holly hedges planted by Washing
ton and these hedges, as they turned
parallel to the entrance, formed the
point of the shield. In the Washing
ton shield itself will be seen three stars
across the upper part. If the mansion
could be considered as the central star
the other two would be represented
by two groves of trees which we know
to have existed. one at each end o.
the house. The suggestion of cross
bars of about the right proportionate
width can be found in the spacing OF
the croSs-walks of the gardens and in
the cross-drive. OF further significance
is the fact that this is the family
area and all outside of it is farm. It
is not possible to say that this form
and similarity were definitely planned,
but If not, they offer a remarkable
coincidence"
Prof. Williams says that restoration
OF the plans on paper is the aim but
how completely possible this will be
! remains to be seen"